Celebrating the power of Filipina athletes through art
With standouts like tennis player Alex Eala, Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, and so many more emerging talents, Filipina athletes are on the upswing. It’s a great time for any young Filipino—especially girls—to be into sports, with the advent of a lot of inspiring talents who are killing it on the world stage.
No one knows this better than women’s sports advocate and former sports reporter Ceej Tantengco-Malolos, founder of the local media initiative Go Hard Girls, which focuses on leading the charge for women-led sports storytelling.
And because it’s important for young athletes to see what’s possible if they don’t stop reaching for their goals, Go Hard Girls has partnered with local emerging artist Juliana Samson to put on their first-ever art series, aptly titled “Pinay Power.”
Girl power
Featuring 12 sports and over 30 athletes, each carefully curated and created over several months, the series will be launched through “The Pinay Power Art Exhibit” on Sept. 20 at Conscious Commons in Legazpi Village, Makati. The sports include tennis, volleyball, basketball, weightlifting, boxing, and a lot more, with today’s top female athletes—such as Eala, Diaz, Alyssa Valdez, Nesthy Petecio, and Aira Villegas, to name a few—taking center stage.
“As a sports reporter, I met many elite Filipina athletes who grew up not seeing women’s sports on TV, and not having posters of women athletes to put on their walls,” says Tantengco-Malolos. “We’re now living in this incredible moment where women athletes are getting a bigger spotlight. That doesn’t mean the job’s done. It’s a sign to keep investing in women’s sports and Filipina athletes.”
For her part, Samson was all too happy to participate in an initiative like this, as it was a good way to show love to all kinds of Filipina athletes, no matter the sport, body type, and skin tone. “I wanted to dismantle stereotypes and highlight that strength and athleticism come in all shapes and sizes. Including a para-athlete had always been part of the vision, too. We believed in the powerful statement it would create—that strength and resilience transcend physical limitations.”
“Their stories are an integral and inspiring part of the larger narrative of women’s sports empowerment. It was also about showing that Go Hard Girls truly meant all girls,” Samson adds.
A love letter to women’s sports
With Filipino women’s sports enjoying a lot of great exposure this year, Go Hard Girls has been pretty busy helping drive that momentum on the media end. They’ve partnered with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to develop and help young storytellers cover women’s sports, and they’ve also platformed top athletes, such as the Olympian boxer Villegas on their podcast.
“Go Hard Girls began as a podcast in 2019, at a time when many thought that a sports show focused on women was a losing proposition. We had to crowdfund to produce our first season, and the women’s sports community showed up for us and made it possible,” says Tantengco-Malolos. “Though we’ve grown into a wider media initiative over the years, that’s the same community we serve today.”
The upcoming exhibit is also a culmination of sorts of all their efforts this year, an all-out shot to inspire young girls the most. “I want young girls to see these pieces and see themselves reflected in them—to see that their passion, their body type, and their athletic pursuit is valid and beautiful,” Samson says. “If one person leaves our exhibit feeling more inspired to try a new sport, to support a local women’s team, or to simply appreciate the incredible strength and capabilities of women, then this is a success.”
“This project is a visual love letter to the power and beauty of women’s sports, and I hope it encourages our girls to go hard,” she ends.
