Getting Unready with Beatrice Luigi Gomez: On Challenging Beauty and Gender Norms, One Crown at a Time

She’s got the face, the body, the hair. Beatrice Luigi Gomez has a lot going for her, and still, she continues to strive for more. As the first openly bisexual Miss Universe Philippines, Beatrice Luigi Gomez has broken “pageant-girl” stereotypes. As a navy marines reservist and community volunteer, she proves that strength and compassion can thrive in coexistence. As a marathon runner and sports enthusiast, she challenges perceived gender norms.

We’ve seen Beatrice Luigi Gomez all glammed up on the pageant stage. Now, this is how she gets unready.

Cebuana Beatrice Luigi Gomez knows a thing or two about beauty. She was no stranger to the pageant scene when she joined Miss Universe 2021, having won Binibining Cebu in 2020, and placing second runner-up in the Miss Mandaue pageant in 2015. Here, she shares the self-care rituals, hair and skin routines, beauty influences, and beauty adventures.

I start my self-care routine by listening to podcasts. Then I would sip a cup of coffee to feel more awake before I run outdoors. I would finish my running or workout with a yoga flow exercise and shower to start my day’s tasks.

I remembered the first time I became interested in make-up, I watched YouTube videos and bought drugstore makeup to practice with. I was so proud back then when I applied makeup for the first time by myself with the help of online videos.

Wearing hair products and hair extensions is challenging. After an entire day’s work, being able to undo my hair at the end of the day is relaxing. Taking that weight and tension off my neck and somehow relieves the exhaustion.

I am proud to share and show the natural state of my hair. I am grateful to have been blessed with healthy hair despite all the styling that it goes through daily.

Bea takes care of her long, silky hair with Cream Silk Ultimate Reborn Standout Straight Conditioner. Specially formulated to smoothen tresses, it tames rebellious frizz like a hot oil treatment, repairs damage like a hair spa, and uses keratin to give your hair smoothness and shine. The formula contains 40% more nourishing ingredients for soft, manageable hair.

Even beauty queens experience self-doubt. As confident and well-spoken as she is, Bea has wrestled with insecurities just like everyone else. Once a teenage girl with low self-esteem, she started joining pageants to face her fears and overcome them.

I grew up with really thick eyebrows that I got from my dad. Back then, in the early 2000s, the trend was really thin eyebrows and I got bullied a lot for my thick set of eyebrows. That was insecurity that now I see as one of my aesthetic assets.

I would tell my old self that beauty is not defined by physical aspects alone. Beauty is when you have a sound mind and heart, and you have a positive outlook regardless of all the unpleasant circumstances you may encounter in life.

When I was younger, I used to have really low self-esteem and I was socially awkward. I was able to overcome those weaknesses by pushing myself way past my limits and joining pageants as a way to get out of my comfort zone. Having been able to get this far, and now that I got more support than I used to have, the only goal is to win the 5th Miss Universe crown for the Philippines.

Reading minds is the superpower that I would like to possess to be more confident. I would be way ahead of everyone around me and deliver to them, for example, the performance that they would like to see even before they even ask for it.

Bea is all about challenging stereotypes and norms. Her Miss Universe Philippines victory was also a win for the LGBTQ++ community. But her influence started way before her beauty queen reign, with her social work and personal advocacies. 

In the Philippines, the beauty stereotype that I would really like to redefine is our standard of what is beautiful when it comes to skin color. We have this idea that fair skin is more pleasant than our own Filipino, naturally brown skin, which is what I’m proud to have.

With the inclusivity and diversity of the beauty industry, its future will be more versatile and more available to all demographics and sexes.

It means that beauty pageants are elevating their standards. To accept everyone from all walks of life means that there is hope in resolving other social issues.

I am passionate about the youth’s welfare especially Children in Conflict with the Law who I’ve been helping for quite a while now. These children like everyone else deserve a future where they can stand up for themselves and achieve their dreams and one day pay forward the kindness that was shown to them.

Busy days await Beatrice Luigi Gomez, who is representing the country at the Miss Universe 2021 pageant to be held this December in Eilat, Israel. Her reign may have just begun, but she’s already paved the way for others to create their own change. In between, she likes to let her hair down, so to speak, and live freely, unapologetically, and happily.