Chelsea Manalo on the Beauty Queens She Looks Up To

The reigning Miss Universe Philippines Chelsea Manalo is definitely one to watch out for. But in a world where her own novel influence is brewing, one would wonder whom she is influenced by. How exactly did she get into pageants? 

She recounts the story of how she got started in an interview with Metro.Style, citing her mom’s love for watching pageants as the initial influence. But was it something she wanted right away, even as a little girl? “Parang nu'ng bata ako, hindi naman ako interested that much,” she says.

It all changed though when she saw Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2010 Venus Raj onstage. Seeing Venus, who was 4th Runner-Up in Miss Universe 2010, sparked her interest, as it gave her a beauty queen role model she can resonate with. “Because of her beauty and unique color,” she says. “I could relate to [her] when I was a little girl.” 

From then on, she joined the many Filipinos who looked forward to pageants every year. The dream inside her started to build with every show that she watched alongside her family. Balancing pageantry and her education was not an easy feat. Chelsea’s first ever national pageant was Miss World in 2017, where she was still a 17-year-old who was still prioritizing school. It was only when she finished college that she ultimately decided to dust off the beauty queen dream that lived inside her. 

Of course, it’s hard to think of a local beauty queen who wouldn’t look up to Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach. Chelsea says that she has always admired Pia, who even beyond her reign has managed to wear many hats—all while maintaining her status as a role model for the youth. “She's not just a beauty queen. She is so many things,” she gushes. “She's an entrepreneur. She's even an author. So I really do adore her for that.”

It was also Pia’s undeniable determination that also inspired Chelsea. By sticking to her dream and not changing it for anything else, the former Miss Universe cemented herself as one of those who Chelsea truly admires. 

Chelsea is glad to have met and even have a conversation with Pia. The reigning queen says that even simply talking to Pia was fascinating. “She's so humble and she's so kind at the same time,” shares Chelsea. 

With such inspiring role models, it’s no wonder that Chelsea Manalo manages to carve her own influential path as a beauty queen. 

Text by Tim Marasigan

Lead photo by Dookie Ducay