Dove Deodorant Presents Unspeakably Yours: The Underarm Monologues

A lot of women I know, including myself, have a love-hate relationship with their underarms. It's quite a funny thing to say but it's true! And what better way to verbalize those feelings than through a live stage play?! 

Last Wednesday, after numerous requests for a repeat performance, Dove Deodorant once more presented the full show of Upstart Production's The Underarm Monologues at Teatrino in Greenhills. The play is inspired by stories from real women and features funny and witty anecdotes about most females' daily "battles" with their underarms. Here's one example:

"Guys, you probably can't imagine what it feels like to pluck the hair from your armpits for the first time. But if you want an approximation, grab a random bunch of nose hair really tight and just yank it right out of there. Then do it about a hundred more times." How true! Right? :D

Caisa Borromeo

If you're asked what you best beauty asset is, the underarm would likely be near, or at, the bottom of your list. And yet, according to Dove, 87% of women think their underarms CAN be a beauty asset --- IF ONLY they looked better :p Unfortunately, issues like dark spots, chicken skin, odor, and rough patches would hardly make one consider their underarms as an asset. 

Jenny Jamora

The above sentiments actually became the inspiration for Dove Deodorants to create Unspeakably Yours: The Underarm Monologues. The play, which kinda brought me back to the time I saw Love, Loss, and What I Wore, has a lot of dialogues that had audiences laughing out loud because they are so easy to relate to. 

Angela Padilla

Cindy Melocoton-Manlapaz, Unilever Philippines Marketing Manager for Deodorants and Oral Care, acknowledged that women rarely describe themselves as beautiful, with some body parts even less loved than others. "More than half of Filipinas rank their underarms as one of the body parts they are unhappiest about," she revealed. "[But] we believe that the underarms can be things of real beauty too, if only we cared for them more." This championing of an otherwise hated body part is an affirmation of Dove's view of beauty and its long-time celebration of real women.

Unilever ladies with event host Issa Litton

Unspeakably Yours aims to prove, with disarming honesty and humor, that a woman's underarms can be her worst enemy or her best friend and it's up to her to decide which. Through The Underarm Monologues, Dove encourages women to share their true-to-life underarm stories and their pledge to provide real care for their underarms.

There's one particular part of the play that I was really, really able to relate to. It was "The Boyfriend" segment but I don't think I should reveal anymore what that was all about. All I could say is that the guy Caisa was describing could 100% be my husband :)

Unilever executives with Cathy Azanza-Dy and the cast

In case they do stage Unspeakably Yours again, make sure you get to watch it. The actresses are amazing and I loved the set design and the lighting.  This play is written by theater veterans Joel Trinidad ("Kaos"; "Breakups and Breakdowns") and Cathy Azanza-Dy ("Love, Loss, and What I Wore"; "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change"), and directed by Cathy Azanza-Dy and Jenny Jamora. The show stars Caisa Borromeo, Jenny Jamora, and Angela Padilla.