Kapuso actress Beauty Gonzalez is now being criticized for wearing a necklace and earrings made from “face covers” of ancient buried individuals in the Visayas region. This has been labeled as ‘grave robber stuff.’
During her ramp walk at the Gala night recently, Beauty stated that her jewelry was a centuries-old gold neck piece and earrings from Butuan and Surigao.
“My look for #GMaGala2023 is an appreciation for Philippine Ancestral Gold. My Centuries old Gold Neck Piece and Earrings are Excavated Eye and Mouth Covers from distant places like Butuan and Surigao , beautifully reworked in this modern setting by my favorite Jeweler @riquezajewellery,” Beauty wrote in her Instagram post.
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However, cultural critic and independent curator Marian Pastor Roces posted on Facebook, stating that the jewelry worn by Beauty is “grave robber stuff.”
In the ancient past, Bisaya people used to place gold coverings on the eyes, nose, and mouth of their deceased loved ones as protection against evil spirits trying to possess the body. The shine of gold was believed to ward off evil spirits.
Roces also pointed out, “This fashion victim is wearing mouth and eye covers: around 10 of them. Which is to say that the necklace was fashioned from excavations of many individuals. That is an astounding number of desecrated graves!”
On Beauty’s Instagram, several netizens expressed dismay upon learning the history of the gold worn at the Gala.
