EXCLUSIVE: From Pageants To Pandemic—Ariella Arida On Beauty Queen Life And Embracing The New Normal
There are lessons that only competing for the crown can teach a girl—and they're with her for life, too
Happiness, love, and world peace—how many times have pageant audiences heard these words come from Miss Universe hopefuls when they're asked what it is they want the most from life?
Metro Chats on Kumu's FYE Channel guest Ariella "Ara" Arida, who was named Third Runner-up in the 2013 Miss Universe competition, suggests that this year, those words aren't just words at all, but weighty wishes that millions of people from all over have come to have. Pandemic life has reacquainted her with the basics of living, breaking down her biggest goals and replacing them with a renewed appreciation for the simple, but valuable, things in life.
She doesn't mind, though. Staying in Laguna and giving up city living months and months has shifted Ara's perspective.
In fact, she hopes that even when COVID-19 has come and gone and becomes but a lengthy anecdote in world history, society remembers all the ways the global health crisis has changed it for the better. Eating better, prioritizing emotional growth and other avenues for self-care, reconnecting with loved ones, caring for our surroundings, learning to get by with only what we needed instead of living in excess—they're lessons humankind is being taught the hard way today, but Metro Chats guest Ara keeps her fingers crossed that they'll stay on our minds for all time, even when we've regained our "old normal."
Interviewing Metro Chats guest Ariella Arida, we delve deep into her pandemic experiences, her recollections of her pageant journey, and how she shed beauty queen life to make room for the next chapter.
Check out the highlights of our conversation with Ara in the gallery below:
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Ara spent lockdown with her family in the province.
Ara was in Laguna for about four months at the height of quarantine. It wasn't all bad, as it was prime time to hang out with family (her mom and her grandma, specifically)! "I'm thankful that I didn't have that 'scare' of the lockdown in the province. It gave me that sense of normalcy; I can still go out within the vicinity... but since work is slowly restarting, I have to go back and forth between Laguna and Pasig," Ara says.
She discovered her love for cooking, and realized she has a green thumb, too!
She spent a ton of her time in the kitchen in the last few months, where she enjoyed experimenting with dishes she wouldn't have otherwise thought of exploring! She missed dining out, so she tried her best to recreate some of her favorite food at home, to serve on her own dining table. She also became a "plantita," she laughs, as many women (and men!) have. She took it a notch higher and started propagating plants (instead of just enjoying small potted low-maintenance greens) and she was in awe, and still is, of how much she enjoyed discovering her green thumb. As for her pets, she learned how to groom them herself, too! "Masaya 'yung mga discoveries at ikaw mismo na very hands-on with your surroundings," Ara smiles.
She has some pieces of advice for Miss Universe hopefuls.
Thinking about how pre-Miss Universe Philippines activities are in full swing this time of the year, this beauty queen shares her words of advice for Miss U hopefuls. "...You have to train by yourself, especially the Q&A part. You have to review on your own, the 'pasarela' also," Ara shares. When it was her turn to compete in 2013, she admits to watching Venus Raj, another former Miss U bet, and making her her ultimate inspiration. It's a different time now (i.e.: way more competitive!) from when she was on the Miss U stage, Ara says, so all the more that the girls this year have to step up their game. "Good luck to all the girls and i-enjoy nila 'yung moment," Ara says.
She used Mighty Bond for her ears back in her pageant days!
"There's a number of stories from that pageant journey," Ara shares, as she thinks back to what it was like for her to be competing for the crown seven years ago. There was that time her shoes' strap broke on coronation night, the fact that she used Mighty Bond for her ears (you read that right!) so they wouldn't stick out sideways and she would have a "better" profile, and how she had to break an earring that wouldn't undo itself just so she could change into her second look for the international Miss Universe competition in the nick of time. "The Mighty Bond worked. Hindi niya ako binigo," Ara jokes.
Pageantry was helpful in so many ways for Ara.
