Dove Deodorant recently collaborated with Upstart Productions to present Unspeakably Yours: The Underarm Monologues. Inspired by stories from real women, this original outspoken comedy explores views on an intimate part of the body that females love to hate and hate to love: their underarms.
Using stories plucked out from countless interviews, this three-woman comedy waxes eloquent on the true and often dark issues surrounding this least favorite asset. The play seeks to shave away the irritation and embarrassment associated with this often misunderstood and neglected body part.
Through a combination of true-to-life anecdotes, observations and trivia, Unspeakably Yours strives to prove, with disarming honesty and humor, that a woman’s underarms can be her worst enemy or her best friend: it’s up to her to decide which.
Writer Joel Trinidad and his creative team have woven real stories from real women into a truly entertaining episodic play. “I thoroughly enjoyed creating the script, especially as more and more responses were coming in,” he states. “The descriptions and underarm analogies that we got were hilarious—although they did reveal some frustrations and insecurities among women. I never knew women went through such trouble just for the upkeep of the underarms”.
“We know that women rarely describe themselves as beautiful, with some body parts less loved than others,” explains Cindy Melocoton-Manlapaz, Unilever Philippines Marketing Manager for Deodorants and Oral Care. “More than half of Filipinas rank their underarms as one of the body parts they are unhappiest about: being laden with dark spots and chicken skin. We believe that the underarms can be things of real beauty too, if only we cared for them more.”
Through the play, Dove Deodorant wishes to advocate that women should embrace and love their underarms, by first being comfortable enough to talk about them, and taking the time to care for and look after them. Espousing love for an otherwise hated body part perfectly affirms the Dove’s long-time celebration of real women and our view of beauty.
Unspeakably Yours: The Underarm Monologues is written by theater veterans Joel Trinidad (“Kaos”; “Breakups & Breakdowns”) and Cathy Azanza-Dy (“Love, Loss, and What I Wore”; “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”), and directed by Cathy Azanza-Dy and Jenny Jamora. The show stars (in alphabetical order): Caisa Borromeo, Mayen Bustamante-Cadd, and Angela Padilla. It is directed by Cathy Azanza-Dy and Jenny Jamora.