With all the descriptions of Maine Mendoza coming from her family and closest friends, obviously, Maine is an introvert. She enjoys time spent alone or intimate gatherings with family and a handful of friends. She enjoys the beach, not a party along the beach. She spends time alone in her room doing her thing like blogging, dubsmashing, videos and make up. She is not the life of a party, nor a popular girl in school, nor a crowd-oriented type of girl. And just like all introverts, she had her own experience of bullying because she's different. She had that same moment that one prefers to be alone than frustrate herself with how she could possibly get along with the people around her. She indirectly shows her emotions. She has dreams and emotions that she keeps, and trust is a big deal before she opens her real self. These are just some of the many things an introvert could be, but for you to understand it more here is a definition from Encyclopedia Britannica:
"Introvert and extravert are basic personality types according to the theories of the 20th-century Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. According to these theories, an introvert is a person whose interest is generally directed inward toward his own feelings and thoughts, in contrast to an extravert, whose attention is directed toward other people and the outside world. The typical introvert is shy, contemplative, and reserved and tends to have difficulty adjusting to social situations. Excessive daydreaming and introspection, careful balancing of considerations before reaching decisions, and withdrawal under stress are also typical of the introverted personality. The extravert, by contrast, is characterized by outgoingness, responsiveness to other persons, activity, aggressiveness, and the ability to make quick decisions."
How does Maine's introversion affect how she performs?
She enjoys indirect encounter than direct one.
Maine is definitely confident in all her Dubsmash videos, blog posts and in other social media accounts. You might have noticed how she finds it uncomfortable to be on-screen, which is very evident when she performs in Broadway Centrum. I'm not talking about her production number because that is rehearsed. You could check her appearance in EB when she needs to present herself. You have to admit that during AlDub's 2nd date in Broadway, there was a sort of holding back with her dubsmash and dance while addressing the studio audience for the first time. It was not as careless, not as wacky, not as Yaya Dub as she is in her Kalyeserye stints. This is not just about getting used to something. She's familiar with crowds because of every Barangay that they visit, but going to Broadway and presenting herself is something she could not rehearse. Yes, introverts put effort in preparing for social situations. It is a must. Never
would they want to be caught off-guard because that is really stressful. In fact, she even said in her first interview with Ms. Jessica Soho that
she rehearses her Dubsmash facial expressions before she airs. Rehearsal is needed for her live performances.
This is in line with her confidence in social media. In social media, you always have the option to respond or not. There is a wall of privacy that you can always open and close when you want to. There is a wall that divides you from your audience. You don't need rehearsals because you always have the option to be present or not. This is the comfort she enjoys online that keeps her confident in her social media interactions, just like all typical introverts in social media. But when she had the chance to appear on live national TV, that is different. She has to rehearse. There are no options of not reacting especially in the kind of improv theater that they have in Kalyeserye. The good thing about her role in Kalyeserye is that, she could rehearse her Dubsmash unlike with what JOWAPAO does. Then when they take out the Dubsmash one time, people reacted as if she's cold towards Alden. Wrong. She is confident in Dubsmashing because there is a certain wall that
divides her real self, her real words, her real reactions, with what the
song is really talking about. It's like, she can disown the message of
the song anytime, while she can own it at that moment in her character. Why? Those are lyrics and not her own, which is very different from whatever she would really say. That is her comfort zone. That wall that divides her real self with her act, just as how social media does for her and her audience. So, don't take her as somebody cold if she delays reactions over things
unexpected. Introverts have the tendency to ALWAYS reflect before
reacting, and it goes like this: step back, gather thoughts, draw insight, find the courage to let it
out, then let go of it. Reacting is a process for introverts. This is
the reason why they come up with insights than just words. They never
enjoy petty talks, and they believe that words have to be meant and have
to be meaningful. And so she finds blogging as a good hobby. She steps back,
gathers her thoughts, draws insights, finds the courage to let it out, blogs it, then
repeat. Again, it is not a matter of getting used to.
I bet you noticed how she had been holding back her voice whenever she speaks. Notice how good she is in presenting sponsors, but finds it difficult to initiate an interview with a sugod-bahay winner. The best way she found to keep that sense of 'wall' between herself and her act is when she makes her voice tiny as an indication of 'pabebe.' Also, when Alden asked her if she has found what she's looking for, she answered with an 'Opo' in the character of Gasgas Abelgas. She wants to be in character not because she wants us to laugh, but because that keeps her comfortable. No, she is not comfortable opening up her real self all-out. She would rather take roles and play them great. That is why she is confident in photo shoots where she can play roles of models and not herself. You must have noticed how she changes so much in TVCs. It is not the usual change. You can detect a different person in her every role, which I think is a great trait for an actress. But she is not confident in interviews because this require her to open up her thoughts as Maine Mendoza. Remember her fansign interview with Ricky Lo? You could see it in her face how shy she is whenever she shows her answer. Then compare her first live spontaneous interview last Thursday during AlDub's 15th Weeksary. I felt that urge to tell everyone to stop asking her a lot of personal questions. That is so awkward for an introvert. Ask her to tell a story, a fact, recite a script, but never about herself on the spot, on live national TV. She's good in concealing her emotions and putting on a mask of character, so the only time she would not be
able to do so is when she didn't prepare for it, but that is really
frustrating.
See how she transforms:
Maine enjoys indirect encounter than a direct one, that is why she's comfortable with fansigns and dubsmash, than speaking to Alden when they air live at EB. And it's not because it's Alden. She's comfortable with the call during Sunday PinaSaya. Again, the wall she has between her and the audience. She's comfortable speaking with him during their long table date, second date and other instances that they are not under the spotlight. It's the crowd. It's the audience, because introverts exert a lot of energy to be with groups of people and interact. It is not their comfort zone.
I am now appealing to AlDub nation. Let's do our best not only in supporting Maine, but also protecting her from all things that would harm her in showbiz. The entertainment industry is a business for crowds, which is not comfortable for an introvert. There might be times that she wouldn't get that chance to 'recharge' after attending to all social situations. She needs that so much so she won't get burned out. With the demand for AlDub, it is possible that the industry might exhaust her down to her last energy. We shouldn't let that happen. And we should not be the source of stress and pressure. Let's enjoy whatever she can share and offer to everyone. She needs complete control over her privacy, her me-time, and her personal life.
Thank you, Maine.
Speaking as an introvert, I would like to personally thank our dear Maine Mendoza
for proving to the world that introverts may not be as many as
extraverts, but we are as productive and as contributive to society as
they are. We may be a minority in number, but we are not to be taken
for granted. Even the system of education does not cater to our needs and our struggle begins since childhood, but we can rise and prove ourselves worthy of recognition. Many would not understand, but you gave way for awareness. Thank you and AlDub you!
(Disclaimer: this post is based on observations of Maine Mendoza coming
from a perspective of a fan, and the knowledge of the writer about the
theory of personality)
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