Warning: Derogatory
⚠️ DISGUSTING CONTENT ⚠️
My Aussie male friend recently sent me a post and said, “Look at how these girls are portraying Filipinas.” Honestly, after seeing it, I felt disgusted. It came across as degrading, disrespectful, and honestly quite sad.
For context, I’m half Pilipino/Japanese. I grew up overseas, and one thing I’ve noticed is that whenever I meet Westerners (male or female) some automatically assume that my family only got here because my mum married an Australian. That’s completely untrue.
Maybe that’s why I find these kinds of posts frustrating. It feels like they reinforce the stereotype that Filipinas are somehow “prizes” or “toys” for foreign men, rather than individuals with their own identities, careers, and achievements.
A year ago, I took 3 Aussie male friends and 2 female friends to the Philippines. While we were out eating, people immediately assumed one of the guys was my boyfriend. I even got comments “wow si ate naka ahon sa hirap” or “pa-cute para madala sa snow” There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being in a relationship with a foreigner, but what annoyed me was how quickly people jumped to conclusions and reduced the relationship to money or immigration.
That’s why seeing this post made me cringe even more. The comments section was filled with foreigners saying things like Filipinas are easy to manipulate, only care about money, or are basically sex dolls. What shocked me even more was how many people seemed to agree with those statements.
I was also reminded of that viral video where a foreigner asked a Filipina why Filipinas are the best partners, and her answer was something along the lines of:
“I cook, I suck, and I shut the f*** up.”
I know she may have been joking, but seeing comments like that repeatedly online starts to normalize a really unhealthy image of Filipina women.
Again, I’m not criticising Filipinas who choose to date or marry foreigners. That’s their business and their choice. What bothers me is when people both foreigners and Filipinos reduce Filipinas to stereotypes: submissive, desperate, easy to buy, or existing solely to serve men.
Am I overreacting, or does anyone else find this kind of content genuinely disturbing? Because personally, I find it incredibly degrading and embarrassing to see these stereotypes being reinforced over and over again.
link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1B7SfXBeVp/?mibextid=wwXIfr