It Ain't Easy Being A Hippie

I used to think that living on the beach would be so carefree. I used to think I wouldn't need anything more than the sea and my bikini--you know, like a hippie.

I imagined a life without layers of clothes, shoes, make-up, hair or skin products. I thought I could simply step out the door (sans shower or grooming) and magically look like those stereotype island girls: sun-kissed skin, toned body, perfectly-tousled hair with flowers on it.

Hindi pala, more of taong grasa.

Lesson number one: It's not that simple. Behind the romantic image of a beautiful, bronzed island girl is actually a meticulous set of habits and regimen. Because--let's be realistic--if you're going to live in your bikini, then some basic health and hygiene practices are in order. These include: regular shaving, waxing, application of sunscreen and sometimes, bug repellant.

Here in Boracay, we live under the sun, and so we sweat... a lot! The sand is beautiful and powdery but it always finds its way into our scalp and other crevices of our bodies. Lastly, life amongst nature also means life amongst other creatures like sand ticks and mosquitos--and they just looove our skin!

Yeah... it's not so low maintenance after all, sorry to break it to you. I mean if you don't mind looking and smelling like a Sasquatch, by all means, ditch the razor and the shower. If you don't mind crumpling up like a prune by the time you're 40, then skip the sunscreen. But I do believe that there is a thin line between being carefree and stupidly putting yourself at risk of skin cancer and other skin infections. I'm not even talking about using stuff like toners and moisturizers--now those are just a little too complicated for my life.

                  Hippies of the 60s, they were the real deal.

Sure looked like fun, but I wonder what it smelled like. :)

Shower, anyone? 

Hey, no making out in the public bathroom!

Call me old-fashioned, but don't you think she needs to shave? :P

I have friends who still call me a hippie though. They use the term loosely, they use it on me because I live by the beach, I'm unemployed, I like using organic and natural products. They also probably imagine that I sit on the sand all day, flashing smiles and peace signs to everyone. I even have a friend who insists that I do nothing but tie-dye shirts and string bead necklaces. BUT If you look at the REAL hippies--and I mean the 1960s subculture of extreme liberalism, sex, love and altered states of consciousness--you can tell (at least I hope you can!) that I don't share their hygiene practices, among other things. I can't even grow my hair the way they can because I feel hot, sticky and weighed down. So, I feel a bit poseur-ish when I'm called one. These guys were hardcore, and I believe in a lot of things they believed in, just not the part where proper hygiene is optional. Di ko kaya eh. :) 

Hippie/bohemian/island girl… they may be totally different things but the stereotypes tend to overlap. And even if the look seems so effortless and unconcerned, it's not easy. Well not if you still want to look pretty... or human. :P