A VERY CONTROVERSIAL FILIPINA - The Interview!

Pea interviews Filipina-Canadian TikToker and media influencer Helga Babushka, dubbed "the queen of controversy," about her origin story, her role in the TikTok war between Western women and passport bros, and where she ultimately landed after being attacked by both sides. The conversation covers Helga's journey from Tim Hortons employee to viral content creator, the death threats she received for discussing colorism in the Philippines, and her hard-won conclusion that both bad passport bros and hostile Western women are real problems that Filipinas get caught in the middle of.

Who is Helga Babushka ​

• Filipina who moved to Canada at 17, now 35 (nearly 18 years in Canada)
• Worked her way through Tim Hortons, Walmart, house cleaning, restaurant hosting/serving, and healthcare before losing her job during the pandemic
• Started YouTube originally to make content about the Philippines, then got pushed to try TikTok by a friend in the Philippines
• Origin of her channel: her partner was filming her gardening in the backyard and jokingly said "hello everybody, this is my Filipina gardener, her name is Helga or Babushka" — she kept the video and the name stuck
• Started making skits about Filipino culture and dating, then evolved into a Q&A format answering viewer questions about dating Filipinas
• Earned the title "queen of controversy" from a male TikToker who kept bashing her — she liked the name and adopted it

How she got dragged into the Western women vs. passport bros war ​

• It started innocently: men were asking her questions like "are Filipinas attracted to Black men? To Mexican men?"
• She answered honestly, explaining that you don't see many Filipinas dating Black men because of discrimination against dark skin in the Philippines — it's a cultural colorism issue, not a personal stance
• She was immediately called racist by people who didn't understand Filipino culture
• Received at least four death threats: "you're racist, I'm gonna do this to you if I see you"
• Her response: she exposes threatening messages publicly so there's a record if anything happens to her

The "hyenas" incident that went viral ​

• A Western woman said something along the lines of "you can have our leftovers, we don't want them" referring to men going to the Philippines
• Helga's response: "In the Philippines, we love leftovers, because leftovers are the best"
• Western women were furious at this response
• At some point while discussing women who only complain about men not making enough money, Helga used the word "hyenas" — not directed at Black women specifically, but at women whose behavior was purely complaining and whining
• The word went viral and people started using "hyena" as an insult against specific groups of women
• Black women accused Helga of calling them hyenas specifically — she insists the word wasn't targeted at any race, it just happened to come up while she was responding to people who were bashing her
• Helga didn't expect the term to become a viral weapon

Helga's evolution: turning against bad passport bros too ​

• Initially she was seen as pro-passport-bro and became popular in that community
• People assumed she was making a lot of money from the attention — she says she's "still broke" because the views on videos using her content go to the creators who repost, not to her
• Over time, she started seeing bad actors hiding behind the passport bro label
• She decided to stand up for "what is right and what is wrong" regardless of which side gets angry
• She acknowledges Western women's point that many men go to the Philippines to take advantage of Filipinas
• She also acknowledges bad passport bros "think if we continue promoting them, they're just gonna treat it like porn" — she wants to eliminate those guys from going to the Philippines (while knowing she can't actually stop them)
• Her current position: she's in between both sides, doesn't care if passport bros or Western women consider her an enemy

The real problem for Filipinas — naivety and being taken advantage of ​

• Many Filipinas are gullible and naive, making them easy targets for bad men
• Helga admits she was like that too "until you're not anymore"
• She wants to educate Filipinas about the pros and cons of dating Western men, so both good passport bros and Filipinas know what to expect
• Not all Western men coming are good — could be any nationality, not just from the passport bro movement
• Filipinas' friendliness and trust are exactly what predatory men exploit

Pea's alignment with Helga's position ​

• Pea says she's tried for three years to be neutral: warning foreigners about scam Filipinas, and warning Filipinas about predatory foreigners
• Both agree: "We're all people, not everyone is good"
• Pea's advice to Filipinas: "Don't just spread your legs because you're in love already after one date, two days"

Will toxic feminism ruin things between Western men and women permanently? ​

• Helga says yes, but only if people keep talking about it and making it an issue
• Her practical advice to men: just quietly go to the Philippines, Thailand, or Asia and find someone — don't post on social media about how Western women are terrible, because that just perpetuates the cycle
• "You cannot make a woman understand the things she's never experiencing" — Western women don't know Filipino culture, so arguing with them is pointless
• Western women do have a right to say whatever they want, but "it's up to us how we react to it"

Comparing Western women and Filipinas — culture, not character ​

• Helga acknowledges not all Western women are bad — she has Western women friends in Canada
• She asked them what they look for in a partner: shared hobbies and interests, not necessarily money
• But the cultural environment conditions Western women differently: many call themselves "strong and independent," it's normal for couples to agree the woman doesn't cook or serve her man
• Some Western women have high standards tied to matching status: if she's a lawyer, the man should be equivalent; if she's beautiful, the man needs a nice car and six figures
• Filipino women are conditioned differently by their culture — they automatically cook, clean, keep the house tidy, make sure the fridge is stocked, AND work outside the home, without being asked
• Helga doesn't criticize Western women for this — "their mentality is conditioned with this kind of environment, the society has been conditioning these ladies to be like that"

Helga on handling haters and protecting privacy ​

• Her approach to bashers: agree with everything they say sarcastically — "she must be married to an old man" → "yep I am" / "she must be a gold digger" → "yep I am" — it disarms them
• Best advice: don't say too much about your personal life because people will use it against you
• She keeps her personal life private despite public pressure to reveal it

Life in Canada — the good and the culture shock ​

• Best thing: opportunities for education and employment — easy to find jobs if you're willing to take any job, can get school loans (unlike the Philippines)
• Culture shock: not knowing neighbors, quiet neighborhoods vs. the communal Philippines, different Christmas traditions
• Depression from the cold and constant rain
• She goes back to the Philippines whenever she misses home and can afford it

Pea and Helga's shared background ​

• Both worked humble jobs before YouTube — Pea did fast food, hosting, McDonald's, call center work
• Both started YouTube during the pandemic
• Both are introverts who perform as extroverts online
• Pea says she was drawn to Helga's content because it was funny, humorous, and controversial

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