- China offers $325 bn in fiscal stimulus for ailing economy
- Dodgers drop Padres 2-0 to advance in MLB playoffs
- Alexei Navalny wrote he knew he would die in prison in new memoir
- Last-minute legal ruling allows betting on US election
- Despite hurricanes, Floridians refuse to leave 'paradise'
- Israel observes Yom Kippur amid firestorm over Lebanon strikes
- Trump demonizes migrants in dark, misleading speech
- X says 'alert' to manipulation efforts after pro-Russia bots report
- US, European markets rise before Boeing unveils sweeping job cuts
- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Comoros shock Tunisia, Salah, Mbeumo strike in AFCON qualifiers
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Germany win in Nations League as 10-man Dutch rescue point
- Undav brace sends Germany to victory against Bosnia
- Israel says fired at 'threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- Ecuador's last mountain iceman dies at 80
- Milton leaves at least 16 dead, millions without power in Florida
- Senegal set to announce breakaway development agenda: PM
- UN says 2 peacekeepers wounded in south Lebanon explosions
- Injury-hit Australia thrash 'embarrassing' Pakistan at Women's T20 World Cup
- Internal TikTok documents show prioritization of traffic over well-being
- Israel says fired at 'immediate threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- New US coach Pochettino hails Pulisic but worries over workload
- Brazil orders closure of 2,000 betting sites
- UK govt urged to raise pro-democracy tycoon's case with China
- Sculptor Lalanne's animal creations sell for $59 mn
- From Tesla to Trump: Behind Musk's giant leap into politics
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- Supercharged hurricanes trigger 'perfect storm' for disinformation
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Djokovic proves staying power as he progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Sheffield Utd boss Wilder 'numb' after Baldock death
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- Fans immerse themselves in Marina Abramovic's first China exhibition
- Israel says conducting review after UN peacekeepers wounded in Lebanon
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Djokovic 'overwhelmed' after 'greatest rival' Nadal's retirement
- Zelensky in Berlin says hopes war with Russia will end next year
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Djokovic proves staying power as progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Hurricane Milton leaves at least 16 dead as Florida cleans up
- Britain face 'ultimate challenge' in America's Cup duel with New Zealand
- Lebanon calls for 'immediate' ceasefire in Israel-Hezbollah war
- Nihon Hidankyo: Japan's A-bomb survivors awarded Nobel
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Boat captain rescued clinging to cooler in Gulf of Mexico after storm Milton
- Tears, warnings after Japan atomic survivors group win Nobel
Filipina women learning to 'feel sexy' through dance
Boldly dressed in black bikini bottoms, a lacy bra and knee protectors, Filipina call centre agent Chriselle Guno sashays to the beat of Britney Spears' "Toxic", spins and straddles a metal chair.
Like other scantily clad women inside the softly lit studio in the Philippine capital Manila, Guno is learning to express her sexuality and accept her body through chairlesque.
Chairlesque is a combination of burlesque and chair dancing, which uses a chair as a centrepiece or prop in choreography.
"I've been bullied since I was a child for being chubby, so I became insecure," Guno, 29, told AFP during a class.
"I chose this because of the safe space and I feel it allows me to express my emotions more," she said.
"I feel sexy as well and it's really giving me the confidence that I want."
Noreen Claire Efondo, who runs the chairlesque classes in Manila, began teaching the style in 2017 to help women "feel sexy", challenging Filipino society's taboos around sex.
"It's very important for us to feel sexy or sensual because our body needs a release," Efondo told AFP.
"Our body needs to feel free from any of those inhibitions."
Women as old as 50 take part in the classes, which start with students sharing their insecurities about their bodies and sexuality.
Efondo then teaches the women dance steps and how to move their bodies to the sultry music when standing, sitting on a chair or lying on the floor.
Single mother Henna So, 50, enrolled because she wanted "to express" and "explore" herself after her child had grown up.
"I just want to give this for myself," So said.
"After everything that I've given, taking care of my son, I think it's time to love myself. You need to love yourself first before everything else."
Fellow student Bianca Alvarez, 38, said her husband had initial reservations about her learning the seductive dance style.
She signed up anyway in a bid to "nourish" her sensual side that she often set aside in her role as wife and mother of two children.
- 'Shameful' -
Clinical sexologist Rica Cruz said women were discouraged from discussing or expressing their sexuality in the Philippines, where nearly 80 percent of the population is Catholic.
Sex was still considered "shameful" and a taboo subject, Cruz said.
"You're vulgar when you're just talking about sex because the expectation is as a woman you shouldn't be talking about it," she said.
To attract new students, Efondo posts choreographed videos on social media that sometimes receive negative comments such as "it's a disgrace" to women.
Guno spotted one of the videos on TikTok two years ago and, despite her fears, signed up.
In the beginning, she wore thigh-high socks and a long-sleeved shirt to cover her body.
Now, Guno feels comfortable dancing in nothing more than a bra and bikini bottoms.
She's also training to be a chairlesque instructor so she can help other women learn to accept themselves.
"It's so difficult in the Philippines. I do not fit in many people's standards of beauty," Guno said.
"It is important for all of us to feel sexy."
M.A.Colin--AMWN