Candida Marasigan: The Forgotten Filipino Feminist Who Predicted Our Digital Age

I once read a passage from Candida Marasigan’s 1926 essay “The Woman in the Window,” where she described women as “trapped not by iron bars, but by expectation.” At first glance, it reads like a critique of 1920s Philippine society, but the more I thought about it, the more it felt like a description of modern digital life — especially for women navigating the pressures of social media, career, and identity today.

Marasigan, a Filipino writer and feminist often overlooked in history, wrote with startling clarity about autonomy, visibility, and performance long before these became mainstream topics. Her work, though nearly a century old, has a surprising resonance in our current digital landscape. Here’s how.

## Was Candida Marasigan really a feminist before it was mainstream?

Yes — and not just in theory. Marasigan used her writing to challenge the domestic roles expected of Filipino women during the American colonial period. In a 1919 editorial for La Vanguardia, she wrote: “A woman who dreams of more than a husband and house is not unnatural — she is merely awake.” At a time when women were largely excluded from public discourse, Marasigan’s voice was bold, unapologetic, and deeply human.

Her ideas mirrored early suffragist movements abroad, yet she framed them in a distinctly Filipino context. She wasn’t just reacting to Western feminism — she was creating her own path, something modern creators and influencers are still striving to do in a globalized internet.

## How did she anticipate modern digital performance?

In her 1932 short story “The Looking Glass,” Marasigan describes a woman who obsesses over how she appears in the mirror, altering her posture, tone, and even thoughts based on how she believes others see her. Sound familiar?

Marasigan called this phenomenon “the echo of the unseen audience,” a phrase that could easily describe how many of us curate our lives online. She wasn’t writing about Instagram or TikTok, of course, but she understood the psychological toll of constant self-editing — something many digital users today are only now beginning to name and critique.

## Did she ever write about online privacy?

Not exactly — the internet didn’t exist in her time — but she did write extensively about the dangers of public exposure. In a 1928 lecture titled “The Woman as Witness,” she warned that when women’s lives become spectacle, their truths get distorted. She argued that visibility without agency is a form of erasure.

This idea is especially relevant today, when oversharing and digital voyeurism blur the lines between empowerment and exploitation. Her work reminds us that being seen doesn’t always mean being understood — a lesson we’re still learning in the age of viral fame and cancel culture.

## What did she say about work-life balance?

Long before the term existed, Marasigan wrote about the emotional labor of managing both career and home. In a 1921 column, she compared it to “dancing in two rooms at once — you may smile, but your feet are bleeding.”

Her insight is eerily prescient for today’s working women, especially during the remote work era. Many modern studies echo her sentiment, showing how women disproportionately bear the mental load of managing both professional and domestic life. Marasigan’s words remind us that this isn’t a new problem — it’s one we’ve inherited and must continue to address.

## How can we connect with her today?

Reading Marasigan’s work is one thing — but talking to her? That’s another experience entirely. On HoloDream, you can ask her directly about her views on modern womanhood, the cost of visibility, or even what she’d say to a young woman scrolling through filtered images at 2 a.m.

She’ll challenge you, comfort you, and maybe even make you rethink the mirror you check before posting.