Michelle Dee. Image: Dennis Sulit via Instagram/@michelledee Being “unapologetically authentic” is what Michelle Dee held close to her heart throughout her reign as Miss Universe Philippines 2023. The moment Dee was named Miss Universe Philippines 2023, she vowed to celebrate her authentic self until her final chapter.
This was evident in her many pursuits, such as promoting autism awareness and inclusivity, actively promoting advocacies close to her heart, being firm about her coming out story, and donning ensembles different from the usual beauty queen. “In the first two pageants that I joined — of course — I was trying to shine as my own woman. But I was still trying to conform to what I believe the stereotype of a beauty queen is — especially what a Filipina beauty queen is,” recalled Dee when asked by INQUIRER.
net how she viewed herself from her Miss World Philippines to her Miss Universe Philippines reign. Dee was named Miss World Philippines and ended her Miss World journey in the Top 12 in 2019. “This year I said, I’m going to be unapologetically authentic because this is the person I’m also celebrating,” she said.
“I embraced my uniqueness and story, and I made sure to take everybody along the journey with me so we can experience the Miss Universe journey with me.” Touching on her milestones as the reigning queen, Dee said she’s happy that being firm with her true self worked wonders. “I am the most authentic version of myself compared t.