Beauty queen-slash-content creator Ayn Bernos and skateboarder Margielyn Didal may come from different fields, but one of the things these Pinays have in common is that they're both chasing after their dreams without following norms and stereotypes.
Margielyn was the first Filipino to take part in the Olympics' women's street skateboarding competition, which was held in July 2021. The 22-year-old Cebuana may not have brought home a medal, but she definitely won the hearts of many with her charming personality and her "I'm just happy to be here" attitude.
Ayn, on the other hand, was one of the stand-out delegates of the Miss Universe Philippines 2021 competition. Standing 5'3 tall, she made headlines for being an "unconventional" beauty queen!
During Lactacyd's Facebook Live Session on Tuesday, March 8, which was hosted by Gretchen Ho, these Pinays shared the most *inspiring* messages about breaking barriers.
"Every single year, I would watch Miss Universe, and every single year, I would say, 'Nako, [kapag nawala ang] height requirement, sasali ako agad-agad, and that's exactly what I did," Ayn told Gretchen.
"Why not me?" she said. "That's a question that I've continuously asked myself every time I've hit the barrier na parang, 'Ay, baka hindi ako para dito.' Lagi ko sinasabi, 'Why not me? Bakit hindi ako? Nagawa ng iba. Bakit hindi ko kaya?' Or for example, wala pa nakakagawa, 'Why can't I be the first?' When you ask that question, you allow yourself to see the possibility na baka pwede mauna ka."
When asked how she became so confident, Ayn said that it really helps to have a "good support system." She said, "Kapag nangangarap ako out loud, when I tell my family and friends about my big dreams and my goals, hindi sila tumatawa, like when I [said] I wanna join Ms. Universe, nobody said, 'Hahaha. Asa ka.' Nobody said that to me. Sana magkaroon tayo na community like that... so that [people can dream freely.]
According to the beauty queen, representation became her main advocacy because a lot of people told her that she didn't "belong" to the pageant world. "I thought, 'If people are telling me na hindi ako bagay dito, then they're also telling everybody who feels represented by me—mga maliliit, mga morena—na hindi sila belong, and to me, that's just unacceptable."
If there's something you've always wanted to do, just give it a try, added Margielyn. "Kung ano man yung gusto niyo i-try sa life, gawin niyo lang, as long as nage-enjoy kayo, wala kayo nasasaktan, try niyo lang." Naturally, there will be times when you'll feel like giving up. The Olympic skateboarder said, "Kapag umabot kayo sa point na pagod na [at gusto niyo na mag] give up, just [ask yourself]: 'Bakit ko 'to sinimulan? Bakit ako nandito?' 'Yon yung magiging source of energy and motivation mo."
In relation to what Margielyn said, Gretchen also shared a good piece of advice for all the girls out there "who want to go out of their comfort zone": "Huwag kayo matakot magkamali kasi the world is expecting us to be perfect or to always get it right, to always have it together, but sometimes, you just don't. Sometimes, sabog ka talaga. Minsan, puyat ka talaga. Wala ka talagang energy. No matter how much you try, you just can't get it right all the time," she shared, and that's perfectly fine.
Personally, Gretchen said that her journey from becoming a volleyball player to a TV host and news anchor wasn't "perfect" at all and it had a lot of ups and downs. "But as long as I'm moving forward, as long as I'm progressing in life, okay lang sa'kin na hindi ako perpekto. Okay lang din ako na magkamali and kahit makita ng mga tao yung side ko na 'yon."
Watch the full Facebook Live Session below:
