Beyond Those Shoes

A reaction paper on Imelda

Aside from being the dictator’s wife, former first lady Imelda Marcos is also well-known for her wide collection of shoes. But there’s more to the first lady than her fancy shoes.

It was revealed that Imelda was already exposed to politics at a very young age. After having ‘won’ a national beauty pageant, she was able to catch the eyes and heart of the late president Ferdinand Marcos, thus making her the first lady of the country. She was also the governor of Manila that time.She saw herself as the shining star to which the downtrodden masses could look for inspiration. I was even surprised when she said that she takes more time in preparing herself when she’s meeting some peasants than in meeting some high-ranking officials. But what struck me the most was when there was someone who attempted to kill her in front of a very huge crowd. I didn’t know that happened. Maybe I was still a kid then. Anyway, as I watched that scene, I was genuinely scared and worried for her. That was a first. Though there were times that I disliked her, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I want her dead. It was a good thing that she wasn’t hurt so bad. It was quite funny when she was interviewed for the movie because she said that she didn’t want to die because she was stabbed using a mere bolo.

At the end of the film, there were so many things that I learned about the former first lady. I can see her as herself now and not just a mere wife of a dictator – that beyond those shoes lies a woman who did things in her own little way to help the country she grew up in.


Bea Cristine T. Ledesma
2013-64643