Logging on my Twitter mobile, I saw a guy from the Philippines (family friend) who stated his opinion on the very question. He simply said that he would rather marry a poor but attractive person than someone who's rich but ugly.
When I think about it, frankly I don't think there's a non-shallow choice out of the two. If you pick the first option, may mean that you love money. If you pick the second option, it could just signify that you care just a little bit too much about looks. If you're ever asked that question and you don't wanna come off as shallow or screwed-up in any way, it's pretty hard to answer it by picking between the two.
Anyway. The family friend picked marrying a poor but attractive girl. His reason, translated in English, is in its exact words 'Poor but attractive. Not only because she's attractive, but I also like girls who are simple and are true to themselves. And I like girls who are the one-of-the-boys type. Where do you find rich girls who like to be around and be friends with guys? Being friends with guys doesn't mean you're a skank. And other thing, I don't like fussy (read: priss) girls.'
I don't wanna be slack, but I though his answer was kinda ehhhh, stereotypical and too-assuming? I don't know why Filipinos (who actually live in the Philippines) naturally think that girls, or just people, with money are snobs who treat those with a different lifestyle in a demeaning and inferior manner. Just like how they depict balikbayans (read: Filipinos who have come back to the country from overseas to visit for a holiday), usually those with good money, as ignorant snobs who can't handle life without a plasma-screen TV with cable and silver cutlery. No. There may be some rich people like that, there may be some white-washed Filipinos like that, but not all. Not all girls with money are shallow and just care about makeup and not getting dirty.
If I can swing that far with the Australian context in mind, I actually think Australians are more laidback and less shallow than Filipinos themselves. I can't say the same for other Filipinos living in other countries and their culture and upbringing, but growing up in Australia, it's like that. For example, Australians care significantly less about people in shopping centres wearing their pyjamas or people mowing their lawn without any shoes on. Filipinos care about that shiz. If you're in the Philippines and you turn up at a jewellery shop wearing your house clothes and thongs, the salespeople will think you have no money and won't attend to you. That's actually happened. No exaggeration. In Australia, they just serve you.
Whenever I go to the Philippines, people can already tell from a mile away that I'm not from around there. Perhaps it's the way I dress, walk or whatever. They can just tell. Some people think I can no longer speak Tagalog. Boys who want to talk to me when I'm on holidays there don't talk to me because they think I'm a snob. To be honest, I was even more of a snob when we lived there than I am now. And it's all thanks to Australia who taught me how to look beyond people's characters and little quirks and just talk to them. I'm just gonna say, we're not the richest of folks especially with our current financial situation right now, but my parents do make enough money for people back home to call it "big money", and it makes me wonder if boys like our family friend would say the same thing about me too. I honestly don't think I'm like that. But if I am, at least the salespeople in the Philippines will help me find some good jewellery, right?
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