Here Lies Love On Broadway

Last night we saw Here Lies Love on Broadway. It’s basically the life story of Imelda Marcos set to a disco beat. Most of the show occurs on a large dancefloor with audience members dancing to the action as it unfolds. Imelda Marcos’s frequent trips to New York’s illustrious Studio 54 and her numerous dances with World Leaders seem to be what Creator David Byrnes wanted to capture in the production. I thought the staging, multi-media, and music were innovative and exciting.  However, I was confused by the portrayal of Imelda Marcos. She first appears as a poor teen whose first boyfriend, politician Ninoy Aquino, dumps her for his love of country.

Ninoy Aquino later served as a senator for the Philippines and governor of the province of Tarlac before playing a key role in opposing President Ferdinand Marcos. His future wife, Corazon Aquino, became the 11th president of the Philippines after his assassination.

After Ninoy leaves her, Imelda wins a local beauty contest and moves to the big city. Shortly after, she meets and weds Ferdinand Marcos.

How did a poor girl with no powerful connections manage to be involved with two of the Philippines’ most powerful men? We never find out.  She appeared to be neither a victim nor a villain in the story, which sometimes makes the show a bit cumbersome. I’m not sure that’s necessarily true, but the real Imelda Marcos might be the culprit for that. Numerous reports state that she was known for altering the truth as well as her life story to her.

“She’s an unreliable narrator of her life,” says The Kingmaker Director Lauren Greenfield describing Imelda Marcos.

The Kingmaker looks at Imelda Marcos’ public persona and all the dastardly deeds she’s either been responsible for or denied that occurred while she was in the political limelight.

We know her husband, the dictator Ferdinand Marcos suffered many chronic illnesses during his lifetime, even though he loved to portray himself as a strong and powerful man.

“A refuge of a very sick man” was how Associated Press (AP) reporter Ben Alabastro described a room they found inside Malacañang Palace after the 1986 People Power Revolution.

Towards the end of her husband’s rule, many regarded Imelda as the ruler in Malacañan Palace when he got ill with lupus.  She engaged in state visits all by herself (and her entourage). She met with powerful leaders like Chairman Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Saddam Hussein, and Muammar Gaddafi. Fidel Castro, the late Cuban leader, once said he only drove for two women: his mother and Imelda Marcos. She earned the nickname “The Iron Butterfly” and ultimately served as Manila’s Governor,

She even commissioned plenty of buildings during her husband’s term. From the Philippine Heart Center to the now-infamous  Manila Film Center. She aimed to make Manila a world-class city after it was wiped out by the World War II bombing.

Like many other complex women, Nancy Reagan, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the media oversimplified her image. She is admired for her glamour yet despised for her extravagance. She is sometimes compared to Marie Antoinette. My memories of her are of a silly ‘shoe-obsessed woman’ rather than an intelligent, conniving powerbroker who oversees a political dynasty. What other former First Lady has been able to return to the palace she fled to see her children become a Senator and a President?

In 1986, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos were ousted from power in the Philippines and landed in Hawaii’s lap. Their exile in the islands became a years-long, global spectacle. And it divided the community as the Marcos family brought their lavish and loud lifestyle to Oahu.

In the Philippines,  diabetes is about 7.1% of adults between 20-79 years old. Diabetes continues to be the fourth leading cause of mortality in the Philippines. Filipino Americans also have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than White adults, other Asian adults, and Philippines residents despite their relatively low body weight.

 

Stilettos & Diabetes: What Do You Do?

“You shouldn’t walk in heels higher than three inches,” podiatrist Dr. Emily Splichal says. “Anything over the three-inch mark changes the biomechanics of how you walk—your strides are shortened, you can’t walk as fast, your body weight shifts to the ball of the foot, which throws off your center of gravity and stresses the knees and lower back.”

Two complications people with diabetes may be at risk for are poor circulation and the absence of sensation, according to John Giurini, DPM, Chief, Division of Podiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

“A platform won’t help matters—the effect is just as damaging”, Splichal says. Also harmful is a too-flat shoe, she cautions, especially if someone’s foot is naturally flat (little to no arch versus a high arch): “A little heel, like a one-inch heel, puts the foot into a more stable position.”

People with diabetes and specific foot deformities should buy shoes that match the width of their foot, perhaps with extra depth.  Those with diabetes and severe foot deformities can get a custom molded shoe made, but Giurini says to only do this if it’s absolutely necessary.

The takeaway here is to shop for shoes with heels that range between one inch and three in height. “Avoid heels that are both too flat or too high,” she advises. “Avoid the extremes.”

It’s important that people with diabetes visit a podiatrist on a regular basis based on their risk for diabetes complications.  If you’re at a higher risk for diabetes complications and already have foot problems, you should go more frequently.

LISTEN NOW: Diabetes Late Nite inspired by Gladys Knight & The Pips. We’re taking about  sleep apnea, the dawn phenomenon, midnight cravings and a topic that’s keeping some of us awake at night; President Trump’s repeal of the Affordable Care Act  with my guests: Stacey Harris aka ‘The Diabetic Pastry Chef’,  Tamara  Sellman from SleepyHead Central,Mary Ann Hodorowicz, RD, LDN, MBA, CDE, CEC,  the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach, Poet Lorraine Brooks and Mama Rose Marie.

We’re  giving away a fabulous Divabetic Prize pack courtesy of Cabot Cheese, Nu Naturals and Dr. Greenfield’s in our INSTANT WINNER Challenge.