RaStro is back! And for those of you unaware, the reunion of Glaiza de Castro and Rhian Ramos means OG sapphic media enjoyers just won in a major way.
Related: For the Girls: 16 Sapphic/WLW/Lesbian Media You Should Check Out
If you’re wondering why queer/sapphic circles on social media are freaking out over the reunion of actresses Glaiza de Castro and Rhian Ramos in a project, let us let you in on a bit of local history and sapphic media lore. In 2015, the two actresses starred in Filipino romance drama The Rich Man’s Daughter as Jade Tanchingco (Ramos) and Althea Guevarra (de Castro).
A sapphic teleserye that aired on GMA Network, leading to the WLW ship JaThea and subsequent ship of their actors, RaStro, The Rich Man’s Daughter was a big step in representation in mainstream media. Though riddled with stereotypes and a multitude of hardships for our queer heroes, it marked the first sapphic or lesbian pairing in a Philippine television series. So yes, JaThea/RaStro has been a major GL ship, much like Darlentina/JaneNella—except the drama was completely about their romance and they did end up together.
Now, the news of a new Glaiza de Castro and Rhian Ramos project awakens a fandom that’s been tuned in since The Rich Man’s Daughter. Much like many loveteam fans, they’ve been clamoring for new projects due to what the actresses have shown in their series, and they’re finally getting their wish.
THE RICH MAN’S DAUGHTER
GMA Network’s The Rich Man’s Daughter (2015) told the story of a wealthy Chinese-Filipino heiress, Jade, who falls for her brother’s wedding planner Althea. From male betrotheds to conservative families, different socioeconomic classes causing rifts to straight-up homophobia, to there’s no shortage of drama in the two’s seemingly ill-fated romance. At the end, though, they do end up together (after seeing each other at Pride, go figure), sending a message of hope to all watching.
The Rich Man’s Daughter was dramatic, angsty, romantic, and something pretty new at the time. Was it perfect representation? Not particularly, given the stereotypes, queer tragedy tropes, limiting characterizations and storylines, as well as limits in terms of production and network (and audience) priorities, such as censorship. The main couple didn’t even kiss on screen. But it’s become an important media artifact that has paved the way for representation and discourse on queer representation in our very lacking (but now growing!) media landscape.
MARKING A NEW WAVE
I’m loving how some of you are saying #BlankTheSeries is your first GL and that #FayeYoko’s chemistry and acting had you hooked 🥹
— Karyn⸆⸉ | Blank The Series (@hyesoosjagiya) March 30, 2024
But to me, a closeted Filipino sapphic some 9 years ago, it was The Rich Man’s Daughter. Idk about other Asian countries, but TRMD was definitely… pic.twitter.com/f2p9nDnje8
Though we can’t ever say any kind of representation—character- or narrative-wise—is perfect, given that you can’t please everybody, The Rich Man’s Daughter was groundbreaking for its time and context. It’s both a hopeful and bleak sentiment, given that it was released here in the same year that same-sex marriage was legalized in the United States. Still, it’s somewhat underrated, in the sense that it lacked the kind of support from social media it would have gotten had it been released today.
That’s not to say it doesn’t have support, though. It made sapphic women feel seen and represented, and put them front and center in a way that hasn’t been done before. Given fans’ enthusiasm at RaStro’s reunion, a dedicated fanbase, and the series streaming online, it’s safe to say that the series and its stars’ impact is very much widespread.
Hello #Rastro 📸🤍#WideInternational @whianwamos @glaizaredux @widefilmprod @pauline_publico @sigridbernardo pic.twitter.com/ICbM759wUN
— April Martin Official (@aprilmartin01_) July 3, 2024
Now, we have Sleep With Me (2022), BetCin (2021), and Pearl Next Door (2020), among a slew of other sapphic local series and movies. But it’s always good to look at what’s been done before, what we’re doing now, and what we still need to do in the future.
STRIDES FORWARD
Like we barely have any good lesbian representation in mainstream PH media. The last (and only) mainstream lesbians i remember are from The Rich Man's Daughter which was way back in 2015.
— 🤓 (@gaylittlechuu) May 31, 2023
Sapphics and lesbians in mainstream PH media are often caricatures and stereotypes
As we anticipate not just RaStro’s reunion, but also more sapphic local media, it’s another reminder of how far we’ve come, and yet how far we still have to go. Queer women are still very much underrepresented in media.
We’d love to see more media with stories in which more queer people portray queer characters with the authenticity they deserve, more diverse storylines are crafted to reflect the complexities of queerness and the community, and more people accept and welcome the diversity and complexity of people.
Though we don’t know much yet about Glaiza de Castro and Rhian Ramos’ new project, actor Ken Chan revealed to CinemaBravo that it will be a movie, and yes, it will be a GL. With the media freedoms we have now, compared to nine years ago, this is sure to bring something new to the table the same way The Rich Man’s Daughter did, hopefully even better, with the same charm and chemistry between its leads that people love. We’re very much seated, and if you are, too, let us know what you’d like to see in this anticipated new project!
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