Jennica Garcia opened up about her past struggles on self-image, recalling how insecure she felt due to a skin problem.
She did so while sharing a series of photos of herself donning denim shorts and a spaghetti-strap top, during a taping break, as seen on her Instagram page, yesterday, Nov. 24.
“If my memory serves me right, this particular scene in Las Hermanas (3rd Photo) was shot on the month of May. We wrapped up the entire teleserye come July,” she said.
“I can still recall my first day at work. I would hide in a cubicle. A portable toilet for everyone to use. I would put make up on my arms (I had uneven skintone. My upper arm, from elbow up is lighter because I always wear Large T-shirts) and look in the mirror. I was battling my emotions.”
“I wanted to cover up every inch of my body,” she recalled. “In my mind… ‘Hindi na ako mukhang artista.’ Nahihiya akong humarap sa mga katrabaho ko. Ang kikinis ng mga kasama ko, nahihiya ako sa kanila.”
(I thought, “I don’t look like a movie star anymore.” I feel ashamed to face my co-stars. They were all smooth-skinned, I felt shy before them.)
She then made a promise that once she earns her paycheck, the first thing she would do is to ask her children what they would want her to buy for them, pay bills, then spend what’s left for her skin care. She would buy anything that said “intensive” or with results “in 7 days.” She also sought help from books, some of which she shared as well in her post.
It all eventually paid off as her friends, cousins and siblings noticed her renewed beauty. At first, she did not believe them, thinking they were only being nice to her because they knew how hard her life has been. But after she saw her own photo, she realized that her looks have indeed improved.
“Nagbunga yung paghilod hilod ko sa shower, hehe! Humaba na rin ang buhok ko at hindi na rin po ako madaling maiyak,” she said.
(My scrubbing in the shower paid off. My hair grew and I no longer cried easily.)
Garcia announced last May that she and her husband, fellow actor Alwyn Uytingco, are splitting up. Speculations that they have reconciled surfaced last October after Uytingco publicly thanked her for giving him “a second chance.” JB
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