Performing Dolls — Justin

(Disclaimer: Everything stated here is the author's perspective and do not reflect the fanbase I belong to.) 

—This is a five-part blog—

For people looking in, the life of a celebrity is all glitz and glamour. Us fans only see the finished products, but we don't really know what's going on behind the camera. The struggles one must face just to look perfect for a few shots. No wonder PABLO came up with the idea to write ILAW. It is their story after all. Constantly surrounded by blinding lights on stage, flashes of cameras, and the eyes of people. It's easy for people to be inspired by the shining lifestyle of celebrities. The perfection of the contents they release, or how they walk and smile in public, they look addicting and intoxicating.

But behind the glammed up faces we see online or on TV, do we know or even remember the true identity? Do we even consider it? As part of the A'tin fandom, one thing that I've noticed was that it has become natural for people to forget that celebrities are humans, too. They are living, breathing human beings who have emotions. They feel happiness, sadness, pain, and all the things that come with it. Take Justin for example. A happy, sweet, and caring man who always have an innocent smile ready for everyone. In their recent interview with Vice Ganda, they were asked about being breadwinners, and Justin's answer surprised many of us a bit.

We all know how close he is with his parents, especially his mother. He is the youngest, after all. Seeing how happy he always is with that bright smile and sparkly eyes, no one would think that he went through something that would have broken down most people. I'm a new fan but I watched all their videos—vlogs, interviews, and the likes. I personally have never seen him so sad or disheartened except that one clip where he was sitting on a couch looking so exhausted and emotional. That was to be expected given the fact that they've been doing rigorous training at that time and possibly along with everything else.

Other than that, he was the other sunshine of the group. The one who lights up the mood aside from Stell. Even his fashion style presents his positivity and bright perspective. During one of their podcast episodes, Josh even mentioned something about how good Justin is as a person. The interview with Vice shed some light about what people don't know, the things he doesn't share to the public. Every time he talks, it's always about happy things. Even when the mood is serious, it's almost as if he has a need to make everything happy and light.

Many call him the richest member because he was born rich, but he said that wasn't true. They can eat three times a day and provide for themselves, but they also experience financial problems. He even admitted that his parents used to fight because of money. They experienced borrowing money from family members, just like the rest of us. Who would imagine, right? He's got good skin, graduated from a well-known school, and always dresses properly, but that's the thing. We only see a glimpse—what he shares to us but not the whole story. 

Does anyone know what scleroderma is?

According to Penn Medicine, this an incurable autoimmune disorder that causes collagen build up in the skin and other organs. Without us knowing, his mother had a hard time moving around to a point that she couldn't properly walk for a while. Now, did he show weakness, sadness, or desperation? No, he didn't. He remained strong and the same happy person everybody knew and loved. The interview with Vice was the first time I saw him that emotional as he talked about his mother's condition and how their success somehow helped his mother get better. Seeing the group's youngest that way should be an eye opener for everyone.

We may see some parts of his life, but we don't know the whole story. He may be all smiles, but who knows what's going on in that pretty head of his. I can only imagine how much pressure he must have felt when they were starting. Imagine training with people who can sing and dance naturally when you know to yourself that you're not really like them. How frustrating it must have been for him to keep trying and failing that time? Looking back, I remembered watching a recorded version of one of their concerts. They were being interviewed in between sets, and he said he felt like he was only being given parts on their songs to make the group look good. I've been in that situation many times over. I would do everything I could to give my best, and when I still fell short, I want to literally beat myself up.

Funny how no one even talk about his mother being sick or how strong he was for still having the strength to contribute to the group despite it. His emotional and mental strength is definitely commendable because not many people can do what he did. Why am I talking about all these? We see Justin as someone with the perfect life just because that's what we see in photos and videos. These things tend to make us forget that he is just another human being who goes through the same things as us. In fact, he makes us realize that our judgement for those who we perceived as wealthy people having the perfect life is wrong. 

He may be living a better life than most us financially, but that doesn't mean that he don't have the same problems as us, or maybe even worse. His name is Justin De Dios, a son and a brother. He's a human being just like any of us.