The prevailing beauty standards in the country were challenged and ultimately shattered at the 2024 Miss Universe Philippines pageant, which took all of five hours at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City and ended early morning of May 23.

Chelsea Manalo, a 24-year-old model from Bulacan, bested 52 other aspirants to inherit the national title from Michelle Dee, and to become the first Filipino woman of African American descent to represent the Philippines at the Miss Universe pageant. The global tilt will be held in Mexico later this year.

During the final round, Manalo was asked how she could use her beauty and confidence to empower others. She said: “I have faced challenges in my life. I was told that beauty has standard[s}. But … I have [always listened] to my mother, to always believe in yourself, uphold the values that you have in yourself. Because of these, I am already influencing a lot of women who are facing me right now.”

The tourism management graduate of De La Salle Araneta University in Malabon City did not only challenge the standard on the color of one’s skin in a society where whitening products and services are a multi-million-peso industry, she also showed that pageantry is not only for tall women. She stands 5”6. 

First runner-up Stacey Gabriel from Cainta, Rizal, also tackled the matter in her final answer. “I’ve been told too many times that I’m too short to join a beauty pageant,” Gabriel said. “But now, I realize that pageants are a representation, a reflection of [a] nation. And tonight, I am representing not only myself, but [also] every Filipino woman who sees themselves in me. I hope to inspire every Filipina that just like the universe, we, too, are limitless.” 

Another candidate of African American descent went home with a national title when the pageant’s sister search, The Miss Philippines, awarded four more crowns after the main program had ended. Biracial national athlete Alexie Mae Brooks from Iloilo City, who finished in the Top 10 of the Miss Universe Philippines pageant, was crowned Miss Eco International Philippines and will represent the country in the Miss Eco International contest in 2025.

Two international pageant veterans will get to see action in the global arena again. Ahtisa Manalo of Quezon province will compete in the inaugural Miss Cosmo pageant in October, and Cyrille Payumo of Pampanga will join the third Miss Charm contest next year.

Ahtisa Manalo, Miss Universe Philippines second runner-up, was first runner-up in the 2018 Miss International pageant in Japan, while Payumo, who finished among the Top 10 of the recent national pageant, was crowned Miss Tourism International in Malaysia in 2019.

Miss Universe Philippines third runner-up Tarah Valencia from Baguio City received the Miss Supranational Philippines title, and will represent the country in the Miss Supranational pageant next year. Her national predecessor, Alethea Ambrosio, is set to compete in the global tilt in Poland this July.

With mothers now allowed to join the competition since last year, the recent edition of the national pageant welcomed more such candidates. There were five of them in the 2024 Miss Universe Philippines pageant—Johanna Puyod Yulo from Davao Region, Elle Hollman from Mariveles, Selena Antonio-Reyes from Pasig City, Stephanie Faye Gerona from Quirino, and Denise Nicole Yujuico from the Filipino community in Virginia in the United States.

Ageism in pageantry also fell by the wayside, with several women in their 30s competing, including fourth runner-up Christi McGarry from Taguig City and Top 10 finisher Kris Tiffany Janson from Cebu. Both runners-up in the Miss Intercontinental pageant, they are both 34 years old. Yulo and Reyes are 39 and 38, respectively.

Two candidates are engaged in male-dominated pursuits. Mary Rose Guiral from Naic, Cavite, holds a certificate as a welder, and Kim Irish Placibe from Toledo City in Cebu studied as a plumber in school.

The Miss Universe Philippines pageant, established in 2020, is the standalone national search that chooses the country’s delegates to the Miss Universe competition. As such, it follows the rules laid down by the international organization. The global tilt has been accepting married women and those who have borne children since last year. And starting in this year’s contest, the maximum age restriction has been lifted.