A Cat above the rest
From “Girl to Beat” to “Girl on Fire,” Catriona Elisa magnayon Gray’s exhilarating time in Thailand ended with her being crowned the “most Beautiful Woman in the Universe.” The 24-year-old model/musician/martial artist/ poverty alleviator is the 67th miss Universe, the fourth Filipina to become “Ang Pinakamagandang Babae sa Balat ng Lupa,” after Gloria Aspillera Diaz (1969), Maria Margarita Moran (1973) and Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach (2015).
“When I was 13, my mum told me, ‘Honey, I dreamt of you winning @missuniverse in a red dress.’ At the time I thought nothing of it, and today my mother’s dream came true,” Cat related on her Instagram account, a post that has been liked by 1.8 million people as of our last count, the most for any Filipina. “Where do I even begin? Lord God, I lift everything up to You—to glorify and honor You. [The] Philippines, what an amazing honor it has been to carry your name across my chest and to embody you in all aspects. I may now carry the sash of miss Universe, but I’ll forever be your miss Philippines.”
In July, Cat (Muning in Filipino, Luk Maew in Thai) told me that her mum Normita has “loved miss Universe ever since. I can’t recall her name but when miss mexico won in a red dress—” “Lupita Jones?” I interjected “—yes. When my mom first saw her win, she was like, I can just imagine you in a red dress like that.”
Destiny winked at the mother and daughter. Lupita, miss Universe 1991 who turned over her crown in Bangkok in 1992, was in the audience at the Impact Arena as the national director for mexico, and saw Cat join the exclusive miss Universe Sisterhood.
Also in attendance were former winners Porntip “Bui Simon” Porntip Nakhirunkanok (1988), michelle McLean (1992), Denise Quiñones (2001, the national director for Puerto Rico), Natalie Glebova (2005), Gabriela Isler (2013), Pia, Iris Mittenaere (2016) and Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters (2017), who relinquished her title. Thailand’s national treasure Apasra Hongsakula (1965) must have skipped the finals.
“I think Miss Universe is an amazing platform because we are all established, empowered women. And how are we empowering others? We are lifting each other up, and I think that’s amazing because we are crossing country borders while doing that,” Cat said at her first press conference in Bangkok after winning.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Cat flew in a private Gulfstream jet owned by former governor Chavit Singson for a whirlwind but unofficial homecoming. They were joined by richelle Singson-michael, who was a member of the selection committee at miss Universe 2018 and Miss Universe Organization bigwigs Shawn mcClain and Esther Swan.
Seeing our new queen, immaculate in a power pantsuit by Chris Nick, was a welcome sight in an otherwise chaotic event.
“Thank you so much for being here. Para sa iyo ito, Pilipinas,” Cat could only mutter, simply overwhelmed and still processing her victory.
CAT’S IN THE CRADLE
A hUNDReD and 4 million Filipinos rejoiced when Cat won. But Australians have also claimed, in a playful way, that she also belongs to them. After all, she was born and raised in Cairns, Queensland, to a Scottish-Australian father, Ian Gray, and a Bicolana mother, Normita magnayon.
Had she chosen to wear the miss Australia sash, Cat would’ve been the third from Down Under to become Miss Universe, after Kerry Ann Wells (1972) and Jennifer hawkins (2004).
At Binibining Pilipinas, Cat represented her mom’s hometown of oas, Albay. other Bicolana beauties who were our Miss Universe are Miriam Quiambao (1999), Venus Raj (2010) and Rachel Peters (2017).
CAT’S NINE LIVES
LIKe Pia’s story of perseverance, Cat didn’t give up on her dream of becoming an international pageant queen, even after a heartbreaking dubious loss at Miss World 2016. At the risk of another shameful loss, she joined Binibining Pilipinas. And handily won.
her pageant trajectory isn’t unique though. Some incredible crossovers from miss World defeats to miss Universe triumphs started with Lebanon’s Georgina Rizk (1971). Angela Visser (holland) was unplaced at miss World 1988; she won miss Universe in 1989. michelle mcLean (Namibia) was 4th runnerUp at miss World 1991; she was miss Universe 1992. Mpule Kwelagobe (Botswana) was unplaced at miss World 1997. She beat our miriam (supposedly Binibining Pilipinas World 1999) for the miss Universe 1999 title.
mcLean was crowned in Bangkok in 1992. She was one of the selection-committee members (or “judge,” in ancient times) this year, so shady fans were quick to note that she and Cat shared a pageant journey. Canada’s Natalie Glebova, crowned in Bangkok in 2005, was also a pageant repeater. She previously joined Miss Universe Canada 2004 and emerged third runner-up.
LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN
WHEN she teased before her departure to Bangkok that her national costume would be “Buong Pilipinas,” Cat wasn’t kidding one bit. “LuzViMinda: magdiwang. Lumaban. Pagyamanin” is an astonishing melding of ideas, design and execution (if cumbersome). The parol (Christmas lantern) had to be perched on a trolley which Cat had to drag on the carpeted stage, scoliosis be damned. But the sensational creation, by Jearson Demavivas (who also made the costumes for Binibining Pilipinas Grand International 2017 elizabeth Clenci), impressed cultural workers that it will be toured around the country.
