Ivana Alawi: You can look but you cannot touch

Sorry to disappoint prospective “bidders” but Ivana Alawi is not up for grabs.

“I am not for sale,” stressed the half-Moroccan/half-Filipino stunner who created quite a storm on YouTube (she has over eight million subscribers to date) while venturing into showbiz. “Some people think they can dazzle me with their money and it used to annoy me. I’ve gotten used to it; I just shrug it off. Yes, they can look but they cannot touch.”

Brave words, those, calculated to warn the wolves to keep distance. Ivana’s fighting words must be emanating from her Waray blood (her mom is Waray) — remember the song made even more internationally popular by the seductively throaty version of Eartha Kitt...you know: Waray-Waray, hindi tatakas/Waray-Waray, handang matodas/Waray/Waray, manigas!

Ivana with mom Fatima Marbella and sister, Kapuso actress Mona Louise, and (below) when she auditioned for the GMA talent search StarStruck. ‘I’ve tried for a few other shows but I was rejected,’ confesses Ivana. ‘But my mom nagged me to not give up, so...’

“I guess that wrong impression is created by the write-ups that focus on my figure, sa pagiging pa-sexy ko. But there is so much more to me than that.”

In 2015 when she was 18, Ivana joined the GMA talent search StarStruck Season 6 but got eliminated. Her younger sister Mona Louise joined showbiz ahead of her. Instead, Ivana broke into social media and drew a big following. She’s into varied pursuits: Singing, acting, modeling and IG influencer, safe and secure in the stable of stars managed by Perry Lansigan.

“Yes,” she confirmed, “nauna sa akin si Mona sa showbiz (she started at a young age. Lagi kaming nag-pa-practice umarte together since before pa. There is no competition between us; we do our best to help each other in every possible way. Her success is my success and the other way around.”

Actually, showbiz has never been her priority.

“Honestly po, I did not expect to boom or become known. Dahil sa ilang beses na akong na-re-reject since I was younger so I felt this was not for me. Pero ‘yung nanay ko said subukan ko one more time. To stop her from nagging, I agreed po. I met Sir Perry (of PPL Entertainment, Inc.) and I remembered being so happy because he was one of the first people to believe in me. Sinabi ko sa kanya that I wanted to be myself and I am comfortable in my skin and I wanted to do more daring roles. But limited to no nudity.”

Mariam Sayed Sameer Marbella Al-Alawi was born on Christmas Day in 1996 to Samier Al-Alawi (a Moroccan) and Fatima Marbella (a Filipina from Samar).

“Before showbiz, my dad told me how important my studies are. I took up Culinary & Pastry Arts and then Fashion Marketing in Enderun. I kept myself busy by studying as much as I could. I was going to take my third course and start my clothing line but then I had my first project in ABS-CBN,” said Ivana who had supporting roles in Araw Gabi and FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano (2018), and became part of the main cast of Sino ang Maysala?: Mea Culpa (2019).

Ivana described her childhood as “very kept” because her dad is very strict, limiting her routine to home-school-home.

“He worked hard to give us a good life. Bawal kami mag-shorts and sleeveless, bawal makipag-usap sa lalake.”

That was then. Things are different now, especially since she penetrated showbiz with razor-edge preciseness, voted Best TV Personality by the Star Awards for Television by the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC).

Did she really, according to rumors, inherit a fortune from her dad, including, ehem, a mansion?

“Sakto lang po,” clarified Ivana. “Everything he left for us is shared with me, my siblings and our mother.”

Was she raised in mixed cultures?

“Yes, when I came here to follow my mom, nagulat ako. Lahat naka-shorts, lahat naka-sleeveless. I saw that mixed ang magbabarkada, girls and boys. Hindi din ako marunong mag-Tagalog noon, only English, so nahirapan ako maka-intindi,” adding, “I do not mind wearing swimsuits and showing skin. But I have my limits to no nudity.”

How does she deal with indecent proposals, ward off aggressive men?

“Dati, I would get so annoyed dahil akala nila mabibili nila ako sa pera nila. As I just said, my mindset is always this: You can look but you cannot touch. Usually the indecent proposals hindi siya direct na sinasabi sa akin, parang dinadaan nila sa kakilala ko. Pero meron din mga direct na sinasabi nila sa akin mismo. Pinapahiya ko talaga sila and I tell them directly kahit gaano pa kadami ‘yang pera mo hindi mo ako mabibili. I have my own money and I earn my own money the right way.”

Her type of guy?

“I like personality more over appearance. Mas importante sa akin ang ugali ng lalake kesa sa itsura niya.”

Would she follow in the footsteps of those who started in sexy roles and metamorphosed into serious (read: heavy-drama) acting?

“Yes. Hindi naman ako habang buhay magpapa-sexy.”

Instead of revealing what the real Ivana Alawi is, she reminded STAR readers, “The real me, the real Ivana, can be seen in my YouTube vlogs.”

Dig her up!!!

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)