Her homecoming press con reaffirms why the country’s fourth Miss Universe deserves the crown. And if others are dead serious in following in her footsteps, they need to satisfy, she says, four requirements: know themselves, be physically and mentally strong, be oblivious to online bashing, and wear the best waterproof makeup money can buy.
By Alex Y. Vergara
Photos by Maica Frances Maglipon
Displaying the same wit, charm, and quick thinking that won for her the prestigious Miss Universe crown last December, Catriona Gray faced Manila-based journalists yesterday at Novotel Hotel in Quezon City. Organized by Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc., the press conference was the first time the country’s fourth Miss Universe officially faced local media since arriving from New York a few days ago for her homecoming parade today and tomorrow.
Whether she decides to do her own makeup or taps the expertise of one of Manila’s top makeup artists, Catriona will make sure to wear only waterproof makeup before braving the afternoon heat later to face countless jubilant Filipinos lining the streets. Why? You’ll soon know, but it was the same reason that prompted her to wear only the best waterproof brands as she did her own makeup during coronation night.
Wearing her Mikimoto pearl-encrusted crown and dressed in a stylized one-sleeved terno-slash-jumpsuit in popsicle orange by Mak Tumang, Catriona arrived at the event with Stella Marquez-Araneta, chairperson of Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. After listening to heartfelt welcome remarks from the motherly Stella, Catriona gamely answered questions earlier gathered from journalists and read to her by former Miss Universe Philippines Shamcey Supsup.
Asked, for instance, how her life has changed since she was crowned in Bangkok, and the challenges that go with being a Miss Universe, Catriona couldn’t help but laugh before reflecting on the question.
“My life has changed so much, guys,” she said. “Since the crown was placed on my head, almost in an instant, my life has changed. I went from being a voice to the Philippines, to a voice to the international audience. With that comes a little bit of pressure, but also an amazing opportunity.”
The flip side, of course, of living in New York and traveling all over the world at a moment’s notice is being away from home, friends, and family. The realization that the title is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” has helped keep her focused.
“Even though a year will go by so fast,” she added, “I really have been busy making plans about things that I want to do during my reign. And I really hope to leave a positive impact as Miss Universe 2018.”
And if the tears she expected and prepared for by wearing waterproof makeup didn’t come soon after her crowning, Catriona feels that the current flurry of activities, which include two back-to-back homecoming parades today and tomorrow as well as several charity events centered on her chosen advocacies, would finally open the floodgates.
“I feel that that moment is going to be during my homecoming parade because when I look back to my last couple of years, my most emotional moments as a titleholder or as a beauty queen have been when I’m surrounded by people,” she said.
Their support and passion, she continued, really “make me cry.” That’s why she’s making sure that their would be plenty of Kleenex tissues on the float. The length and breadth of Ayala Avenue, she jested, might be flooded with tears.
By sharing her before and after experience, she also invariably offered precious nuggets of wisdom to countless young women dreaming of one day following in her footsteps. There’s no template or formula for it, but it would help immensely to know and be “true to yourself.”
“We’re lucky in the Philippines to be surrounded by amazing teams of people who will lift you up and carry you through the preparation. But once you get there, you are all alone. You’re by yourself,” she said.
It’s during such times that a girl needs to be true to herself while drawing strength from someone or something that’s not physically there, be it from an advocacy, her supporters, or her family.
“You need to have that [source of] strength,” she shared. “During the pageant, when you are overwhelmed, when you are feeling doubtful, which happened to me, that was where I drew from.”
Is she a changed person after winning the crown? She had to pause before coming up with a nuanced answer to such a “nice” but fairly hard question.
“The reason I’m struggling with this is I don’t feel different as a person,” she finally opened up.
As a beauty queen, Catriona has always been “driven,” but not to the point, she said, of losing “the heart” or essence of why she was competing for the crown. But since Day 1, she has always been focused. Her team, she added, could attest to this.
“But after [winning] Miss Universe, it was more [a feeling of] I was given so much,” Catriona continued. “Now, I have a responsibility. I’ve always had a responsibility as Miss Philippines, but now during my reign, it represents so much more than just being Miss Universe. What can I do as Miss Universe?”
And part of the challenge also includes using your newfound celebrity while keeping your feet on the ground. Such a tough balancing act is something Catriona has had to continue to grapple with more than two months after winning the crown.
“As a titleholder, you’re flung into that platform overnight,” she reflected. “There’s no gradual build. It’s just your crown and you up there. But I always remind myself why I do what I do.”
She may be Miss Universe now, but she never forgets to always ask herself why she went through all the trouble of becoming one in the first place. It’s to give a voice and a bigger platform to organizations and advocacies that are close to her heart. Again, she emphasizes the importance of surrounding yourself, even in spirit, with family members and dear friends who help “keep you in check.”
Catriona’s achievement, a feat which came just two years after fellow Filipino Pia Wurtzbach won Miss Universe, serves as an inspiration to countless young women who wants to give pageantry a try. What can she share with them? She could probably write an entire book about it, but Catriona summarizes her advice to three main points.
First, she began, whatever your reasons are, you need to be honest by asking yourself why you’re doing this. “Because throughout the whole journey, you would need that purpose to hold on to. And that would carry you through.”
Two, you need to stay true to what you want. In other words, leave nothing to chance. “This is really important for me,” she said. “Being true to my vision meant I have to be really hands-on in all aspects—wardrobe, presentation, national costume, everything! I was blessed to be surrounded by a team who really allowed me to bring my vision to life.”
Finally, one has to be strong not only physically, but also mentally. In other words, joining a beauty contest, especially in the age of social media where bashing and hurtful words from detractors are just a click and a tap away, isn’t for the faint of heart. Catriona calls such a necessary trait as “mental fortitude.”
“Being from one of the biggest social media-using nations in the world, you will be bombarded [with comments and criticisms] on social media. Good or bad, it’s all part of it and your reign [and the position] that you’re in,” she said.
As a global beauty queen in the 21st century, you need to be mentally strong to know how and when to filter such negative and often downright nasty criticisms. No one is immune, not even Catriona, from unfair and unsolicited feedback. But what sets her and a few others apart is their ability to rise above them in their quest to pursue their dreams.
