Abstract

In Spanish, chingada means “the woman who asks for it.” In this paper,I argue that “Nicole” of the controversial 2005 Subic rape case trial, exemplifiesthis Latin American myth in the Philippine imaginary. By looking at blogreposting of news articles and editorials on the Subic Rape Case togetherwith the commentaries and blog discussions that it spurred among activists,Filipino-Americans, and the general public from 2005-2009, I examineboth formal and informal public discourse around the trial, with a focus onFilipinos’ gendered and sexualized view of interracial dynamics.Nicole’s landmark David-Goliath trial against the world superpower becamesymbolic of the Philippine national struggle against its former colonizer.Filipino feminists and nationalists mobilized Nicole’s case successfully, inorder to put the Visiting Forces Agreement and the presence of US militarybases in the country into question.The chingada archetype, embodying the slut in the virgin-slut dichotomy,leaves little room for the recognition of women’s agency. Among Filipinos,heightened protectiveness of women, combined with misguided patriotism,often makes us assume that all international marriages should be lumped withprostitution and sex work, with little analysis of how these relationships arenegotiated by active agents, who craft the terms of these partnerships everyday.

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