“For all we know, that’s part of the gimmick,” reacted some beauty pageant observers when Mariel de Leon, Binibining Pilipinas-International 2017, reacted on Catriona Gray’s manner of expressing herself.
It all started during a panel when De Leon asked Binibining Pilipinas candidates questions about public speaking and self-expression.
To paraphrase Mariel’s reaction on Catriona’s self-expression,”I really love your confidence and the way you speak, but sometimes it seems just a tiny bit scripted.”
Upon hearing the feedback, Catriona neither displayed lost of composure nor nervousness. As a result, Catriona’s rabid supporters took to social media to defend their candidate.
The issue became viral and all Mariel did was defend herself and her point, and made it clear that she was not being personal to Catriona, who like her, belongs to the same company that trains beauty queens.
We believed and saluted her, because in all these hulabaloos, Catriona has more to gain as she is indeed the most consistent and the most feared candidate in this year’s search.
Besides, as what we all have witnessed, she seemed not affected by what De Leon said.
She is employing a strategy that is way beyond local pageant’s style. And that’s another winnable game plan, isn’t it?
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If we were to be asked about the controversial social media reactions on the photo shoot Billy Crawford and Coleen Garcia did in Ethiopia, we would easily say that it attained its objective of truly promoting the place.
As what the soon-to-be husband and wife related, they were commissioned by an Ethiopian airline to serve as models in their advocacy of helping Ethiopia’s tourism, it, being among the country’s major economy sources.
Given the kind of reactions the netizens created and with the counter-reaction expressed by Billy on what the social media world called them as racists and users, no one could ever deny the fact that Ethiopia has gained more popularity.
Yes, there may be issues on cultural appropriation, creative and artsy pre-nup shoot, cultural sensitivity and the likes, but still, with what Billy and Coleen did as “work,” for the Ethiopian airline, the campaign has gained more awareness.
Now, who would disagree that the couple has never been very effective endorsers of the campaign?
Aside from the freebies the two got from doing such a job for the airline company, there’s monetary gain regarded as a wonderful and glorious advance wedding present for them.
Who are the winners now? Not the netizens for sure hahaha!
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Still on the Binibining Pilipinas, Michelle Gumabao, another heavy favorite, was reported to have been disqualified.
This is because of the nude pictorial she did in the past when she was among the most beautiful and most sought after volleyball superstars in the country.
But it was proven not to be true and some quarters called it as part of a smear campaign for Michelle to lose her confidence and be affected by such tasteless rumor.
Though she had admitted to have done the pictorial, neither her body nor any part of it had been exposed as spilling waters was made the major part of it all, compensating with her beautiful face as the main theme of the shoot.
The Binibining Pilipinas Charities executives found it too shallow for them to even entertain such an item thus, putting an end to Michelle’s detractors’ wish for the candidate to back out or lose hope.
This Sunday, the grand coronation night will be happening and this piece firmly believes that both Catriona and Michelle, candidates #20 and #19, respectively, are a sure shoo-in to two of the major international titles at stake.
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