Passport Bro? Nah, you’re just a well-travelled incel!

In societies, we go through shifts of renaming the same concepts with new words. “Playing the field” evolved into “situationships”, “work-to-rule” protesting became “quiet quitting”, and “ordering a mail-order bride” got upgraded to the new and shiny “becoming a passport bro”.

Who are the passport bros? According to their official website:

“A "Passport Bro" is a term used to describe a specific mindset and lifestyle choice adopted by men who have decided to pursue relationships with foreign women from different cultural backgrounds, often in countries outside their own. The concept of Passport Bros arises from a perception that traditional values and behaviors are more prevalent among foreign women compared to the cultural shifts observed in Western societies. This term is rooted in the belief that some Western women have embraced what is seen as an aggressive and hostile feminist philosophy that can lead to contentious relationships with men.”

Besides the classic culture essentializing bullshit (undoubtedly many “Eastern” women would beat your ass if you told them to adhere to “traditional” gender roles), perhaps it doesn’t sound too ridiculous to men who have been unsuccessful dating in their own countries. Surely, you are not the problem in dating life–it must be those pesky human rights laws! As all people do, I decided to open the subreddit for this community to understand more about what’s going on.

The first couple posts consisted of tips for attracting foreign women and various experiences dating abroad. Beneath these “tips” reveal a whole lot of numbers–men obsessed with believing they are somehow a 5 in Ohio but an 8 in the Philippines. Oh and the dating apps–they are constantly lamenting about dating apps! On tinder at home, they attract 4s, but in Thailand, they attract 7s! Elementary nonsense like this. Additionally, various questions like “where to meet Russians outside of Russia” and “where is the best place for short guys to date” littered the feed. 

Some exemplary (hilarious?) quotes from recent posts:

“For many men with autism, becoming a passport bro may be the only way they can have a normal dating life.”

“I'm a mid-twenties 5'7" Male from Tunisia, rated a 5/10 by r/TrueRateme. Never had a girlfriend, still a virgin. The leftist feminist agenda's grip on this country is only slightly lighter than in the Western world. We've got our own version of #MeToo, laws that overwhelmingly favor women, making us the epitome of a gynocentric society.”

“A passport bro, like autism, is considered a spectrum which is why two passport bros are not completely the same. On one side of the spectrum, there are sexpats who just want to get laid. On another side of the spectrum, you have men who are looking for a traditional wife from another country. And on yet another side of the spectrum, there are guys who couldn't get find someone in their home country and are traveling to other countries to increase their chances of finding love.” (that’s not what a spectrum is)

“Deep down I knew I always wanted a woman to take care of me inside the house but I always felt bad about it since I was socialised to believing wanting a woman to cook and clean was abusive.”

“I see a lot of you doing good with women abroad. Is everyone here very fit ( like 15-18% body fat ), or has it got something to do with confidence?”

So…yeah. I could try to look at this movement objectively, but it’s just sad that these men are lying to themselves like this. They say Western women are shallow and disrespectful, and only want men for their features, height, and net worth. Yet, when apparently trying to find foreign women, these are the main factors they advertise about themselves (including their passport power of course).

Men in this space are obsessed with the idea that their appearance is the reason they are rejected in their home countries, nevermind that some studies show that men care a lot more about attractiveness in a partner than women do. These men don’t want affection or love, they want power. If they want a traditional woman, there are plenty at home! Except in this case, you can’t hold a visa over someone’s head, isolate them from their family, and dangle financial freedom in the face of poor women. 

I do not intend to take away the agency from women in making this choice. When I lived in the Philippines, I understood that marrying a foreigner (even the fat, ugly balding ones) was indeed often approved of by families because it was seen as a ticket out of financial suffering. However, these women were often abused and exploited because of these relationships. These were power-yielding men who use their structural privilege to trap women who have few other choices. 

Anyway, why do men have so few “positive” online spaces for uplifting and supporting each other that aren’t based on the bashing of women? How do these people sleep at night knowing that a passport is the reason she sleeps next to you? Wouldn’t you want your partner dating you for you? Don’t you want real love?

Passport bros is a deeply misogynistic and racist movement based on essentialization and exploitation of women. You lot will never know real love.