May 2013 – Filipina Dating; Filipino Women

Filipina Beauty

I’m not the only Western guy to notice the exceptional beauty of the women here in the Philippines. Most first-time visitors comment on how pretty the girls are (both men and women).

Here’s what’s interesting: Filipino culture tends to prize features we’d associate with Caucasians. White skin, a pointed nose, and blue eyes are considered handsome or beautiful characteristics. Some of this goes back to the period in which the Spaniards ruled. Children of Spanish colonizers certainly had certain social/economic advantages, so “whiter is better” kind of got imprinted in the culture.

I don’t think this preference is purely based on cultural baggage from the Spanish era. Maybe it also has to do with Western media and the desire to look more like international actors and actresses.

For better or worse, people in the Philippines admire light skin. Filipinos spend millions on products designed to whiten their skin (first-time visitors to the country may be surprised by the marketing of “skin whitening” lotions). Many of the popular tv and movie stars are half Filipino/half Caucasian.

RECOMMENDED: I recommend Christian Filipina for those who are serious about finding love in the Philippines.

Most Filipino men I’ve talked to tend to prefer women with fair complexions (called mestizas). Women with darker complexions (morenas) are often not considered as beautiful. There are exceptions to this rule, but I’m speaking in very general terms to make a point.

Here’s where this gets interesting for Western men: the woman you consider beautiful may be looked upon as completely “average” by the standards here in the Philippines. I love the look of a “classic” Filipina beauty: dark skin, dark hair, dark eyes, and a petite figure. Most foreigners I meet also seem to choose morenas.

This is where a Western man is in a win-win situation as far as physical attraction goes. He admires the women of the Philippines who may not be appreciated by her fellow countrymen. She is attracted to his pointed nose and other Caucasian features.

I think this is an overlooked aspect of “Fil-West” relationships. Philippine women are often just considering all their options and responding to those who most appreciate their unique attractiveness.

RECOMMENDED: REMITLY

Filipina Scam: How to Avoid Con Artists

Years ago I wrote about using a social networking site (Friendster) to help you identify scammers on Philippine dating websites. It was good advice at the time, but Friendster is now irrelevant for the purposes of doing background checks. This post is a much-needed update on what works now.

Both the availability of internet and use of social media have rapidly expanded here in the Philippines over the past few years. You can and should use this to your advantage if you are corresponding with a Filipina in hopes of finding love. Here are some suggestions for identifying and avoiding con artists.

I’d first recommend you start with a reputable website for meeting women in the Philippines. I really like Christian-Filipina.com because I think they do the best job of weeding out fake profiles. But there are others you may prefer, so it is up to you. I would be very careful of free websites, though I have some friends that have used them with success.

You will eventually start communicating with women somewhere other than the dating website. Different sites have their own rules, but most will allow you to exchange email addresses after you’ve communicated a few times. This is the time to start doing an informal background check.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to check her Facebook profile. You should be able to find pictures of her with friends and family (“natural” pictures, not studio type photos). Search for her profile using the email she gave you, and you should also search her name (to see if she has other profiles). Most people who use the internet will have an account on Facebook, so this can be a good way to verify someone’s honesty. She may not have hundreds of pictures, but you should be able to get a feel for whether or not she is “real.”

RECOMMENDED: I recommend Christian Filipina for those who are serious about finding love in the Philippines.

You may also want to check her name/email in other social networking sites like Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Google+, etc. These are all places where you may find valuable information.

I would also advise you to search both her name and email address in Google (and other search engines). Do an image search while you’re at it.

Finally, you should chat with her on webcam using Skype (or a similar service). It’s a huge warning sign if she always makes an excuse for avoiding a webcam. Voice chatting with her while on webcam is also a good way to see if there’s any chemistry between you. My wife and I were in different cities when we first started communicating with each other. Talking through Skype every day really helped us get our relationship started until we could meet in person.

These steps may not reveal anything, but they are definitely worth your time. I could have avoided a complete disaster of a “relationship” if I had followed these steps with one of the girls I met online.

I’ll repeat a few things I’ve already said in previous articles on scammers:

*Use Tineye.com and check some of the pictures she sent to you. This is especially helpful if she’s trying to scam you with celebrity pictures. This may help you do a more extensive background check, too (you may find more of her profiles on social networking sites).

*Never send money to someone you haven’t met in person.

*Go slow and steady and develop mutual trust over time.

Christian Filipina.com Review (Update)

When I wrote my first review of Christian-Filipina.com it was a relatively new website. I liked it back then, but I think it has come a long way and gotten even better.

I’ve already stated that I like the spiritual approach of this website. But there’s another advantage I’m seeing–the owners (who are really nice people) are really just focused on that one website and they really give their full time and attention to it.

Some other sites are parts of huge dating website networks and operate websites targeting several countries (China, Russia, Brazil, etc.). That’s fine I guess, but I like the fact that Christian Filipina is more like a small family business. I think that improves the quality of service they can give to their website members. I think their new look is good, too.

RECOMMENDED: I recommend Christian Filipina for those who are serious about finding love in the Philippines.

I think Christian Filipina is the best of all the websites out there (and I’ve tried quite a few of them). One more tip: I’d encourage you to think about the Platinum (one-year) membership if you decide to join. That way you can really take your time when you are searching for the right girl. Just CLICK HERE to visit the website.