Let’s meet the beauty queen who hopes to show her country that she’s a transformational leader using her new platform for good.

How Miss Universe Philippines Michelle Dee came out as bisexual

Dee said she decided to put an end to the speculation around her sexuality by disclosing her sexual orientation. She told Mega, “I’m attracted to all forms of beauty, all shapes and sizes.” The pageant queen said she has always identified as bisexual but decided not to speak about it during the national beauty contest because “it wasn’t the right time”.

She said she wanted to speak about her sexual orientation in her own time and coming out during the competition would “cloud everyone’s judgment”. She added that, after she was crowned, old images of her were being circulated and the model knew there was a malicious intention to “make me feel like I was not worthy of the crown”.

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She said by taking matters into her own hands, she was controlling the narrative around her own life and wouldn’t allow people to dictate to her. Since then, Dee has proudly posted on several social media outlets that she’s bisexual.

Her big beauty pageant win

It was Dee’s response that appeared to resonate well with the crowd and judges. She said that “the true heart and soul of the Philippines [is] with the way we are hospitable, with the warm smiles … And we are the reason why the world keeps coming back for more.” She said she would always be proud to “call myself Pinoy”.

The competition wasn’t her first rodeo though. In 2019, she was crowned Miss World Philippines and represented her country in the global competition in London, England. But she told Mega that the Covid-19 pandemic didn’t allow her to maximise her reign. Now, as Miss Universe Philippines, she’s got the platform she always wanted.

She had an international upbringing

Although the model declared that the Philippines would always be considered home, according to Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, she had an international upbringing.

She was born in Makati, Metro Manila. TheSmartLocal reports her family left the Philippines for the US when she was three. There, her stepfather had a ranch in Utah and that was where the model learned how to ride horses and herd animals, states the source.

According to Mega, her family returned to the Philippines when she was around 10. It was during this time that she focused on creative arts like photography, editing and media creation.

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She’s a diver

Dee has been outspoken about her active lifestyle and has a particular love of the water. She is a free diver and posted an image of herself under water at Flower Island Resort, Palawan last year. Free diving relies on natural breath holding until resurfacing instead of using apparatus like scuba gear.

She’s an international model

She comes from a well-known family

Her mum is Melanie Marquez, an actress and model who won Miss International Philippines in 1979. According to TheSmartLocal, her grandfather’s brother was Dee Ching Chuan, the founder of China Bank.

Many of her relatives are still part of the company’s board, states the source. Yu Hung-chun, who was the principal adviser to the president of China in the 1950s, is Dee’s paternal great-grandfather.

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She’s an autism advocate

Dee graduated with a degree in psychology from De La Salle University in 2017. According to TheSmartLocal, she has two siblings on the autism spectrum, Mazen and Adam. At 16, she became an advocate for autism awareness and has since worked with organisations to promote awareness of the condition. In 2020, the model was named the Goodwill Ambassador of the Autism Society Philippines.