When you’re a young woman in 2024 and are given the opportunity to listen to successful, extremely ambitious women at a TEDx conference, you take it. And take it I did. Last November 15, I met a huge inspiration of mine at the TEDxWomen Event: Anchored in Tech at the Theater at Solaire.
It was a packed day with over 20 speakers, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., my first TEDx event, and it was, for lack of a better term, a lot! A lot of wise takeaways, a lot of great experiences to learn from, and just a lot of fun.
But the highlight for me was the time I spent away from the Solaire Theater, to speak (or as my generation would say, “a yap session”) with a huge beauty writer, content creator, and queer inspiration of mine—Belle Rodolfo.
Finding out she was Beauty editor of L’Officiel came after, and it put a lot of things in perspective for me, things from my student years. Here was a woman living the life I’ve always wanted to live. A writer with a beautiful partner, living here in the Philippines, attending glamorous events, receiving and reviewing PR packages, while also being a voice and an influence in media for a community that was never represented so joyfully in the last few years.
This wasn’t the first time I saw her, since I attended a beauty event at Rustan’s where she was one of the guests. At the time, I was too shy to approach her, but this time I wouldn’t let shyness stop me. I asked the media handlers if I could speak to her for a casual interview.
On my way to meet Belle at the VIP and speaker room, it felt unreal to think that someone I’ve been watching for two years would be right there in the flesh for a full conversation.
We approached the table where she and her partner, Deng Garcia were seated. Belle, though visibly tired, was friendly and accommodating. She was impeccably dressed in black, and her makeup just blew me away. After offering me a seat, we began our yap session.
Author with Belle Rodolfo
I had so many questions to ask Belle, from her talk about democratizing the beauty industry to her shift from beauty editor to content creator. There was so much about her journey that I wanted all the know-hows to.
But a lot of our conversation circled back to her time as an openly queer content creator on the internet.
Asked about what it meant to be represented in media as a queer woman, she said, “I feel like kulang parin sa ganun ka-normalize, and I mean the goal is to make sure that our existence is not seen as something special… Gay it up!”
She expressed frustration with the fact that as a femme woman, she doesn’t necessarily fall into the category of what others see as a queer woman. She encourages people with the platform to use it to “open your eyes,” and not just to get a queer woman because they need to tick a box.
When it came to her shift from being a beauty editor to a content creator, I asked what she believed set her apart from other creators. “My whole motto is that I want to be so true to myself. Like even if you watch my content, what my terms and conditions are, and my non-negotiables… It’s to set my boundaries. I really have to be who I am. And I feel like because of that my growth isn’t as fast and furious as other creators. I’m really picky about things I put out. While I’m picky with that, I really want to say what I want. Ayoko inutusan talaga.”
This was a refreshing take, and when I look back, this was probably one of the biggest reasons I found myself not merely scrolling past her videos on TikTok. I’ve talked about influencers who have lost touch with their audience. As a GenZ writer with a fairly healthy obsession with analyzing the media I consume, I had to think about what makes me like a content creator now that I’m 25 years old.
Looking back, my mind wandered to what hooks me and keeps me coming back for more from a creator, in comparison to whom I used to watch when I was younger. Though not much has changed in terms of interests (gaming, musicals, beauty, etc.), the way I consume my media has diverged immensely since I was a young girl before her old Lenovo laptop in 2012.
Nowadays, I welcome with open arms someone who isn’t afraid to be themselves and to be honest with their opinions, the caveat being it has to be done in an intelligent way. I’m sure a lot of viewers want this honesty in the media we consume because who actually likes soulless media? But it’s a difficult balancing act to sustain, especially in the face of the harassment and bullying a creator can draw with one wrong comment.
Which is why Belle Rodolfo is someone whose content I love! Her personal takes, honest opinions on local and foreign brands, and even going so as far as to call out a brand that didn’t pay her after a year. There is something refreshing about someone who feels so grounded outside of the online space, and has a life beyond it.
I believe that Belle Rodolfo is one of the rare beauty creators in the space, who isn’t afraid to voice her opinions, and doesn’t care for the dramatics that come with being a content creator. Her takes are well rounded and considerate of the people of her community, and even when she has less than positive takes, she isn’t the type to drag the reviewee just for the sake of views—even at the cost of potentially explosive growth any creator would dream of having.
She understands the responsibility of having a platform, and wields her power wisely like the glamorous queen she is. I look forward to seeing where Belle Rodolfo goes as she isn’t like other content creators, both local and foreign, and I look forward to rooting for her from my side of the phone screen.
