Bulacan native and Filipino American Chelsea Anne Manalo walked down the runway as the new Miss Universe Philippines 2024 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena Wednesday.
She started pursuing a career in modeling at age 14 and will now represent the Philippines on the global stage at the 73rd Miss Universe pageant that will be held in Mexico.
Mail Standard reports Manalo is the first Filipino and Black contestant to win the crown.
For the final round of the Q and A segment, Manalo elaborated on how she wants to use her beauty and confidence to inspire others.
“As a woman of color, I have always faced challenges in my life. I was told that beauty is… has standards, actually. But for me, I have listened to always believe in my mother, to always believe in yourself, uphold the vows that you have,” Manalo said.
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She shared that she has been facing a lot of challenges in her life but always knew to count on her mother for advice and words of inspiration.
Manalo lost her father when she was very young and she was raised by her mother.
Some of these challenges she struggled with were racism and her physical appearance. She is an advocate of body positivity and has joined the Kids for Kids organization to form safe areas for kids in remote places.
She was always told to “uphold the values you have in yourself” and because of that she is “already influencing a lot of women” who are facing her right now. She further discusses that as a transformational woman, she has 52 other delegates who have helped her become the woman she is.
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