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About the author

Angel Martinez

Columnist

Angel Martinez is PhilSTAR Life’s Gen Z correspondent, covering issues that cater to her generation with clarity and care. Her pieces on the internet, identity, and their intersections have been published in VICE, i-D, Vox, Dazed, and Business Insider and commissioned by think tanks like Canvas8, Crowd DNA, and Forge Futures. Outside of work, she can be found reading her book of the week in any cafe that serves iced matcha lattes.

Reality TV

When we watch 'Pinoy Big Brother,' we’re really watching ourselves

April 10, 2025

Hobbies

Look at the women go: The Litas Manila take charge on two wheels

April 8, 2025

Work

From quiet quitting to coffee badging: In defense of Gen Z’s bare minimum work culture

April 3, 2025

Relationships

The lack of a divorce law affects Gen Z, too

March 29, 2025

Women

HER NEEDS: A Gen Z's view on the 'ick' culture of modern romance

March 22, 2025

Women

[OPINION] Not all female leaders are feminists

March 13, 2025

Dating

I went to an AI-powered matchmaking event—here’s what happened

March 10, 2025

Women

How my all-girls Catholic school failed me as a feminist

March 6, 2025

Essay

Controversial take: We can still love cancelled celebrities

February 27, 2025

History

[OPINION] Remembering EDSA is our responsibility

February 25, 2025

Essay

How I stopped succumbing to 'patol' culture

February 20, 2025

Essay

Does being a lover girl make me a bad feminist?

February 13, 2025

Essay

Friends should fight more

February 6, 2025

Essay

Sex education as we know it is no longer good enough

January 30, 2025

Chinese New Year

Our distrust towards China is no excuse for Sinophobia

January 23, 2025

Essay

The many ways in which nostalgia fails us

January 16, 2025

Essay

Maybe we shouldn’t be manifesting this New Year

January 2, 2025

Christmas

How to survive Christmas when you’re broke and falling behind

December 19, 2024

Relationships

Is cheating even that big of a deal?

December 12, 2024

Technology

Resisting the age of AI-induced brain rot

December 5, 2024

Women

Women’s trauma dumps and gossip sessions are more revolutionary than we think

November 28, 2024

Politics

[OPINION] The Marcos-Duterte spectacle is misdirecting us all—and we shouldn’t allow it

November 27, 2024

Music

What will it take for P-pop to truly rise?

November 21, 2024

Social Media

Gatekeeping might be the key to personal style

November 14, 2024

Hobbies

Has collecting anik-anik to heal our inner child lost its meaning?

November 5, 2024

Film

Horror stories can tell us a lot about female rage

November 1, 2024

Jobs

Cut Gen Z some slack—job hopping isn’t all that bad

October 24, 2024

Social Media

In defense of the generation that documents everything

October 18, 2024

Entertainment

Mourning the death of a complicated celebrity like Liam Payne

October 17, 2024

Politics

[OPINION] Be careful about celebrifying our politicians

October 8, 2024

Family

[OPINION] 'Utang na loob' is not demanded–it is freely given

August 7, 2024

Sports

[OPINION] Carlos Yulo’s historic Olympic wins call us to support other sports, too

August 5, 2024

Art

Creativity rooted in care and other lessons to learn as a ‘tortured’ artist

June 30, 2024

Culture

Why has fandom culture become so toxic?

June 13, 2024

Education

I sat in at UP's three-hour class about Taylor Swift—here’s what I learned

May 2, 2024

Movies

Remember what used to be good: On '13 Going on 30' and journalism today

April 23, 2024

Women

Bitches and bimbos: Why do we reclaim the slurs of the past?

March 31, 2024

Film

REVIEW: The greatest problem with 'Ikaw Pa Rin Ang Pipiliin Ko' is not grooming

February 7, 2024

Movies

REVIEW: The new ‘Mean Girls’ film lacks the original’s snark and sleaze

January 29, 2024

Relationships

Celebrities break up all the time. What makes KathNiel so different?

December 1, 2023

Dining

[OPINION] Solo dining isn’t social suicide

August 17, 2023

Books

How to read better instead of simply reading more

January 30, 2023

Holiday Season

'Tumaba ka': Finally making peace with gaining weight over the holidays

December 28, 2022

Christmas

How to give yourself closure for Christmas

December 11, 2022

Movies

REVIEW: 'Bones and All' is a cannibal love story with a whole lot of heart

November 21, 2022

People

Life beyond bars: Stories of hope from former prisoners

October 27, 2022

Books

This 'no phones allowed' book fair brought life back into conversations

September 25, 2022

Mental Health

Fighting for mental health in the White House

July 29, 2022

Essay

Notes on Nothingness: What 'EEAAO' and NASA taught me about the grand scheme of things

July 27, 2022

Politics

What we can learn from BBM’s side of TikTok

June 17, 2022

Art

Pio Abad's latest exhibit is a tireless exercise in truth-telling against Marcos disinformation

April 28, 2022

Mental Health

The Desensitization of Gen Z

April 22, 2022

Sports

The ball must bounce the same for all who love the greatest game

March 31, 2022

BrandedUp

Women's Rights

Beyond the pronouns: Why our trans sisters should have the same rights as cis women

March 30, 2022

Music

Zack Tabudlo is here for a good time and a long time

March 11, 2022

Love

Why do girls love walking red flags?

March 4, 2022

Elections22

Politics

What's the point of all these singing and dancing politicians, anyway?

February 24, 2022

Sex

Stop shrouding sex education in shame

February 14, 2022

Women

Women don't have to be mothers to be worthy

February 3, 2022

Essay

Is there still space for the Chinese New Year tradition for Gen Z?

January 27, 2022

Essay

Going against the pressure to be better

January 20, 2022

Relationships

The friend breakups that made me who I am

January 14, 2022

Mental Health

Pretty privilege has always been real—but it doesn't have to be

December 3, 2021

Philippine Sovereignty

Does loving your country mean staying?

October 22, 2021

environment

Going zero-waste shouldn't be a zero-sum game

September 24, 2021

Relationships

Everything I know about relationships, I learned from Kathniel

July 9, 2021

Plants

Plant parenting isn’t a fad, it’s our future

June 4, 2021

Music

Young female powerhouses are people, too

March 26, 2021

Essay

Imagining a police-free Philippines

March 4, 2021