Lorraine Hann: Pageant cynic discovers there's more to the glamour

CEBU, Philippines —  “Laban lang,” was what Lorraine Hann told the hosts of the Miss Mandaue 2019 coronation night when asked how she was feeling before the announcement of the eight semi-finalists. Turns out the simple expression, which gets thrown around easily these days as a nudge of encouragement, meant much more to Lorraine than she let on. Because of her fighting spirit, Lorraine later on brought home the Miss Mandaue 2019 crown.

Known as the Miss Mandaue Golden Queen for winning in the pageant’s 50th edition, Lorraine knows a thing or two about golden standards. Apart from her achievements in pageantry, the 18-year-old Filipina-American has been an athlete for most her life. After moving to Cebu from Michigan in the United States at five years old, she was introduced to swimming a couple of years later.

“Sport was my life,” Lorraine told The FREEMAN. “I love how competitive it is. It’s not exactly a team sport. I’m the type of person who likes to do things on my own and discover things by myself. Swimming gives me that alone time to focus on myself.”

At 12, Lorraine started becoming passionate with competitive swimming. She and her younger brother enjoy the sport, much to the delight of their swimmer father, Steve. While she was enrolled in ballet and violin classes, she enjoyed swimming the most.

Lorraine has won gold at the 2018 Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) meet, and bronze in the 2018 Palarong Pambansa. At the moment, she is planning to focus on triathlon.

Eventually, a new path was paved for her when her mother Em-Em “forced” Lorraine into pageantry. At the time, she did not look forward to the experience. She also didn’t have as much confidence back as she does now. But after winning Miss Consolacion 2017, she saw another side of pageants apart from the glamour.

“Pageants really influence people. It’s a performance and I realized that I have so much to offer. I’m one of the people who used to look down on pageantry, but I realized that it’s more than just pretty faces and being the smartest person,” she said.

Counting beauty queens as among her friends, Lorraine shared how fascinated she was upon hearing of them helping a community thru projects and advocating for certain causes.

“I love how much pageantry inspires people, even touch lives. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. My favorite part would have to be offstage – without the make-up and six-inch heels. It’s really all about living out your advocacy,” she explained. “What makes Miss Mandaue special is that the advocacy is the most important thing. My favorite part is that I get to help people and that gives me fulfillment and purpose.”

Lorraine was first met with discouragement, with much of the negative comments pointing for her athletic physique. People would tell Lorraine that with her broad shoulders and small hips, she didn’t have a body fit for a beauty queen, and that she was only going to make it in modeling. She proved naysayers wrong by winning Miss Governor’s Cup 2018, Miss CESAFI 2018, and eventually, Miss Mandaue 2019.

For the Miss Mandaue competition, Lorraine shared how her confidence seemed to ebb as the weeks went by. While co-candidates came to rehearsals as if it were pageant night, Lorraine constantly questioned if she was cut out for the tilt. Aside from making sure that she kept her winning streak, it didn’t help that Lorraine ended up becoming candidate number one – always the first once to charge into battle.

“Miss Mandaue was a struggle because I had to keep the standard. So I had to fix everything, the total package: my walk, my answers. Having zero special awards, that got to me. People were saying that it’s nothing but to me, it means a lot. Because that’s where I stood out in my previous pageants and it always predicted that the girls who are hakot awards always end up on top.”

Lorraine described her Miss Mandaue win as an unexpected plot twist. She thanks her handler, Rabie Ian Pogoy of Shutter Model Management, and everyone who supported her.

“Laban lang – there’s a reason behind that. Every time I’m feeling down or when I’m backstage and I feel like giving up, Rabie is always there to tell me ‘Laban lang, fight harder.’ It’s something I always listen to more or less on a daily basis. It’s the little things that matter.”

Personality – that’s what Lorraine says is her strongest suit.

“Personality is something that’s hard for the judges to capture on stage. All they see are beautiful, charming, witty girls. It really comes down to how genuine you are. To who is most genuine, most real and effortless,” she pointed out. “I think I stand out because most of the things that I do aren’t planned.”

Lorraine revealed that she and her court will continue with the Green Wave, a waste management drive organized by her predecessor, Miss Mandaue 2018 Gabriella Carballo. Along with her first runner-up Amanda Basnillo and second runner-up Jesselle Saniel, she also plans wants to pursue her advocacy on youth education via tutorials sessions for underprivileged kids where they will be taught reading, writing, and basic math, to be followed by a feeding program.

Aside from wanting to be remembered as a beauty queen-athlete, Lorraine just wants to be known for her sincerity.

“Beauty queens work really hard on their walk, their performance, everything has to be perfect.  But for me, I think what sets me apart is that I’m genuine. And I’m happy with what I’m doing.”

When school opens, Lorraine, who finished high school at Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, will be a freshman Physical Therapy student at Cebu Doctors’ University. In the future, she looks forward to treating injured athletes and helping them recover. She sees herself joining Binibining Pilipinas, but would like to focus on her studies first.

“Never give up. I know that’s cliché,” Lorraine reminds her peers. “Once you set your mind on something and there are challenges on the way and you think you can’t do it anymore… If you want something, you’ll go all the way to get it. I know it’s a cliché advice but never giving up is something that has brought me to where I am