Wishing to become a beauty queen? Find out if you have what it takes according to these reputable pageant coaches.
A few years ago, three Filipina beauty queens won international titles in the top three most prestigious pageants—we had the nations, the world, and the universe. While we’re not setting aside the efforts these queens exerted, their wins were also because of a team of pageant coaches under Jonas Gaffud or Mama J, as his trainees like to call him. Shortly after, he published a book titled The Crown: Your Essential Guide to Becoming a Beauty Queen. Here, many aspiring queens learned much of what they needed to know to get that crown.
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This era of Philippine pageantry gave birth to a new breed of aspiring queens. And now more than ever, the stakes for the crown are higher. The game has changed, and so have some of the requirements in becoming a beauty queen.
That’s why we’ve consulted with two individuals who have been helping Filipina beauty queens with their journey. We spoke to celebrity makeup artist and beauty queen mentor Guilly Valenzuela, and we also got some insider information from Jonathan Santos of The Qrown Philippines, an online news account for all things pageantry.
Here’s what they’re looking for in a beauty queen.
Heart and passion
“A queen must have heart and passion because [pageantry] requires a lot of energy and time. Whenever there are situations that are hard, her commitment and service to the people is her number one priority above all. Also, if you look deeper into the meaning of the job, it is not just superficial. The kind of service she does is to inspire people and to move forward despite all the hardships in life,” said Guilly.
Intelligence
According to Jonathan, “Intelligence [is important] because you need to be well-versed and well-spoken on a multitude of topics.”
Feistiness
Guilly shared that being a delicate and demure queen isn’t necessary. “Having angst and energy is also a key. She should have an energy that could attract people towards her. You have to stand your ground and be firm. Not everyone will be kind and good. Pageants are still a game, and you should know how to play it.”
Showmanship
For Jonathan, every aspiring queen should be ready to do everything they can on each stage. “You have to be a performer since pageants are still a show. So, you need to give the kind of energy that these events require.”
Relatability
Guilly also added the significance of relatability. “Being relatable with people is really important because they need to see that you’re still human just like them. Everyone has gone through a lot of problems, especially after the pandemic. So, being a queen that is relatable and knowing that these queens went through the same experience brings story and mystery to them.”
