Pasarela. Catwalk. Runway. For someone who has been in the spotlight since winning the Miss Universe crown, these words are all too familiar to ignore. But what happens when suddenly, the world of entertainment, beauty, and fashion slows down due a pandemic? In this interview, Pia Wurtzbach shares how she’s sashaying through life during this challenging time.
How’s life going for you during the pandemic?
There’s been a lot of changes, just like everybody else! Nonetheless, I really am thankful because I still get to work and do things I want to do despite the challenges brought by COVID-19. Some things could be better, that’s for sure but so far, it’s been quite good.
One of the things I keep telling myself and even the people around me: you’re not the only one slowing down, everyone is! In fact, the whole world is – everything is. There’s no need to feel bad. I’m taking the opportunity to use the ‘pause’ as a chance to look a]er myself and learn new things.
What’s keeping you busy these days and what we should look forward to?
During the earlier days of the lockdown, I felt a little uneasy because I wasn’t used to slow and quiet days. Now, everything seems to be back to normal – at least for me. As always, I’ve been busy with work. In terms of my advocacies, I’ve been doing some speaking engagements. I’ve been working on educating myself more too. Spending more time at home, I got the chance to dabble into the online scene.
I’ve been working on a podcast where I take off the beauty queen hat and talk about the highs, lows and in-betweens of being a woman. It’s called “Between Us Queens”. That’s something I’ve been proud of and I’m very excited about!
With that, how does it feel to be a modern woman of today?
Empowering but also humbling. I guess these are the two things that came to mind with this question.
It’s empowering because in the last decade, we did see a lot of movements with the goal of creating a safer space for women. I’d like to believe that many of us get to experience the positive impact those efforts brought. For sure, the naysayers are always going to be there but generally speaking, we’re more free to dress the way we want to. There are more opportunities for us to be heard. We’re getting closer and closer to equal opportunities.
On the other hand, it is also humbling because I know that the women who came before me had to crawl so that we could walk. That applies to almost every endeavor you could think of: work, pageantry, life in general. Being where I am, I feel strongly that the way I live my life, the battles I choose to stand up for, if I do my best and do it right, I’m paving the way for the women who will come after me. That’s really the goal. In any way I can, I want to open doors for others, the same way doors were opened for me.
“Hiraya” means fruit of one’s hopes, dreams, and aspirations. What do you still hope for, dream of, and aspire to become?
Personally, I feel like I’ve come a long way but there is still so much work that needs to be done!
I’ve shared this before – when I was younger, I saw the crown as something that symbolized glitz and glamour. And after that, I realized, what truly made both the crown and the
title prestigious were the opportunities they came with it. By opportunities – I mean being handed the chance to be at the forefront of today’s most pressing issues.
It’s amazing how my dream of becoming a beauty queen led me to what I think is my higher purpose. Especially with the sudden pause brought about by the pandemic, it really made me think. I hope to be more involved with community development. I hope that in the coming years, I get to see progress in all the causes I’m pursuing. On top of that, I just really aspire to be as close as I can be to the best version of myself.
It is true what they say that hard times build one’s character. “Queen P” has already proven that with her life story prior to her reign as the Miss Universe, and she still continues to do so. Despite the pandemic, her star just keeps shining brighter – not only for herself, but for others too. And no matter what the platform is, she won’t simply tiptoe on it. Pia Wurtzbach will surely be promenading gracefully as she always does, like the royalty that she is.
Photo Credit: Filbert Kung
