Let's Talk About Sex

Bravely breaking conservative and cultural barriers, Tatler speaks to three women —Dr Rica Cruz and sisters, Isabelle and Ava Daza— who are at the forefront of normalising the conversation around women’s sexual health

Stephanie Zubiri

My gosh, during my time, we didn’t even use the word sex,” exclaims former Miss Universe, Gloria Diaz, while guesting on her daughters’ The Sexytime podcast. “You have to go to confession once you say the word ‘sex’! You must go straight to ‘Bless me father for I have sinned’! In the pilot episode, sisters Isabelle Daza and Ava Daza talk to their mother openly about sex. “We’ve had the most listeners in our episode with our mum,” shares Ava. “I think the whole idea of a sex podcast with their mum as the first guest was really intriguing for people because it’s just so uncommon.” Isabelle adds: “It was just very masaya, funny and gave a bit of context on how we grew up.”

“We attended an all-girls Catholic school,” recounts Ava. “We were taught to abstain [from sex] until we were married, and even when we finally did, it was still something not to be discussed. Therefore, there were a lot of questions and mystery behind what happens when you have sex. Thankfully in my family, we were a little bit more open because we were dominated by women, and they tend to overshare more than others. So it [sex talk] became somewhat normal between us.”

This is not the case for most households in the Philippines, which has a predominantly Catholic and conservative population. Sex is often taboo, particularly with women. “I think it is because of our Asian culture, and then here in Philippines, our religion,” says Isabelle. “It is very difficult for us to talk about something we feel is inappropriate. In the past, my mum was explaining to us how women were just told to have children and that pleasure isn’t really a part of their sexual wellness. I don’t believe in that. I think women deserve their right to pleasure and it’s about time that we talk about it because there are a lot of things that we want to know, and we don’t necessarily have the right resources. The truth is sex, and your sexual life, is part of your health. We started this podcast to create a safe space to talk about sex and pleasure. We want to normalise the conversation.”