The Villainization of Powerful Filipina Moms in Teleseryes
Do you remember hearing stories about wicked witches as a kid?
For decades, we’ve seen this fictional trope take on different forms in films, television, literature and art–inevitably, it unconsciously influenced the way society perceived “female power”. Most witches in pop culture, while heavily skilled in their magic, almost always appear hideous. And the more powerful a witch is, the more downright frightening she becomes.
We can see a similarity with the villain mom in soap operas, most especially in K-Dramas and telenovelas. In Filipino soaps, she’s best known as the kontrabida–the wealthy, scheming and stern matriarch that mistakes controlling her child with “knowing what’s best”. Oftentimes, she gets in the way of the love team–usually her son and a young woman from a different social status. She knows what she wants and if she doesn’t like something, she knows how to deal with it, often leveraging her power, money, and influence to achieve her goals.
In the end, for the love story to successfully come full circle, something bad must happen to her, whether that’d be public embarrassment or worse, death. But even as an audience, we too have a love-hate relationship with the kontrabida, since she does spice up the plot and keep us guessing. However, is the villainization of strong, powerful women contributing to the already misogynistic culture of the Philippines?
Built on ruins
Philippine cinema was founded on stereotypes. Onscreen men are often showcased with machismo, and homosexual characters are written to be overly-flamboyant or objects of mockery. And while more modern stories start to detach from these concepts, a few still slip through even to this day. Hollywood is the same, being the manufacturer of multiple racially-motivated and sexist tropes that are now widely recognizable. Just like the Dragon Lady, who was molded after Asian female stereotypes and is supposed to be deceitful, exotic, and sexually objectified.
Kontrabida moms went through the same formula and have become a staple in Pinoy television, that it’s difficult to not include them in a plot. But what exactly makes her so threatening? Is it because she reminds us of our own fierce mothers? The ideal Filipina has always been portrayed as “pure”, “submissive” and “naive”, which is why most leading ladies in teleseryes embody these. But the kontrabida mom breaks this narrative. She exhibits a transgressive personality so she ends up getting vilified even further.
From reel to real
If you think the villainization of female power can only go as far as fictional settings, then think again. Because even in the Philippines’ political realm, there is always a witch-hunt for Filipinas. The rampant misogyny in the country was more visible during the former Duterte administration, which might have contributed to preventing more Filipinas from entering politics. According to a study done by the World Values Survey, more than half of Filipinos believe that men make better political leaders than women. This collective mindset has gone as far as undermining women’s concerns in electoral polls to such incidents including the unlawful detainment of Sen. Leila De Lima and the sexist online attacks against former presidential candidate Leni Robredo. This is what is otherwise known as “Violence Against Women in Politics” (VAWP).
Sadly, this phenomenon is more global than strictly something Filipinas experience–further proof that even with how progressive society seems to have become, there are still hints of prejudice lingering. While the kontrabida mom represents parental toxicity stretched out and fictionalized, she still exists among us, just not plotting to get rid of her son’s lover. Rather, she can be seen as any woman CEO, entrepreneur, politician, socialite and influential figure in the world.
The kontrabida is a direct product of the world they tried very hard to survive in. And for the kontrabida mom, her deviousness, cunning and ability to be feared by all are traits she honed from being victimized far too long. However, powerful Filipina women shouldn’t be boxed as just antagonists or portrayed as damaged. Because in real life, women who are capable of being dominant and authoritative can also be selfless and nurturing. Ambition and fierceness aren’t so much villainous qualities, and Filipina power specifically doesn’t equate to being a kontrabida.
Speaking of Filipino mothers, check out more content like this from One Down!