Published project for PhilArts1
Claiming One’s Voice
Claiming one’s voice does not always begin with speaking loudly. Sometimes, it starts with a quiet admission to oneself that there are experiences that no longer deserve to be kept inside. For a long time, silence has been treated as part of what makes a woman “good”—a way of getting along, enduring, and avoiding conflict. Yet as time passes, it becomes clear that constant silence often comes with loss.
Through making a zine, quiet experiences are given form. Words that once stayed only in the mind find their way onto paper, into images, and into fragmented narratives. This process does not require permission from institutions or approval from the majority. Instead, it is a personal choice to speak in one’s own way, using one’s own language and lived experience.
The zine becomes a space where the personal takes on meaning within a broader conversation about culture. By valuing one’s own voice, a woman’s experience moves beyond being a private story and becomes part of a collective understanding of how culture shapes roles, expectations, and limitations placed on women. What may seem like simple storytelling turns into an act of participation and quiet resistance.
As a woman who has returned to studying later in life, claiming my voice does not mean rejecting all the roles I carry. Rather, it is an acknowledgment that I, too, have the right to speak, to question, and to set my own boundaries. The zine serves as a reminder that culture is not something we simply accept—it is something we can examine, challenge, and slowly reshape through small but meaningful steps.
In the end, claiming one’s voice is a process. It is not immediate, nor is it always clear. But with every page created and every word written, the strength to speak gradually takes shape—not to shout, but to recognize one’s own experience as an important part of culture.
