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#BabaeKasi hindi nagdadahilan: She's not a female DJ. She's a DJ.
One look at Patty Tiu and a judgment already forms in people's minds.
She must be "that type of woman." She has tattoos on her arms, her clothes show some skin, and her work involves "partying." Her work also involves being cat-called on a regular basis.
"Ano ba ang tingin nila sa aming mga babae?" Patty asks rhetorically.
She's a dedicated spinner, but the job offers she receives don't always focus on her talent or work ethic.
"Nagkaroon ako ng inquiry na trabaho sa Las Vegas to play there regularly," Patty shared, "Kailangan daw magpalaki ako ng boobs, kailangan magdamit ako ng sexy."
She was told: "You won't make it here if you don't look like this. If you don't have a specific look."
These demands are a turn off for women who want to make it in the industry, which means men continue to dominate the field. Patty pointed out that even those who stick around to fight the system experience "othering" and are placed in a different category — there are DJs and then there are female DJs.
"Bakit kailangangan kaming tawaging 'female DJs' kung puwede naman kaming isama na DJ lang kami," she asked.
She added, "Hindi talaga equal ang pagtingin ng mga tao sa babae. Parang you were designed as a woman to be one thing. Dapat ito ka lang."
There are many professions that are still largely thought of as "masculine" and women who succeed in these fields are still viewed as a rarity.
"Most of the people think na nandito lang kami sa industriyang 'to dahil maganda kami, dahil sexy kami or nagpapakita kami ng balat. Pero sa totoo lang, kaya naming i-match kung gaano kagaling ang mga male DJs sa industry na ito," Patty said.
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Even if you decide to play by the rules, staying within the lines is impossible as it keeps moving.
Patty found her own rhythm and she's sticking with it. She embraces her decisions, immortalizing them in ink. "Kada mga tattoo ko is a journey of my life. Every phase na napagdadaanan ko sa buhay, nadadagdagan siya nang nadadagdagan," she explained.
One of her favorite tattoos is the philosophy she employs in life: "Aut inveniam viam aut faciam" or "I will find a way or make one."
Every woman finds herself with a set of prescriptions from society that limits who or what they can be. Patty chose to run those prescriptions through a shredder and write her own story.
"'Wag kayong matakot to be who you want to be," she said, "Kahit anong gustuhin, kahit anong asamin, makakamit, #BabaeKasi." — Aya Tantiangco, GMA News
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