Are you showings signs of being a Tita?
Females are leading conglomerates and governments, legislating and interpreting laws, and creating new technologies. However, the perception of a woman’s role in housekeeping and childrearing still holds her down. Unmarried, middle-aged women have been the subject of condemnation, ridicule, and family dishonor since time immemorial. In China, those aged 27 and above who remain single are collectively called leftover women. The term aims to degrade females who choose to live their lives the way they see fit. In the Philippines, these bachelorettes are menacingly referred to as “matatandang dalaga” or old maids. Is it illegal to remain single?
Introducing the Titas of Manila. If you haven’t heard of this trending term yet, the Titas may or may not be the aunt of someone. It refers to women in their early adulthood to midlife years who confidently live their unmarried, unattached lives. The Titas have been walking the earth way before the term was coined, but they’re more celebrated today. It may be because technology has made it easier to connect with other Titas. There’s power in numbers, right?
Being a Tita is essentially a state of mind. It’s how you perceive yourself, make decisions, and deal with others. Here are the 7 signs of a Tita in Manila.
1. Looks forward to cooking a sumptuous dinner for one
Condo living in the Philippines is a choice of accommodation in urban areas. It offers accessibility, affordability, and a relief from stressors in the city. What more can one ask? A Tita knows the real value of her time. She’s no longer the persistent young lady who would endure anything – a backbreaking commute, an inconsiderate partner or a promotion that never comes. A Tita is well aware of her worth as a self-respecting human being. Condo living means no more long hours in traffic that can sap her energy and sanity. A Tita may not solve Metro Manila’s chronic congestion problem, but she works around it by living in DMCI Homes.
So where do you find her after a long day in the office? Most probably in her condo home cooking a new pasta recipe. The ultimate Tita doesn’t endure eating dinner alone. She enjoys every bit of this me-time.
2. Prefers to stream amazing TV shows at home over getting drunk in a bar
A Tita’s motto is “been there, done that,” though this affirmance is not always accompanied with pride. She’s been a gullible teenager who did things to earn her peers’ approval. Tried to puff a cigarette? Check. Lost consciousness because you’re too drunk? Check. Fell in love with the wrong boy? Check. Now in her 30s or early 40s, a Tita knows better than try to fit in.
So while everyone else is getting tipsy in the bar on a Friday night, a Tita is in her pajamas on her comfy sofa at home. She’s either enjoying a glass of red wine with a Margaret Atwood novel or on a Netflix weekend binge. A Tita doesn’t let other people, or the hippest places, define “fun.”
3. Keeps her lovely stash of alcohol and loyal friends
Who says a Tita in Manila is “too old” to get drunk? She may no longer be waking up in the bathroom after a drinking game, but she can get buzzed whenever she wants. A Tita doesn’t need to hit the pub for a martini. She has her own alcohol cabinet in her home.
A Tita is at a point in her life in which she chooses the people in her circle, without fear of being isolated from the rest. She doesn’t care if she only have three friends as long as they got her back no matter what. They praise, criticize, and laugh at each other—with a glass of chardonnay, of course.
4. Plans vacations like preparing to migrate to an unknown land
A Tita works hard to live the life she believes she deserves. No, she’s not going into a shady traveler’s inn during a backpacking trip. Yes, she’ll save up for memorable vacation in a safe and secure resort. A Tita knows where her “thirst for adventure” extends and where it ends. She spends weeks, even months, in her condo planning for a leisure trip. A Tita may have a bullet journal just for this escapade or a drawing board in her living room for her itinerary, transpo, day activities, food to try, food to avoid, etc. She’s a tenured girl scout.
5. Adores her kitchen with all her heart
A Tita’s kitchen has all the essentials plus emergency grubs for extraordinary circumstances like a tub of sinful chocolate ice cream for melancholic Sundays. For her, this part of her condo home provides her sustenance and satisfaction. Nothing can bring one true comfort than a hot meal.
The kitchen is her second-most fave corner in the world, after her cozy bedroom. She happily traverses Home and Kitchen sections in the mall and admire the divine non-stick pans and chinas. Once you smell vanilla and cinnamon in the hallway, you know that a Tita in Manila is at work.
6. Gives compliments and means them
You may not be aware of it, but the things you do unconsciously make you an ultimate Tita. You genuinely admire good-looking men and women, and let them know about it. Others may keep their wonderment to themselves, afraid of being seen as weird or patronizing. A Tita will tell you that you’re hot and she means it.
7. Always the No. 1 fan of lovable kids
You know the real gift of being a Tita? A real, literal Tita? Doting over adorable nieces and nephews but having others do the tough childrearing. Conversely, a loving and generous Tita is every child’s blessing especially on birthdays, Christmas, and school recognition activities. A Tita has the birthdays of the young members of her family marked on her calendar. Little Nika shall have her Sofia The First bag by hook or by crook. She has their pictures on her laptop and smartphone. The ultimate Tita can post photos and videos of her nieces and nephews on social media all day. She’s their giddy No. 1 fan.
There comes a time in your life when you’re no longer afraid to accept your flaws and find comfort in your life choices. Sure, you’ve made bad choices before. You hung out with the wrong crowd. You even believed that skinny jeans is good for all body shapes. But these ill-advised decisions shouldn’t be a burden on your back. After all, these made you into the independent and confident woman you are now. Who cares if you’re not wearing a gold band on your finger? You’ve got a lot of love inside you to share with the world. Embrace your Tita-ness!