What Filipinas Secretly Think About Dating Foreigners!

Pea interviews a dozen random Filipinas with pointed questions about whether they actually find foreigners attractive, whether they'd date or marry one, what their parents would think, and what they genuinely dislike about foreign men. The answers challenge the myth that Filipinas are only interested in their own kind while also confirming some uncomfortable truths about what motivates the attraction.

Do Filipinas find foreigners or Filipino men more attractive? ​

• The result was "not unanimous but pretty darn close" — the strong majority said foreigners look better
• Reasons cited: different hair colors, eye colors (blue, brown, green), height, pale skin, mestiza/mestizo features
• One woman acknowledged it's a "stigma" in the Philippines to see foreigners as more beautiful because of skin color and European features
• Several women explicitly said foreigners are the beauty standard in the Philippines
• Height came up repeatedly — Filipino women love that foreigners are taller
• The eurocentric beauty ideal is deeply embedded: women described preferring mestiza/mestizo features, with one saying foreigners' appearance is "more appealing to the eye"
• Only a couple dissented — one woman said she prefers Filipino features ("talaga" — for real), and one dark-skinned woman ("morena") said she appreciates Filipino beauty more
• Pea's framing: "That's one myth we can cross off the list — Filipinos do not hold our noses when we consider dating you"

Where do Filipinas look for foreign partners? ​

• Universal answer: online — dating apps and social media
• Specific platforms mentioned: Filipino Cupid, Tinder, Bumble, Facebook
• One woman noted it's rare to meet foreigners in person, so dating sites are the default
• Tourist hotspots like Boracay and Cebu were mentioned as the exception for in-person meetings
• Online dating allows use of Google Translate to bridge language barriers
• Pea's counter-advice to male viewers: visiting the Philippines in person gives you a "huge advantage over those online guys"

Would these women actually date a foreigner? ​

• 11 out of 12 said yes — only one showed no interest
• Several had already dated foreigners:
  • One is currently dating a foreigner
  • One dated a commercial pilot for a year and a half before breaking up
  • One dated a guy from Florida when she was about 15 during the pandemic, bonding through daily video chats
• One woman said she's never officially dated a Filipino, only foreigners
• Women who hadn't dated foreigners expressed strong openness: "If destiny comes, if I meet some foreigner that treats me well, of course"
• One woman said it's literally one of her "dreams to marry a foreigner because the jeans [genes], the beautiful features and characteristics and also personality"
• Cultural motivation: foreigners are seen as more serious about commitment — "here in the Philippines, almost 20 years old, men here are basically fun, always, their wife cheated on something like that, and foreigners want to be serious and settle with a woman"

How would Filipino parents react to their daughter dating a foreigner? ​

• Nearly unanimous: parents would be thrilled
• One woman said it's literally her mom's dream that her daughter marry a foreigner
• Another said it's seen as "a blessing" — having a foreigner reach out to date you is a status boost
• Families expect eurocentric-featured grandchildren — "their children inherit eurocentric features"
• The first reaction from family would be teasing about money: "Oh, you have money now" or "you can go to other places now"
• Community status boost: being the daughter dating a foreigner makes you "popular in the barangay" — neighbors would say "OMG, the daughter of Miss So-and-So has some beautiful guy"
• One woman said her mother's reaction would simply be: "Go!" with enthusiastic laughter
• Pea's personal confirmation: "When I was really little, my mom would always tell me to marry a foreigner too — it's a common sentiment especially among families that are poor"
• Pea acknowledges the motivation is "pretty obvious" — financial uplift for the whole family

What do Filipinas actually like about foreign men (beyond money)? ​

• Foreigners are sweeter and more direct with their feelings — they say what they mean, unlike Filipino men who are "paleo" (indirect/testing the waters) and act "Maria Clara" (coy and reserved)
• Foreigners are vocal about affection — one woman whose love language is words of affirmation said she feels loved when he says things that make her feel beautiful
• Foreigners are seen as more adventurous and outgoing — that's why they come to the Philippines in the first place
• Foreigners are perceived as wanting real commitment vs. Filipino men who are "much on having fun"
• One woman was bluntly honest: "I believe their money" — she explained that in a third-world country, dating a foreigner is seen as a path out of poverty, but added it's "not just financially — mentally, physically, and everything"
• Pea's commentary: "You might not like all the references to money, but at least they were being honest. I'm not going to try to polish the turd. I'm just going to serve it to you in its natural state."

What do Filipinas NOT like about foreign men? ​

• Unsolicited explicit photos: one woman described chatting with a foreigner online who started sending "pics — you know what I'm talking about" without being asked
• Too blunt/rude: foreigners can be so direct it crosses into disrespect; there need to be boundaries
• Hygiene: Filipinos typically shower at least twice a day — "not everyone [foreigners] takes a bath every day"
• Using women for sex: concern that foreigners are just in it for fun or "the sexual things"
• Can't understand Filipino humor
• Treating Filipinas as servants: "They look down on us, made us as a maid in their houses... they are like slaving us"
• Domestic violence: "Some of the Filipinos are scared to marry foreigners because we have news that some of the Filipinos are experiencing violence"
• Pea's sarcastic summary: "You ask us for naked pictures, you don't take enough showers, and you turn us into maids and slaves. But on the whole, you're really great guys."

Typhoon relief note at the end ​

• Pea mentions the Philippines was recently ravaged by two super typhoons causing devastating flooding and landslides, especially in Cebu and northern Philippines
• A generous Patreon member donated four large boxes of clothes
• She committed to sending them to families who lost everything and publicly thanked the donor

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