As a stylist carefully smoothened the lapel of a metallic turquoise-blue blazer she was trying on, Sassa Gurl suddenly bolted out of the studio, shouting haughtily, “Magsitrabaho kayong lahat! Hindi ko kayo pinapa-sweldo para umupo-upo lang!” She was suddenly in character, sounding very much like the high society matriarch she had spontaneously decided to portray, much to the amusement and laughter of everyone within earshot.
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Spontaneity and comedic timing are two things that make the 26-year-old social media star’s skits such a hit with her followers. Careful ideation is another. She takes time to sit down and conceptualize what she’ll be posting next on TikTok or other video sharing platforms. The dialogue between characters—who are actually variations of herself—are all ad libbed, though.
Dress by Jazmin Megan; shoes by Jefferson Si. PHOTO: ALAN SEGUI
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Sassa Gurl, or Felix Palate Jr. according to her birth certificate, studied Mass Communications in college specifically because she wanted to land a career in the entertainment industry. She remembers not being able to afford to get her own smartphone to take selfies or videos in those days. She eventually had to quit school and find work.
Her past jobs include working as a call center agent and as a freelance fashion stylist. Her journey to TikTok stardom started in 2020, at the start of the pandemic. Like her videos, her upward climb to becoming an internet sensation was part of a creatively executed plan that would allow her to fulfill her dreams.
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A knack for making people laugh
Sassa was in between jobs and in the process of getting hired for a freelance marketing gig sometime in September of that year when she realized that her posts had gotten viral and that she was exponentially gaining followers. She decided to take it one step further—devoting more time, creativity and energy—and focused on creating funny TikTok content. She had always had a knack for making people laugh, anyway, as early as when she was in high school.
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Initially, it was her humorous take on everyday classroom situations that gained a lot of traction. Face-to-face classes in schools had been suspended and Sassa Gurl’s videos had probably shot a wave a nostalgia through her followers.
She currently has 5.9 million followers on TikTok, over one million on Facebook, and 165,000 on Instagram and nearly 470,000 on Twitter. She also has over 200,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Early this year, Sassa Gurl made history when she became the calendar girl for a well-known liquor brand—the first trans woman in the country to do so. For her, being a calendar girl and appearing on a billboard along EDSA was a huge feat not just for her, but also for the rest of her community.
It was, for Sassa, a step toward uplifting the image of transgenders. “This is for the LGBTQIA community,” she said in an interview with Esquire Philippines. “Super thank you sa mga nauna sa amin na LGBTQIA who paved the way para magawa ko ang eksenang ito.”
Sassa believes that as the calendar girl, she herself has made an important contribution to the LGBTQIA community. It was a way for her to be able to use a medium notorious for objectifying women as a means to empower women like herself.
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Beauty, according to Sassa Gurl
The interview was mostly fun and games, jokes and punchlines, and peppered with words and phrases Sassa used liberally, such as baklang kanal (a term she used to refer to herself, pertaining to gays belonging to low-income brackets) and nakshit (referring to younger gay people that became her minions and that she has, in one way or another, supported), up until she was asked the serious questions.
PHOTO: Alan Segui
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Before sharing her answers to such questions, she would pause for a few seconds, momentarily shedding her comedic persona while lost in deep thought.
Even if she has defied the conventions of traditional beauty and womanhood by becoming a calendar girl, Sassa does not believe that beauty is only skin-deep. “If you widen your perspective, you’ll know that beauty is vast. Hindi lang siya hitsura,” she said.
“Beauty can be something else. It could be talent. It could be confidence. For me, it’s very profound. Ang definition ko ng beauty, hindi lang siya more on aesthetic. More on kalahatan ng pagkatao mo.”
Sassa acknowledges the existence of gender roles, but she also believes that they should be questioned. “May mga gender roles na hindi akma sa kung paano dapat ituring ang bawat kasarian,” she said.
“I, myself, have my own biases,” admits the TikTok star. “Aminin man natin o hindi, mayroon tayong mga paniniwala na dahil sa biases natin.”
Sassa pointed out that people are now woke, and more progressive with their attitude toward gender norms—something she is very happy with.
Dismantling gender biases
While she wants to be fully acknowledged as a woman based on the traditional societal perception of what a woman should be, Sassa also feels the need to dismantle strict notions around gender. According to her, males, females, and members of the LGBTQIA community should not be confined to rigid standards.
She also believes that gender shouldn’t be of utmost concern when one is accepted into employment, or when engaging in a relationship, marriage or in any other social activity.
“For me, gender is oppressive, kung ia-apply natin sa society na meron tayo ngayon,” she said.
Neutrality, she says, is key to better conversations and actions around gender, but achieving it is difficult because of existing gender biases.
Sassa Gurl is currently not in a serious romantic relationship. When asked to describe her ideal man, she spoke of qualities many people would want to find in a partner, regardless of gender: a drive to succeed, financial stability, and an air of mystery.
She is not in a relationship primarily because she wants to focus on work. Aside from having her image on a billboard along EDSA, she has likewise landed endorsement deals from other brands, including a food delivery app. She is extremely happy with how her career has panned out and intends to remain successful, if not even more so, considering she couldn’t even afford to buy her own smartphone when she was younger.
“Gaya ng sinabi ko, pinlano ko lahat ng ito. Hindi ito puwedeng basta-basta na lang mawala,” she said, referring to her hard-earned success.
The only other thing she could probably ask for, career-wise, is to land a television show or movie project as a comedienne. Sassa has tons of admiration and respect for Vice Ganda, and would love to follow the latter’s footsteps, if given the chance.
PHOTO: Alan Segui
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Apart from her flourishing career, Sassa Gurl is equally as or even more proud of the fact that her mother, Esther, is proud of who she is and what she’s become. She is quick to point out, however, that her mother has always been supportive—even before she became immensely popular.
“Matagal na siyang proud sa akin,” she said. “Pero pag kinukuwento sa kanya ng mga kumare niya yung mga content na ginagawa ko, naaaliw siya, ikukuwento niye sa ‘kin. So siyempre proud din ako. For me, as a bakla na maka-Mama, yun yung proudest moment ko.”
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