For International Women’s Month, Dove Philippines invites three athletes for an intimate conversation celebrating their different sports and their shared “Invisible Game” against body insecurities
Despite all the accolades and parade-worthy wins, most Filipina athletes face an unseen challenge where judgements and criticisms toward their body lead to unhealthy relationships with internalized self-comparisons and everyday clothing choices as a means to conceal what makes them unique in their fields. In celebration of International Women’s Month, Dove Philippines partners with Vogue Philippines as Inna Palacios, Michelle Cobb, and Sofia Gonzalez share a sit-down conversation that tackles the unsung struggles that female athletes face against the “Invisible Game,” and how navigating one’s body insecurities could instead lead to new-found sense of strength and confidence.
Inna Palacios
Before she even entered the pitch, Inna Palacios was already spending most of her childhood playing outside with her younger brother, exploring sports together with taekwondo being the first of many. “One time, in school, our teacher came to our classroom and asked if we wanted to stay to play a sport after [class],” the budding student-athlete recalled, “I had no idea, that the sport this teacher was talking about was football, so since then I learned how to play and I never stopped.”
The goalkeeper then continued to play for her alma mater later on, winning the UAAP championships in her last year, which then led her to secure a bronze medal during the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam as well as qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in 2023. However, as an outdoor sport, Palacios shared the difficulties of comparing her body type with that of other athletes, later emphasizing her challenges in dealing with uneven skin tones that she developed over time.
“My Invisible Game would be choosing to play the sport. Knowing that my body frame is not your typical football player, and I just had to keep proving to myself that I’m good enough. And since we’re always under the sun, the skin tone, the tan lines, just because I get them doesn’t mean I’m not beautiful, so I just embraced it,” the 31-year-old shares.
Today, the professional athlete continues to lend her gloves as the goalkeeper for the Kaya Iloilo Women’s FC and Philippines Women’s National Football Team, all while exploring new avenues that excite her curiosity. “Everything that you have is essentially the fruit of all the hard work you’ve done in the past years.”
Michelle Cobb
Michelle Cobb’s initial introduction to sports began with the swimming classes she and her sister took growing up, later seeking a field that allowed her to play alongside a team instead. “And you know how swimming is more like an individual sport? So [that encouraged me to join] the fifth grade intramurals volleyball team for my class, and then I got invited to try out for the actual team.”
In continuing her growth as a student-athlete, Cobb later shared how her insecurities stemmed from seeing the towering athletes she played against and alongside with, leading her to navigate the doubt that would occasionally cloud her self-esteem. However, it was through an unexpected exchange at the school gym where the setter confronted her insecurities toward her upper body, namely her broad shoulders and arms.
“Yeah, my back is big, like, it’s great!” she exclaims, “That is what makes me strong, and those small events in my life, those [became] the building blocks in getting through my insecurities.”
For the 26-year-old, she hopes to see the next generation grow toward an outlook that encourages each another’s uniqueness, sharing, “You’re gonna go through a lot of comparisons, but just know that you can do anything with what you’re given as long as you embrace it and maximize what you have, you can really bring out the best in yourself.”
Sofia Gonzalez
Having started her career in gymnastics in a summer camp her grandfather enrolled her in at four years-old, Sofia Gonzalez grew to develop her passion for the sport, honing her skills through local competitions and garnering achievements at an early age. It was in 2015, however, that the budding Bruin secured a bronze medal at the Southeast Asian Games, later being recruited by the UCLA gymnastics team in California.
Yet, due to the sudden change of environment, the student-athlete saw her invisible game a lot clearer during her earlier years in Los Angeles. “You look at gymnastics, you’ll notice you’re showing a lot of legs; and I fell into this trap of constantly comparing myself, and think, ‘Wow, my legs are so much bigger than the girl right next to me,’” she explains.
Despite her rough introduction to the different body types and whispered opinions within her new environment, Gonzalez still took to confide with her fellow teammates when she needed it most, sharing, “Differences are celebrated there, and one thing we used to say was, ‘Iron sharpens iron.’ You build each other up, and you’re not tearing each other down.”
Though she has since retired from competing, Gonzalez currently shares her knowledge and experience with the next generation of gymnasts, all while venturing to different countries and exploring creative hobbies such as photography in her private time. “[It may be easy to think] that you can’t perform without the whole barangay supporting you, like you have that person in your ear telling you that you can do it, but a big part of that is also yourself,” she explains
Championing against the invisible game is an endeavor that takes more than a solo effort to overcome, and as a tribute to International Women’s Month, Dove Philippines aims to let the stories of these athletes be the encouragement for the next generation to seize the opportunity of taking the next step of overcoming their unseen battles.
Watch the full-length version of the Dove Roundtable Discussion through the Vogue Philippines YouTube channel, and visit bodyconfidentsport.com to learn how you can beat the invisible game. You may also visit the Dove PH Youtube channel to view the Invisible Game short film.
