Will Michelle Dee be crowned Miss Universe today?
MANILA, Philippines — Today, all eyes are on Michelle Marquez Dee, the country’s bet for this year’s Miss Universe in El Salvador. She and 83 other fellow beauties are vying for the crown and aspiring to be the successor of R’Bonney Gabriel of USA.
The local broadcast starts at 9 a.m. on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, Metro Channel and iWantTFC.
Michelle is on a mission to regain the Philippines’ semi-finalist placement and win its fifth crown.
From the time the country sent its first-ever delegate to Miss U in the person of Teresita Sanchez back in 1952, it has produced 22 semi-finalists, finalists and runners-up, and four winners (Gloria Diaz in 1969; Margie Moran, 1973; Pia Wurtzbach, 2015; and Catriona Gray, 2018).
From history books, one can glean that the archipelago has been described as “Pearl of the Orient Seas,” “Pearl of the Orient,” and “Las Islas Filipinas.” These terms can be attributed to a Spanish Jesuit missionary, a Filipino reformist, and a Spanish explorer, respectively.
It’s nice and refreshing that Michelle used “Filipinas” instead of the usual “Philippines” in her introduction during the Miss Universe rehearsal and the pageant’s preliminary competition.
It seemed that she was making a lookback at the past and at the same time acknowledging the Hispanic heritage and language Filipinos and Salvadorans share.
Speaking of the preliminary round which consisted of swimsuit and evening gown, Michelle made an impressive performance.
She wore a fiery metallic red one-piece swimsuit and exuded confidence. Her short hair and a pair of round silver earrings completed the look. She was fierce, powerful, and playful. Michelle had fun strutting on stage, reminiscent of the vibe and presence of mom Melanie Marquez, 1979 Miss International, when the latter joined the 1986 edition of Supermodel of the World, specifically the swimsuit segment. Melanie was a finalist and winner of the Clairol award.
Michelle showed how fit and healthy she is.
From the color of red, the Philippine delegate chose green, particularly emerald, for her evening gown. She was wearing Mark Bumgarner. She entered the runway with a smile and turned pensive making slow, elegant and regal strides.
Michelle stopped in the middle, quickly turned back to perhaps highlight the gown’s back details, and faced the audience with a smile and that “snake” pose. She glided with no signs of jitter but only a sense of calmness.
The color green is also her way of paying homage to mom Melanie’s evening gown at the Miss International, and it is believed to be their lucky color. When cousin Winwyn Marquez won the first Reina Hispanoamericana title for the country in 2017, she wore an emerald green ensemble.
In both rounds, Michelle highlighted her Oriental-Asian beauty.
Prior to the prelims, the closed-door interview was held in two separate sessions. Here, the selection committee had a chance to learn more about the contestants, from their personality, life stories, and advocacies. The lady’s communication skills should come in handy in this segment, and she should show her authentic self. Michelle could easily ace this round.
Well, it’s a given that all the delegates are beautiful, but a Miss Universe frontrunner should possess a pleasant and powerful presence and personality. She is comfortable with her skin and agile. This woman has the skills to communicate her ideas and should be knowledgeable about the issues of the day. She has the heart to make a difference in the lives of others. For a frontrunner to become Miss Universe for a year, she has a clear vision of herself as an agent of change.
Michelle’s advocacy focuses on autism acceptance, inclusivity and empowerment. She also has an interest in other causes that concern mental health, LGBTQIA+ community, and women empowerment. Her efforts on her primary advocacy are showcased in the pageant’s Voice for Change.
Before the preliminary round was concluded, Michelle was announced as one of the 10 Silver finalists for the Voice of Change. Miss Universe recognizes her own brand of transformational leadership.
At a certain point of the Miss U finals today, three Gold winners will be chosen from the group.
Putting aside the fact that a typical Filipino pageant enthusiast like me is rooting for Michelle, I think she belongs to that group of candidates who have what it takes to be Miss Universe and to advance to the crucial Top 20 round.
This is the part that will usher them to participate in the swimsuit competition. From there, only 10 will move on to the evening gown segment. The number will be narrowed down to five. And the clincher is the question-and-answer portion, which determines the Top 3. The latter will go through another Q&A. From there, they will be ranked as second and first runners-up and the new Miss Universe.
In this competition of pulchritude, personality, brains, and advocacy, the cliché “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” remains true, but destiny is a game changer, as in who among them is destined to show that winning glow — or the queenly aura — today and from start to finish.
Having said all that, Michelle Dee is ready to represent the Philippines at the 72nd Miss Universe finals and to vie for the Force for Good crown.
- Latest
- Trending
