Beatrice Luigi Gomez wins Miss Universe Philippines 2021

On September 30, the Philippines conducted their Miss Universe Philippines 2021 competition and crowned Cebu City’s candidate, Beatrice Luigi Gomez, as Miss Philippines. Two major news headlines regarding the event are worth noting.

First, COVID was still very present and greatly influenced the event. The Philippines has seen 2.5 M COVID cases since the outbreak. Thus, the preliminary Miss Universe process was largely online for the candidates, according to Rappler. Initial visual presentations and judging were conducted through virtual headshots and swimsuit pictures, which were all online/through social media. In addition, contestants conducted virtual introductions and virtual interviews. After the Top 30 were picked, contestants needed to travel to Clark, Pampangga to stay in a lock-in bubble for pre-pageant activities. However, one candidate, Ybonne Ortega, from Davao City withdrew because she contracted COVID and was not able to enter the bubble.

Next, the biggest news regarding the pageant was that she was the first openly-queer Miss Universe Philippines winner. During her opening statement for the competition, she even talked about how she exercises regularly with her girlfriend of 7 years, Kate. This was a revolutionary win for the LGBTQ+ community in the very Catholic nation, though some claim that queer folks in the Philippines are generally tolerated in the Philippines. However, one can enter into a conundrum with this “win” because though it should be celebrated, one must be aware that the Miss Universe pageant in the Philippines and many other beauty pageants, do not allow transgender women to participate, and also further Eurocentric standards of beauty… It is noteworthy that there are various “Miss Gay” contests, that some Filipinxs believe are reserved for the trans community, where they can thrive. Some say and hope that Beatrice’s win is the stepping stone to transformations of the heterosexual norms, and hopefully gender norms, of such pageants.

Sources:

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1908907/Cebu/Local-News/Cebu-Citys-Be…

https://www.cnn.ph/lifestyle/2021/10/1/Miss-Universe-Philippines-2021-Be…

https://covid19.who.int/region/wpro/country/ph

https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/pageants/timeline-top-candidates-a…

https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2021/09/21/2128661/davao-bet-exit…