In the Tagalog language, being unapologetic is often referred to as being “bastos" – meaning vulgar or shameless – which in turn, is generally used as a put-down. We always try to reclaim that narrative by giving the Filipinx community, particularly women and gender non-conforming folks, a space to shine unapologetically.

We believe it's super important to disrupt the traditional media landscape and create the reflections of ourselves that we want to see in the world. To see people who look like us represented in an empowering, beautiful way positively impacts not just ourselves, but also has intergenerational and cross-cultural effects.

Asian culture is not a monolith; within the over 7,000 islands that came to be grouped together and called the Philippines under Spanish colonization, we have over 180 living languages alone. Too often our identities are erased within the already marginalized “Asian American” demographic – despite Filipinos being the second largest Asian immigrant group to the US. While solidarity amongst Asian Americans (and with ALL QTBIPOC groups) is critically important, we feel like it’s important for us to also make our own voices heard, to embrace and share our own cultures, and to be proud of who we uniquely are.

There’s more than enough room for all of us.