On October 9, 2018, Manila’s young It-Girls and beauty addicts gathered for an intimate dinner at 1771 Event Place to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Nadine Lustre’s “Lustrous”, a makeup line in collaboration with BYS cosmetics. A celebrity of Lustre’s calibre often commands a mass of attention, and social media went ablaze with curious fans eager to see what their idol was doing. Women donned white stylish outfits and shared photos of candlelit tablescapes adorned with white roses. It was the ideal set-up for an evening of merriment, which was documented under the Instagram hashtag #IAmLustrous.
However, Nadine’s invitation to a night out was not purely a ploy for self-promotion. The social media darling used her star power to spread awareness on the growing epidemics of depression and anxiety. “I get anxiety from nothing, [there is no] trigger at all, which is hard because I don’t know how to solve it,” she shared in a video uploaded by MEGA Magazine. Lustre would go on to tell her dinner guests that the suicide of her brother deeply affected her. With World Mental Health Day recently happening (October 10), it was a commendable move for the actress to share her story, opening up a venue for public discussion.
Lustre and BYS also invited a number of successful women to speak about their experiences with depression and anxiety for their newest video campaign titled “#IAmLustrious: Hear Her Story”. One of which was One Mega Group’s Founder and CEO, Sari Yap. In a teaser video presented during the dinner party, Yap shared, “I would always tell myself, when I was actually really feeling the desire to throw myself over a balcony—and my condo had a balcony so that was scary—I would always tell myself that this is not permanent. This is temporary. So mag tiis ka lang, matatapos rin ito.”
She continued to detail that her depression began in 1998, during the financial crisis that rocked the world. MEGA Magazine was relatively new at the time and the pressure had gotten to her. “You need the help of your family. They have to support you,” Yap says.
“#ImLustrous: Hear Her Story” aims to promote mental health awareness and female empowerment. Other media personalities who have joined the campaign include Kiana Valenciano, Jerika Ejercito, Bianca Valerio, Gretchen Fullido, Abby Asistio, Vern Enciso, Michelle Asence-Fontelera, G3 San Diego, Vivoree Escolito and Luz Bagalacsa. BYS invites everybody to watch the full videos from their campaign on their social media accounts, @lustrousph on IGTV and Facebook.
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According to the World Health Organization, depression and anxiety affects over 300 million people around the world, with at least 50% of those diagnosed with depression to also have an anxiety disorder. 15% of the adult population of the world have had experienced depression at some point in their life. The disease does not choose race, creed, gender or social class, and continues to be a growing epidemic worldwide.
For individuals who think they may have depression or an anxiety disorder, contact one of the national hotlines dedicated to providing help for those with mental health concerns. Call the HOPELINE Project at (02) 804-HOPE (4673), 0917 558 HOPE (4673) and 2919 (toll-free number for all Globe and TM subscribers).
