Catriona Gray from Philippine has been crowned as Miss Universe 2018 in Bangkok. She defeated 93 other contestants from different countries to win the competition.
Ms. Gray dazzled in a red dress. According to her, the dress was inspired by a Philippine volcano. The crowd roared as she was announced as the winner and were apparently delighted. Gray was quite a favorite all through the night.
While expressing her joy, the 24 years old model said, “when I was 13 my mom said she had a dream that I would win Miss Universe in a red dress”.
She explained that her victory brought her mother to tears when she eventually had the chance to see her.
Runners-up in the competition are Tamryn Green, Miss South Africa, and Sthefany Gutierrez, Miss Venezuela.
Before now, beauty pageants have been a big deal in the Philippines and Gray’s emergence as the 67th Miss Universe immediately sparked celebrations
In the Philippines, pageants are a popular attraction, and Ms. Gray’s victory sparked celebrations across the country.
In fact, the Philippine president, through his spokesperson, said: “Ms. Gray truly made the entire Philippines proud when she sashayed on the global stage and showcased the genuine qualities defining a Filipina beauty: confidence, grace, intelligence and strength in the face of tough challenges.
“In her success, Miss Philippines has shown to the world that women in our country have the ability to turn dreams into reality through passion, diligence, determination and hard work.”
While sharing her story, Gray mentioned the nature of her job in low-income areas of in Philippine. She said she makes sure that she “finds beauty” in deserted places. She then explained how she would use her position as Miss Universe.
Gray said, “I think if I could teach also people to be grateful we could have a great world where negative would not foster and children would have a smile on their face.”
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