Do Mixed-Filipinos have a better chance in Hollywood than pure-blooded Filipinos? The entertainment industry in America has a long racist past and honestly they still struggle to shake this off. This is proven by the fact that today’s executives often cast a Filipino only if they can pass as something else (more about this here!). From our crowned Miss Universes to the Filipino-American celebrities we know, a majority of them are actually either multiracial or ethnically ambiguous. Just take Bruno Mars, Hailee Steinfeld, Oliva Rodrigo and Jo Koy as testimonies. Mixed-Filipinos are most often given the chance to represent us before any others. And while we are proud of them, is this the kind of representation we are asking for? Or can we evolve more from here?
Read MoreFrom YouTube skits to stand-ups to lead roles on comedy shows, Filipinos have been exposing international audiences to our culture through the use of humor. We see comedians like Jo Koy host Netflix specials about his mom’s tough love and how funny our family customs are in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. But it doesn’t end there because we continue to find meme-worthy content from Filipino comedians all over the world on any social media platform. We laugh because we relate and even to other communities, there is a sense of familiarity in some of our experiences growing up as Filipino. Is this finally our ticket into better representation?
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