CATRIONA GRAY
BEAUTY QUEEN
The world, or well, the universe that is, has fallen completely head over heels in love with Catriona Gray, that is if the world is the combined reach of over 5.6 million on Instagram alone, as well as a sizeable impact on other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube where her interviews have not only been charming, but informed and impassioned as well. However, there is no population prouder of the serious strides the Miss Universe has taken since being crowned than the 104 million Filipinos she underscored during the finals night of the competition in December 2018. “You realize that when you have the sash of the Philippines, you are representing every single person. There is a pride and there is something that you need to step up to,” she says. “It was very humbling, imagine going from being a candidate, then a Philippine representative, and now, Miss Universe.”
With an eagle-eyed focus on compassion and creativity, Catriona Gray made sure that she represented the country in the best way possible. This meant really immersing herself in the culture, brushing up on history, and even touching base with key locales in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. A serious and valiant undertaking, this not only endeared her to the country more, but it also propped her up in her quest for the crown. Anchoring on inclusivity, Catriona Gray made sure everything and everyone was represented, as if really heaving the nation on her shoulders.
Her efforts would prove to be fruitful as she won the coveted Miss Universe title, which now elevates her causes, passions, and voice to a much larger and more dynamic platform. “To have that social platform, that is very enabling, because I do have an advocacy that is close to my heart. Being able to do that to the audience that I have, I don’t think I wouldn’t be able to do that without being a beauty queen,” she says.
There has been no doubt that the world will be taken to the stirring soul that is Catriona Gray, but for what it’s worth and where it matters, it is the heaping sense of pride that she has gifted us with that resonates more, making her a queen of and by the Filipino people.—ARDC