Lazada and I have always had a strange relationship. Yes, I am talking about the online shopping portal. Just like everybody else, I would sometimes hate it when iterations of items I have purchased, or even just looked at a month ago, would pop up on my computer screen—on or off the site. But then when, I need something or I am just surfing the web for one of my 3 a.m. “could-this-be-on-sale” musings, Lazada, is right on my beck and call.
Then something strange popped up on my suggested shopping items on Lazada of late. It wasn’t a pair of discounted loafers I’ve been eyeing on, nor that sleek looking 128-gig USB drive I wanted to get for a long time. It was Love. Imagine something this grand and elusive, right there on the corner of my 13-inch screen.
I clicked it and found out “Love” can be bought for only P143, in a variety of hues and patterns. Intrigued, I scrolled down the rabbit hole and found out “Love” has some interesting features: it can last a lifetime but has no warranty (take the risk, says the seller), and it is for everybody.
“Love”, here, is a creative declaration of support for the LGBTQIA+ community. It stands for having the equal right to choose who to love, just as you can choose which “Love” badge to save on your desktop and use as a profile picture, a cover photo, or print and use as your please.
The payment is also a choice. If one chooses to buy, the amount goes directly to Metro Manila Pride, an organization that champions LGBTQIA+ causes and is more popularly known for the staging the largest Pride demonstration in South East Asia last June 30, 2018.
But one can also save their “Love” badge of choice for free and show support by sporting it as a social media profile picture. Finding and showing “Love” in a place where you least expect it is an enriching experience. Not to mention, showing support to the LGBTQIA+ community, in itself is empowering. But in the end, the right to choose blankets every part of our lives. It is a reminder that we should all have the right to exercise it, most especially when it comes to love.
Check out “Love” on Lazada via this link: https://bit.ly/2KAYPav
