Dalawa sa frontrunners sa Miss Universe 2013 ay ang mga kandidata ng Thailand na si Anntonia Porsild at Philippines na si Michelle Dee.
Ikinatutuwa ng pageant fans na naging close ang dalawa sa activities ng Miss Universe 2023.
Read: Michelle Dee: The beauty, brains, and talent behind the Miss Universe PH 2023 crown
Pinagsasabong kasi madalas ng pageant fans ang mga kandidata ng dalawang beauty pageant powerhouse na ito.
Sa panayam ni Dyan Castillejo, na lumabas sa YouTube ng ABS-CBN News kagabi, November 15, 2023, sinabi ni Anntonia kung bakit naging malapit sila ni Michelle.
Lahad niya, "Actually, the first few days, we kind of missed each other.
"We said 'Hi,' but it was because we were so busy that we couldn't stop and have a conversation.
"But the first day of rehearsals, we sat next to each other on the bus, and we just kind of kicked it off, and we get along really well.
"She understands my sarcasm and my jokes.
"And when I talk to her, I feel very calm, and my heart feels very steady in the time where everything's happening so fast, all the excitement.
"And she really has that energy that can really calm you down.”
Read: Michelle Dee exudes strong presence at Miss Universe 2023 preliminaries
Motivation ba o added pressure para sa kanya ang mapabilang sa frontrunners?
Tugon ng Thai beauty queen, “A little bit of everything, but I feel like it's a good positive energy that keeps me going every day because I feel like I have a lot to prove.
“But not for other people, for myself at most, because the reason I joined is to kind of test myself and challenge myself to something new, to a new goal, to a new dream.
“And it's nice to have people see me as a frontrunner and it's really nice that they see the potential in me, but I usually try to focus on myself and not what other people are saying because in the end, the only reason I'm going to reach that goal or that crown is going to be because of how much work I put in the end.”
Ano para kanya ang best thing about winning Miss Universe?
Sagot ni Anntonia, “Everything. I mean, every year it changes and it gets better and the opportunities widen much more.
“And I always like to use the platform as a reason for people to see how easy it is to give back to the community because I've been doing it for so long.
“And I have my own charity project called Little Steps, and I just want people to stop taking advantage for the very little things in life and use that platform for the greater good.
“It sounds very cliché, but also all the traveling and getting to see new places, meet new people, try new things, just honestly everything.
“But it's all about appreciating it in the moment.”
Read: Why Philippine bet Michelle Dee is using “Filipinas” in Miss Universe introduction?
TO EMPOWER WOMEN FINANCIALLY
Sa biography ni Anntonia, sinabi niya ritong nais niyang ma-empower financially ang mga babae, lalo na sa kanilang bansa.
Bakit importante ito sa kanya?
Paliwanag ng 27-year-old Thai beauty queen, “I think it's really important, especially in Southeast Asia where women are seen to be housewives, you have to stay at home, do the cooking, take care of the kids.
"Especially in Thailand, it's almost considered as a norm.
"And if you work for yourself or you're a businesswoman, it's kind of like, 'Oh, you can't find a husband.'
"And I don't want that to be the norm, especially in the community that I live in.
"I want people and I want women to feel that they can gain something for themselves.
"They can create something for themselves and not have to feel bad about not depending on someone for a holiday or a treat for themselves.
"Or even just to take that first step into empowering themselves.
"So it's not really about money, but it's about how you feel when you have something to stand on, like a platform for yourself to spread love as well.
"I always say, like, when you want to give back to the community, you have to be able to create something for yourself first before you can give back.
"And then it will be like a full circle.”
Read: Michelle Dee ready for Q&A: "I have an amazing story to showcase the world as well."
Nagkuwento rin si Anntonia ng kanyang itinayong negosyo sa Thailand.
Lahad niya, "So I have my own company called Omorfia Beauty, and I sell sun spray mist, which is cruelty-free and reef friendly.
“So it doesn't harm the coral reefs.
“And every one dollar of that that I sell goes to my charity foundation called Little Steps to give back and donate to the kids or to the elderly or whoever that needs help in rural parts of Thailand.
"And, you know, it's a process.
"And I really like to share my process because it wasn't like, oh, like that.
"I have my own business. It was having to dare to take that first step.
"And that's hard. Especially in Thailand for me, because at the beginning I couldn't read Thai.
"So I had to do all the important documents.
"I had to do the financials and I'm not even good at math.
"So that was a really big challenge for me.
"But throughout the process, I was learning by doing and learning on YouTube, learning on TikTok, learning from asking for help.
"And I feel like that's the key thing.
"People are scared to ask for help because they don't want other people to see them struggle.
"But the struggle is the best part because you learn so much from that."
Lumaki si Anntonia sa walong iba't ibang bansa. At kalaunan ay bumalik din ang kanyang pamilya sa Thailand.
Pagbabahagi niya, "Well, growing up, my mom always taught me the culture, the language, how just the essence of being Thai was something I grew up with already.
"But learning it firsthand with people around me, with the community, with my family, made it a lot easier.
"I knew how to speak Thai already, but it was the reading and the writing that was really difficult.
"That's tough. It's hard. It's hard."
Sa huli, nagpaabot ng mensahe si Anntonia sa kanyang Pinoy fans.
Sabi ni Anntonia, "Mabuhay, Philippines!
"Thank you so much for your ongoing love and support.
"It truly, truly means the world to me.
"I see you guys comment on all my pictures, on my live.
"And honestly, without the support of the fans, us pageant queens and myself would not be standing here today with so much confidence and grace.
"And everything we do makes us happy because we know that you guys are happy with how much work we put in.
"So thank you so much for your love and support, and please continue to do so throughout our journey."