“It is not easy to be a beauty queen.”

“Beauty pageants are contests exclusively for tall, pretty, sexy and confident girls who care too much about what other people might say. Hence, they always try to act with poise and grace, look good, and speak with substance.” - This was my pathetic stereotype of a beauty pageant. I always thought that winning the crown of beauty meant that I could never be myself since I had to act perfectly at all times. I thought it was only about impressing the crowd and being popular. However, after I had decided to join Miss Teen Philippines 2004 (MTP) all my negative thoughts on beauty pageants changed.

Miss Teen Philippines proved my stereotypes on pageants wrong. It made me realize that without the sincere passion to inspire people by making a difference, it would be a burden to handle the pressure of people’s expectations of beauty queens. It also helped me discover that pageants are not just about physical beauty and confidence, but also about being sensitive towards people and things around me. This discovery inspired me to promote advocacies such as education, tourism, environment and youth-related issues. This inspiration helped me achieve my dream of becoming an effective role model.

The activities of Miss Teen Philippines improved my personality and communication skills, while having fun. These activities gave me numerous opportunities to talk about my thoughts on different topics that affect the youth, such as the importance of character and values. Sharing my time with others made me appreciate the beauty of camaraderie and service. I discovered that beauty pageants are indeed prestigious, advantageous and productive.

Winning the crown of Miss Teen Philippines served as a learning experience that enabled me to strive for perfection. It made me realize that my outlook on things is important for it could either make or break me. This is the uniqueness of Miss Teen Philippines. –It makes young ladies blossom into beautiful women; inspire teen girls to influence people by setting themselves as role models and strive to bring out the best out of the young generation. Most importantly, it made me define beauty as a positive attitude, an uplifting emotion and a life changing experience.