Bianca Gonzalez recently posed for photos sans makeup. She did so, to mark her 40th birthday. In explaining the move, Bianca shared her exchange with photographer BJ Pascual. “Beej, I turn 40 this March and I wanna shoot a portrait that’s very raw, no makeup or styling, literally ‘this is me’ ang peg,” Bianca recalled telling BJ, who answered: “Game!! That would be amazing.” The TV host noted how she has been modeling since she was 17 years old and was always fully made up in all of her photos. Though she loved it all, Bianca admitted that she has long wanted to have a "very raw" portrait of her.
"Like those I’d see in Richard Avedon’s work—and I was never really sure if I could pull it off. Baka mamaya, I’d set up this fancy shoot, only to have photos I’m not happy with," she said. Bianca noted that proud as she is of her morena complexion, it’s only now that she has fully embraced and accepted all her "body’s flaws and imperfections, peklats, dark knees and all." "I still get conscious about it at times, but I’m no longer tough on myself about it. In this stage of my life, I feel confident to step in front of a lens with no make up on my face. Literally, just me," she declared. “Don’t edit out my lines, eye bags or sun spots ha,” Bianca remembered telling BJ. The latter quipped: “Yes, gets kita.” "BJ understood the deeper meaning of what I wanted to do. With no make up artist, no hairstylist, no stylist on set, we just played around. I put on some lip oil, BJ got down on his knee to zhush my hair, Damian his right hand man fanned my hair for wind effect, and his assistant Rolly curled the ends of my hair for one shot. The most chill shoot ever, and one of my favorites to date. Thank you BJ, you are a creative genius and I love you! These are officially my favorite portraits because you captured ME," she said. Bianca ended her post by sharing a story a few years back. "I was in Lala Flores' make up chair and she told me something I would never forget. She said, “Ang happiness, hindi napho-Photoshop.” That has stuck with me ever since. And I guess now, the reason I want to have these portraits taken is not just because I fit a certain standard of what is “beautiful” in my mind. It’s really because I AM truly, genuinely HAPPY."