When statuesque stunner Michelle Dee competes in Miss Universe 2023 in El Salvador, she will have in the crowd her "lucky charm" and her No. 1 fan, no other than her mother, Miss International 1979 Melanie Marquez.
During her send-off media conference last Thursday, Oct. 26, the reigning Miss Universe Philippines gave the crowd an idea of how it is to have an iconic beauty queen-mom. When asked if Melanie is a stage mother, Michelle quipped: "She's a super stage mom. Siya pa yung unang makikipag-away pag hindi niya gusto ang kinalabasan." (She will be the first one to be at loggerheads with you if she does not like the final outcome)
However, Michelle countered that Melanie is "super loving and supportive. She is my greatest fan and also my biggest critic. I know that she will be very proud of me whatever happens."
Michelle revealed that her decision to enter the world of beauty pageants wasn't solely driven by the desire to wear a crown and sash; it was rooted in her commitment to making a difference, just like her legendary mother did.
"Ever since I was young, she was already molding me to have the proper mindset, and when I say molding me, she never forced me to go into pageantry. She never forced me to get into show business. But as a young girl, I saw how she used her platform to really give back, to really walk the talk. We all know that she's very iconic and uses that influence to instill amazing positive change. That's why I was involved with charities at such a young age," the Kapuso artist revealed.
Michelle is riding high on advocacy of autism awareness when she competes in Miss Universe 2023 since two of her brothers, Mazenne and Adam, are on the autism spectrum. She has also been appointed the goodwill ambassador of Autism Society Philippines. Her other causes are empowerment and promoting inclusivity for LGBTQIA members, " where I belong to."
Aside from Melanie, other family members who will personally cheer Michelle's quest for the crown are her sister Maxine, her stepfather, and her half-brother Abraham. Michelle said some of her close friends will fly into faraway El Salvador, which is located in Central America. Among them are actress Rhian Ramos and fellow beauty queens Sam Panlilio and Maureen Montagne. Officers of the Miss Universe Philippines organization will also be present.
The 28-year-old beauty noted, "It takes a village to raise a queen." During the send-off event organized by Sparkle GMA Artist Center and MUPH at Novotel Hotel in Araneta City, she thanked everyone who was part of her pageant journey. Michelle mentioned her designer, Mark Bumgarner, pageant mentor Jonas Gaffud of MUPH, the trainers, pasarela coaches, stylists, members of her Q&A team, make-up artists, and other support staff.
As her departure date approaches, Michelle is meticulous in her preparations. She admitted that she is OCD (obsessive-compulsive) in this aspect. "I want to take charge of every aspect of my competition — from the smallest detail to the biggest requirement. So, what's running in my head right now is to make sure that I am 200 percent prepared when I arrive in El Salvador."
"I will be coming there ready, empowered, full of love and gratitude, and I hope to be the best representative of the Philippines for Miss Universe," she stressed.
Born-ready for Miss Universe
Michelle’s pageantry journey can be dubbed stellar and exemplary, having been crowned Miss World Philippines 2019 and Miss Universe Philippines Tourism 2022. Months of training has finally landed her the Miss Universe Philippines 2023 title.
As she gracefully competes for the Miss Universe Philippines crown, Michelle juggled her responsibilities at home and work being a homegrown talent of Sparkle GMA Artist Center.
Michelle’s unending grind for the Miss Universe crown can be traced to her advocacy for mental health, specifically autism awareness. Autism acceptance, inclusivity, and empowerment have been at the forefront of her campaign since the beginning.
In one of her former interviews, Michelle even admitted that she pushed to join this year’s Miss Universe Philippines competition because of the pageantry’s genuine focus on advocacy.
In her way, Michelle is making strides in pageantry and mental health as she continuously expands her platform and inspires others to become advocates as well.
Michelle cements her stance as one of the most progressive beauty queens of her time as she breaks down stereotypes surrounding the pageantry. She’s got beauty, brains, wits, and a keen sense of high fashion that easily puts her at the top.
As she competes for the Miss Universe crown in El Salvador, Michelle represents the entire country of the Philippines and, hopefully, will bring home the 5th crown.
In support of her pageantry endeavors, GMA Network Inc. and Sparkle GMA Artist Center proudly mounted a media conference for Michelle Marquez Dee to bring her closer to our friends from the press and allow her to take control of her narrative.
Apart from this media conference, Sparkle also organized a photo shoot with the beauty queen as an extension of their support. Last Tuesday, Oct. 24, they also gathered Michelle’s entire Sparkle family and her friends in a special send-off party to properly bid their temporary goodbyes and share their well wishes for her.
Sparkle GMA Artist Center champions their artists and genuinely supports the individuals they want to be. The management wishes to express that they are already proud of Michelle this far in the competition and are with her until the end.