ALL CATS ARE GRAY oN the catwalk at swimsuit preliminaries, Cat unleashed her slo-mo twirl Lava Walk. At the gown portion, she brandished the stupendous Ibong Adarna gown painstakingly created by the talented mak Tumang. Both performances sealed her frontrunner status. During the Top 10, however, Cat wore Tumang’s incendiary “mayon” dress, dropping the jaws of every beauty queen—from past Misses USA Shandi Finnessey, Susie Castillo, Deshauna Barber and olivia Jordan to miss Thailand Chalita Suansane and miss Canada Sierra Bearchell.
At Top 5 was where Cat separated herself from the pack. Flanked on both sides by miss Puerto rico Kiara Ortega, Miss Vietnam h’hen Niê, Miss South Africa Tamaryn Green and Miss Venezuela Sthefany Gutiérrez all wearing seemingly similar-toned gray/ silver/nude gowns, Cat easily stood out in her fiery, sparkling dress.
CAT PEOPLE
From her stint at Miss World 2016, Cat made friends with Miss Denmark helena heuser and Miss Sweden Emma Strandberg who both also competed in Bangkok. Her roommate, miss Indonesia Sonia Fergina Citra, will be a lifelong friend, too, as will future roommate in New York, miss USA Sarah rose Summers.
In a daring move that will have repercussions in the local pageant world, Cat didn’t train with any beauty camp. In preparing for the pageant, she instead enlisted the help of a battalion of creative, innovative and imaginative minds. Besides designers Demavivas and Tumang, Cat counts as her champions runway coach Carlos Buendia Jr.; managers Harley Tan and Erickson Raymundo; shoe designer Jojo Bragais; hairstylist Brent Sales; mentor Nicole Cordoves; stylists Justine Aliman, Vhee Co, Francis Chee and Patrick Henry; videographer Jojo Luarca; and makeup artist Jelly Eugenio.
‘THEY CALL HER THE CAT’
Two flags were raised at this year’s pageant: the Philippines’ and the Rainbow Flag, carried by the transgender Miss Spain Angela Ponce.
Cat is a staunch ally of the LGBTQ community, and she doesn’t tiptoe around the issue. She previously told me: “I think it’s so important to hear [the transgenders’] side, because if not, it’s all speculation: they must be like this, they must see things like this. To push those labels and to push those opinions on them without letting them speak, I think that’s the greatest injustice. That’s why Angela’s joining is a turning point because she’s being that figure for the LGBTQ community. She’s being a spokesperson for the transgenders to say that, ‘we deserve a place in society. This is our side. Please listen to us.’ Yeah, I think it’s wonderful that it has come up this year.” (By the way, the tag is an Elton John song about a sex change.)
CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF
INSTEAD of clapping as one country for Cat’s victory, some netizens were yapping about Cat’s reply to the final question, claiming she “romanticized” poverty. Not to put a dampener on the collective euphoria being felt all around, Cat’s favorite NGo Young Focus founders Paul and Ann Van wijgerden didn’t want to cause Cat undue worry and came to her defense.
Cat reposted this note from Bebo Bharwani, a board member of the NGO, on her Instagram: “Now, for those who may have jumped the gun, who may have not understood ‘the beauty in poverty’ idea from the final question—from what I’ve seen, and from the friends I’ve made who have devoted their lives in working to help the poor, they would say, ‘Absolutely 100 percent there is no beauty in poverty.’ As a matter of fact, when you do visit, you see the evil underbelly of a system [that] deliberately keeps things unequal.
“So the beauty Cat speaks of isn’t from a general point of view that romanticizes poverty. The beauty she speaks of comes from what she has discovered in the stories of the kids, the families and the people who have devoted their lives in serving others. They come from knowing actual names, hearing actual dreams. And her response has always been to cheer people on, and whenever she could, she would led her resources. She gave a voice to those we have long forgotten. we are so proud of her and the works she’s done.” YEAR OF THE CAT
Everyone agrees that Cat went over and beyond what was expected her. She was the most wellprepared, sparing no expense traveling the archipelago to film informative videos and to do research on her costumes, as well as her daily outfits throughout the competition. At 94 contenders, it was the toughest in years played out in the best edition in recent memory.
As Miss Universe, her plan is to continue her advocacies: “I would definitely love to expand the platform that I already have with regards to education. I work closely with an HIV/AIDS organization in the Philippines. It’s something that I feel very passionately about because a few years ago, I lost a good friend to health complications with HIV. So spreading awareness on that cause and encouraging people to take a simple test and knowing their status is one of my first projects that I want to pursue.”
“Other than that, [I want to talk] about education for young children in impoverished areas. There are so many children that don’t have access to quality education. So I would love to speak on that matter also. And, of course, I’m willing to lend my voice to any cause that may come in my way,” Cat said during her first press conference in Bangkok after winning. “I’ve been working with [Young Focus] for three years now even before I pursued pageants, so it really is in my heart. And I’m very proud if the judges saw that and that’s one of the reasons why I’m here.”