Erika
I grew up in the Philippines, a country colonized for hundreds of years. When I was younger, I was taught self limiting beliefs by those that love me the most. I loved playing– I loved running, biking and just being active. That was aggressively discouraged by the women in my family. One occasion, I fell down and scraped my legs and my grandmother got so upset with me. I didn’t understand why it elicited so much anger from her. Then, she said “no one is going to want to marry you anymore”. I was taught to always lather lotion on my skin meanwhile my brother didn’t need to do this. I saw my mother spend so much money on her appearance. I recently learned she spent thousands of dollars on laser hair removal when it first came out, the very same year I was struggling to pay for college. It’s her money, I understand but she has shared so much remorse for not being able to help with my education. When conversations about the future will come up and I am excitedly sharing my passions, someone will always remind me to marry someone rich. These beliefs have been passed down to women in my family for generations. I am working on freeing myself from it.