Heart Evangelista says being 'maHeArte' is not something you should be ashamed of

Heart Evangelista once revealed that she had a hard time entering showbiz because she was deemed too "maarte." Now, the Asian fashion icon is here to remind everyone that it is also by being "maHeArte" that one can reach places.

Heart shed light on this in her Instagram Story on Sept. 6. In her post, the 37-year-old actress featured a photo taken at Louis Vuitton's newly launched Salon de Luxe in Cebu, which Heart visited prior to its opening last Wednesday.

She began the caption of her post by expressing how grateful she was to everyone who helped her that day and that she's happy for being able to do what she loves the most.

The actress went on to reflect on the true meaning of being "maarte," which she artistically spelled as "maHeArte," and its power to inspire others even when some people think otherwise. 

Heart wrote, "I always thought being 'maHeArte' was something I would be ashamed of growing up... didn't think being different and celebrating one's authentic self would take me to places and meet amazing people. 🩵 Thank you. 🥹"

"Remember fashion IS self expression. 🩵 Your very own personalized armor. :) It isn't just for the 'gram'... or showing what you have... It's celebrating yourself 🧸 for YOU."

"And if by chance people love it? Then that's cooool you get to inspire ✨ even better. 🤍"

Ever since she was a teenager, Heart has been fashion-savvy and "kikay." In her YouTube vlog way back 2018, she said that being so gave her a rough start in showbiz.

"They hated me kasi ang arte-arte ko,” she said. “Baluktot ako mag-Tagalog ‘cause I grew up in the States. Hindi ako marunong mag ‘po’ and ‘opo.’ So umpisa pa lang, parang [sinasabi nila] ‘ay hindi ko siya bet.’” 

“I was always, always so heartbroken every time they said na parang [dahil maarte at kikay ako] pang character actress lang ako," she added.

Despite all that, Heart still chose to stay true to herself until she grew to become an in-demand actress, an entrepreneur, a visual artist, and an Asian fashion icon altogether.

"Fast forward to the life I have now, or the life that you have now, you won't be able to laugh, smile, take nice photos, compose a certain picture, if you don't know the value of every little thing in that picture—in that composition—because of everything you've been through in life," she continued.

"Ibig sabihin, lahat ng pinagdaanan mo in the past, parte lang 'yan para mag-create ng isang beautiful masterpiece in life—and that is yourself."