Caste Away!

To live and die in the so social class you're born into is a godsend if you happen to be at the top of the pecking order in the Philippines. For the lower classes, however, the lack of social mobility can be a curse. Sometimes you have to win a beauty contest, become a movie star, or create an app that becomes indispensable. For our flipper Xyza Cruz Bacani, seeing the world with unflinching yet compassionate eyes – with the help of a camera of course – changed the trajectory of her life from that of a second generation migrant domestic worker in Hong Kong to internationally acclaimed documentary and street photographer, with a whole slew of awards, fellowships, commissions, not to mention a book. But the caste system that defines Philippine society isn’t just a socioeconomic hindrance; it's also at the root of generational trauma. By the way, she takes her fame in stride: her bullshit radar is still switched on to high.