'Sinong nagsabing babae lang pwede?': LGBTQ+ socmed star Sassa Gurl is White Castle Whisky's 2022 calendar model
Social media icon Sassa Gurl just made history as the first LGBTQ+ calendar model of White Castle Whisky.
The local liquor brand made the announcement on its official Facebook page Friday night, Jan. 14. It also uploaded two photos of its 2022 calendar, each showcasing a fierce-looking Sassa Gurl in a red slip dress and a blue cut-out swimsuit.
"Ang aming White Castle 2022 Calendar Model, walang iba kundi ang Mima nyong busog, Sassa Gurl!" White Castle Whisky's caption read. "Sinong nagsabing babae lang pwedeng maging Calendar Model?"
Sassa Gurl also made a separate announcement and shared the calendar photos on her social media accounts.
"I-set na ang inom!!!! Ako na agad ang pulutan," her Instagram caption read.
"Nagbunga na ang pagpapainom natin mga bakla!" she wrote. "Para to sa mga baklang umaawra sa inuman at nazezero, eto na tayo na ang naka booking sa calendar gurl," followed by a Pride flag emoji.
Sassa Gurl's recent feat, in fact, started out as part meme, part manifesting.
On Dec. 21, 2021, she shared her own edit of White Castle Whisky's calendar on the heels of Chie Filomeno and Bea Alonzo being named as calendar girls of Ginebra and Tanduay, respectively, this year.
kaming bakla ang malakas magpainom tas, kayong mga babae mag cacalendar girl? ulol. charis pic.twitter.com/kozy5RWfr8
— Sassa Gurl ?️? (@Itssassagurl) December 21, 2021
"[K]aming bakla ang malakas magpainom tas, kayong mga babae mag cacalendar girl? ulol. charis," she wrote. Her Twitter post alone has garnered over 44,000 likes and 5,600 retweets.
Little did she know that her viral meme would get the attention of the brand, so much so that it actually made her the face of its 2022 calendar.
"Di ko inasahan na papatulan nila ako. Kahit playtime lang iyong ganap ko doon, pinickup nila," Sassa Gurl told PEP.ph in an interview. "Since na invite ako sa gantong bagay na hindi usual na nai-invite ang tulad ko, nakakatuwa at nakakakaba in the same time."
Sassa Gurl, or Felix Petate in real life, rose to fame on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. She's known for her signature blush and her contents that revolve around Filipino childhood nostalgia and high school "jejemon" days of yore.
She has over 5.2 million followers across TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
White Castle Whisky of Manila-based Destileria Limtuaco has been well-known for featuring alluring female models in its calendars since 1969. Its roster includes Lorna Tolentino, Carmi Martin, RR Enriquez, Aubrey Miles, and Meg Imperial.
It first broke tradition on Dec. 29, 2020, when it named vlogger and chef Ninong Ry as its first straight male calendar model for 2021 in its five-decade history.
