I’ve encountered three passport bros and it was a nightmare. Learn from this, guys! I’m Celeste, 30 years old, splitting my time between Australia and the Philippines, and I just want a great guy around my age who’s looking for more than just a casual fling.
So, what’s a Passport Bro? Basically, it’s a guy who travels to another country where his passport gives him an advantage—think someone from the U.S., Canada, or Europe heading to Latin America, Southeast Asia, or Africa to attract women. They use their citizenship and stronger currency to find dates, sometimes even throwing in (often empty) promises of bringing them back home.
Full disclosure, I am Australian by citizenship, though I don’t always look the part because I look distinctly Southeast Asian and my accent is often described as American. As far as I’m aware, I look and sound like your average Filipina woman in the metro. But this doesn’t stop Passport Bros from trying their usual moves on me.
Passport Bro #1: The Linguist
I met this guy on Tinder, and he’s the first Passport Bro I’ve talked to. After the initial greetings, he asked, “Do you speak English?” I said yes. Then he said, “Most of you have terrible English. It’s like talking to a wall.”
Most of us? Wow.
So not all women here can carry on a conversation in 100% grammatically correct English. But a basic understanding of English that’s enough to be understood is standard. In fact, plenty of couples end up hitting it off even if they don’t speak each other’s language fluently.
But if you start with criticizing other women’s language skills, we have a problem. Is this negging supposed to flatter me?
Is this negging supposed to flatter me?
I took a deep breath and said, “I think they can understand you. But they probably don’t like it if you’re too critical.”
He said, “Nah, I don’t wanna dumb down what I’m saying.”
I’ve had enough at this point.
Blocked
Passport Bro #2: Looking for a Baby Mama
A lot of Filipinos believe that babies with a Filipina mom and a white dad are basically born ready for a career in showbiz. And apparently, Passport Bros have picked up on this and turned it into a pickup line.
I’ve received this gem of a message once: “Let’s make lots of blue-eyed Asian babies.”
Consider my flabber truly gasted. It well and truly gave me the biggest ick. But I tried to be polite and replied, “At least buy me dinner first.”
That got a laugh out of him, and he responded with “I’ve got a room at [3-star hotel]. Let’s have dinner here.”
If you’re gonna namedrop a hotel, at least make it one that has a decent restaurant. I don’t even want kids but I want them even less with someone who thinks that being foreign and booking a cheap hotel are enough to impress me.
“You want kids with me but you can’t even do a room at the Marriott? Bye.”
Blocked
Passport Bro #3: Trad Wife Hunter
This one takes the cake. I matched with him on Bumble, and we had a pretty good rapport going until he dropped this bomb:
“I’m actually looking to settle down. What do you say you come back with me to Canada, and I’ll look after you?”
I hit him back with, “Look after me how?”
“I have a job. You don’t need to work anymore. You can just take care of the kids and do chores and stuff.”
I replied, “Nah, I like having a career.”
But what I really wanted to say was, “My job pays more than yours, and I get to travel whenever I want. You think I’ll give all that up just to be your maid?”
I really should have said it because his response was, “You’re playing. Girls here just want to leave with a man who’ll take care of them.”
Admittedly, many women see this as a ticket out of poverty. Some end up living decent lives if they marry a good man. But there are way too many horror stories about women who become isolated and financially dependent on their partners.
My dudes, just because you have a stronger passport and currency doesn’t mean you can throw manners and decency out the window. Women are not falling all over themselves just to get with you. The Passport Bro schtick may seem like a novelty to some, but honestly, it gets pretty old when you keep pulling these stunts.
Just sayin’.
