On the 16th of December 2018, the new miss Universe was crowned and this won’t be news to any filipino reading this, but the winner of the highly prestigious beauty pageant was *drum rolls*… yep, you guessed it Miss Philippines!
Filipinos from all over the world rejoiced at the news of Catriona Gray’s victory congratulating her on social media platforms and taking part in the wave of pinoy pride that came along with such event.
I know most people don’t care at all about Miss Universe, like “Who even watches beauty pageants?”. What interests me is how competitions like these are able to bring thousands and thousands of people together sharing one thing in common, their nationality, to root for their national representative.
Filipinos are some of the most patriotic people in this world and Catriona was able to ignite that patriotic spirit in them as soon as she stepped on the Miss U stage. From the costumes to the dresses down to the very detailed accessories she wore to the event, she proudly embraced her filipino heritage and displayed to the world the richness of the filipino culture.
When people see her though, it is evident in her facial features that she isn’t what some would call a “full filipina”, with her petit button nose and her fair skin but that’s not really an issue because as cliché as it sounds, she truly is a filipino at heart.
Nothing can ever top the strenght and determination of a head-strong woman. Catriona has been very vocal in her interviews about being committed to the vision she had in her mind. She put in the hard work and dedication and eventually, she gracefully turned her vision into reality. This is gonna sound so random but I remember first seeing her in a Wil Dasovich vlog. Looking her name up on Google, I stumbled upon her blog where I found a post about her “goal-dream board”, further proof of her strong drive to reach her goals.
He who travels fastest travels alone but he who travels furthest travels with others
Catriona worked very hard to become Miss Universe 2018 but she wasn’t alone in her feat to obtain the coveted Mikomoto crown, numerous interviews have already revealed the great amount of team effort it took to pull off such achievement. Kmjs’s interview is a perfect example of that:
Furthermore she is so well spoken which is something I absolutely love about her. You can hear it in her answers and in the way she enunciates her words that everything she speaks comes from her heart.
Working in some of the poorest areas of my country, I found that it was a lack of child support, not poverty, that killed their dreams. A child once told me, “Cat, that’s just not my life, and those dreams aren’t made for me.” But I stand here today because someone believed in me and we owe it to our children to believe in them.
– Catriona’s opening statement for Miss Universe 2018
And that’s because she can count on her countless experiences volunteering for a non-profit organisation in the Philippines, to derive the heartfelt stories she’d then share on the Miss U stage and that would struck the heartstrings of everyone listening to her, eventually winning her the crown. Helping underprivileged children to get an education and and her advocacy for HIV prevention are only some of the many causes that she tackled before even joining beauty pageants and we can only expect more from her as she goes through her reign and travels the world supporting more amazing causes.
Thinking to Catriona what comes to my mind are the words fierceness and kindness. She’s a creative spirit who relentlessly aims to inspire others, manifesting through her words and actions how beautiful the world can be.
Since becoming Miss Universe she’s expanded her global reach and already inspired so many people to be more confident in their own skin and more compassionate towards others’ struggles.
As some of the most successful people’s stories, hers teaches us that resilience and determination are important to achieving success. She never tried to be someone else and didn’t take any shortcuts to get to the point where she is now. Going through her own long journey of self-improvement and staying authentic to herself all throughout it made her grow into the wonderful woman she is now.
I wrote this post because as many other filipinos, I was inspired by her story and I truly believe she’s one of the best, if not the best Miss Universe the Philippines will ever have. I can only wish her more success and hope that nothing will ever tarnish the goodness of her heart.
Tendrêverie 