Overall, pageant life was worth it for Ara despite all the demands it places on you and the sacrifices the women who choose this path need to make. "Win or lose, the experience itself was very worth it. I learned a lot about myself... It tested me so much. It tested my core, the real me, who or what I prioritize in life - it made me realize those things," she reveals. Because of pageantry, she started from a "probinsyana" not used to glamor to an "artista" in the limelight. Now a host and actress, she draws from her experience as a beauty queen and tells herself that if she was able to make it to the Miss U stage knowing nothing, she too can overcome her doubts and hesitations about this career change.
There are simple joys she's grateful for while under quarantine.
There's a lot to miss this time, after spending most of 2020 in quarantine, but Ara finds gratefulness in the smaller, every day things - like enjoying smog-free air in the province that helped clear her skin (and having the time to religiously apply her skincare projects at night!), a daily routine that allows her to consistently workout, and exploring other modes of self-care. Yoga, meditation, and healthier eating, too, have helped her feel better about herself from the inside out.
She hasn't eaten pork and beef in almost two years!
For everyone hoping to cop Ara's approach to wellness, it's important to know that she's made a pretty big adjustment, diet-wise - she hasn't eaten pork and beef in almost two years. "Before that, I was doing a no-carbs diet pero ang hirap talaga... Why not bawasan [na lang] ang pork and beef," she shares. She eats all the pasta and rice she wants and doesn't worry about carb-caused weight gain, but cutting down on meat has helped her maintain her physique. (Chicken and fish are still on her diet, though!).
There are two places she wishes to visit soon.
Ara has really only literally been to two places for the longest time: Laguna and Pasig, her Metro Manila home. If she were to travel before the year ends, she's definitely heading to local destinations to help the tourism industry. Amanpulo in Palawan is top of mind, but if she were to go abroad, Japan is definitely it! "I miss going to the beach, sunbathing - very chill and may cocktail ka lang. Nakaka-miss!" she says.
"Realization" best describes Ara's 2020.
"Everybody wasn't prepared," she begins. "Even if you want to finish something, you have to stop and you have to pause. We all have no choice and be present at those moments and accept that this is happening! Once you stop and you realize a lot of things, all these years, your life pala is fast-paced at ang dami mong nate-take for granted," she adds. At the end of the day, she trained herself to feel gratefulness. The situation is something you can't fight, so she has stopped pushing against it and instead, is working with what she's given. Going back to basics is also something she's enjoying, like reconnecting with family, caring for health, and appreciating slowed down moments.
The pandemic helped make her see clearer the most valuable things in life.
"I hope that kahit na magka-vaccine and life will go back to normal... I hope that those basic things in life will still be with us and serve as a lesson to everybody," Ara says. It's the no. 1 lesson she learned as she spent months in the province; urbanization and modernization have removed people from the things that matter most (or should matter most) in life, and she wishes that in the future, we could have the best of both worlds. That we can enjoy 21st century living but also never forget what this time in history has taught us about our priorities and learning to value that which deserves to be valued over superficial, fleeting things.
All Ara wants for 2021 is a COVID-free life.
Looking towards the year ahead that's just two months away, all Ara wants is a COVID-free life. "As simple as that. It's so hard for me to think of anything [else]," she smiles. She's tired of having to be extra-conscious of her health, added routines, and the literal and figurative distance the pandemic has put between people. Even within her own home, she couldn't physically be around her loved ones as much as she wanted to, given that she would sometimes go out and she lived with several senior citizens under the same roof.
She's simply grateful for the gift of being alive and safe during this time.
There's no denying that this year has taught us to "survive" and re-learn all these basic things people need to get by. Ara doesn't mind, though, because she acknowledges the importance of knowing how to live a simple life despite all the comforts and conveniences of modern society. Right now, she's thankful for the gifts of being alive, the safety of her family, and for work slowly and steadily picking up again.
Catch fresh episodes of Metro Chats on Kumu's FYE Channel every Thursday evening.
Photos from @araarida
