Beauty queen-model Maureen Wroblewitz couldn’t help but react to a clip of Hollywood actress Shay Mitchell that went viral on social media, in which the “Pretty Little Liars” star claimed her mother was Spanish instead of Filipino.
“You know what my background is? My dad’s Irish my mom’s Spanish,” she said on her new reality show “Thirst With Shay Mitchell.”
This statement then sparked criticism and outrage among the Filipino community, especially after Shay had previously told a local newspaper that her mother hails from Pampanga.
Maureen, who is half German, was among those who gave their two cents on the issue through a Tiktok video, wherein she said she was “confused” by Shay’s statement while also admitting to having been privileged enough to never experience shame about her roots.
“This video is from 3 weeks ago, lol, but I was just so confused as to why she said that,” Maureen wrote in her caption. “Maybe I’m privileged to have never been picked on for being Filipino. I grew up in Saudi Arabia with people from all over the globe, and when I was in Germany, I was the only Asian in my class. Most people in my school had never heard of the Philippines, but I would be so proud to educate them.”
“Maybe I was lucky that my classmates were actually pretty curious and open to learning. I grew up loving and embracing my Filipino culture thanks to my mom. My sisters and I, up to this day, get so excited to hear of someone else’s Filipino background because of our Pinoy pride,” she added. “I hope more Filipinos abroad get to heal from their trauma, learn to embrace our beautiful culture, and hopefully teach their children as well.”
Watch Maureen’s video below:
@mwrob this video is from 3 weeks ago lol but I was just so confused as to why she said that 😅 maybe I’m privileged to have never been picked on for being filipino.. I grew up in saudi with people from all over the globe and when I was in Germany, I was the only Asian in my class. Most people in my school had never heard of the Philippines but I would be so proud to educate them. Maybe I was lucky that my classmates were actually pretty curious and open to learning. I grew up loving and embracing my Filipino culture thanks to my Mom. My sisters and I up to this day get so excited to hear of someone else’s Filipino background because of our Pinoy pride 🤍 I hope more Filipinos abroad get to heal from their trauma, learn to embrace our beautiful culture and hopefully teach their children as well #proud #filipino ♬ original sound – Maureen Wrob
(ALSO READ: Shay Mitchell’s Half-Spanish Claim Sparks Discussion)
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