QUEZON City, Philippines (December 15) – To the people who loved but was hurt…
I can’t say how long it would take, but take all the hugot you need.
Hugot literally means something being pulled out but nowadays, it is used to express an emotion deep within. Trending in social media, hugot is another way to channel the unbearable pain and express it. Whether it’s about romance, friendship or life as long as it’s something deep. It is “#hugot”.
Why is hugot popular?
Hugot helps to express emotion by playing with words to make it appealing and hard hitting. According to psychology, expressing feelings have healthy benefits. Emotional expression enables emotional growth (Kennedy-Moore & Watson, 1999). Expressing what we feel allows us to improve communication skills, empathize and understand socially. Writing about feelings results to better health especially for those who have asthma, breast cancer and experienced trauma, thus, repressing it will increase stress. So, wag mo kimkimin!
Hugot can be another way of art through words. Simile plays as we relate our feelings with scenarios like, ang pag-ibig ay parang sipon (love is like a cold), why do you keep on pulling it back when it’s better to let go?. According to Supangco, “Teens generally have to deal with their angst in creative ways. They use language play or hyperbole to try to express their depth. ‘Hugot’ as a term can be seen as pulling out deep seated angst, like one would a thorn.”
The trending hugot is the modern way of courtship among teenagers. Banat goes along hugot. Banat means to strike or hit something but using it figuratively along hugot means to strike for pogi or ganda points. Although some may prefer the old-fashioned courtship, banat and hugot help to express teenager’s feeling in a fun- unintimidating way.
To all the hopia, the user, the friendzoned, dumped and moving on. As long as you loved, you have the right to “hugot”!
Filipinos patronizing hugot show that we have a big heart and love for our fellow. As we patronize, we empathize and give virtual hugs.
Heartbreaks don’t always have to sad. You can, at sometimes, laugh over it. Isn’t that what we do when problems came along?
For those who are hurt and pretending to be hurt. For those who anticipate pain. For those who are in love, falling in and out of love. For those who love but not loved. For those who are loved but don’t know how to love. We should not dwell in pain. No one deserves to be hurt. Yes, pain is always with love. Yes, life is not fair. Yes, no matter what you do you will always be judged and labeled. But there’s love. It’s always there.
References: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/11/how-to-get-better-at-expressing-emotions/416493/
https://drsharongalor.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/the-benefits-of-emotional-expression/
http://www.theguidon.com/1112/main/2015/06/hugot/
(written by Karen Llacuna, edited by Jay Paul Carlos, additional research by Lovely Ann Cruz)
