28/03/2026
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๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐: ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐โจ๏ธ
All my life, I have always been an achiever. I always aimed for excellence in whatever I do. Arts, academics, and anything that interested me. However, nothing could have prepared me for the pressures of pageantry.
If you told me ten years ago that I would one day step on the stage as a candidate in a competition that I only watched as a child, I would have laughed at you in disbelief. I never saw myself fit for the โpageant prototype." I perceived pageants as a world that I could never enter and just admire from afar.
Until one fateful opportunity led to the birth of Paulina Amore. A persona who was an amplification of my authentic self, an alter-ego as one would describe. Though originally starting in drag, that is a tale for another time...
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ซ
By the encouragement of my peers and mentors, I joined my first pageant during my freshman year of college with merely the knowledge of your typical pageant fan, a few fancy clothes, and confidence masking sheer audacity. No handler. No wardrobe. No experience.
๐๐ก๐จ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ค ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐?
Then again, everyone starts somewhere. It was the first time in my life that I felt uncertain as to whether I could reach far because I have always strived to succeed in all that I do. I never considered failure.
However, this was outside the academic arena. This was not a quiz bee or a journalism camp which I could absolutely ace. Simply put, this was not my typical territory. Worse, I was up against godly greats whom you could tell at a glance were pageant powerhouses. My three-in-one face palette, thrifted blouses, and hand-me-down stilettos had nothing against their professional glamazon entourages, blindingly bedazzled gowns, and sky-high heels.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ? ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ค๐ฌ.
I saved myself from panic with poetics, my way of wisdom.
โ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฆ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ค๐ฌ, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ฐ๐๐ข๐.โ
Furthermore, I knew that I did not compete simply to strut and speak, but showcase my authenticity and aspirations. I wanted to bridge my artistry with advocacy and be a voice for the LGBTQIA+ community. A voice that not only spoke during times of convenience but also of necessity. I had a compassionate cause beyond my own.
I sported style and sustainability, but my advocacy is not an accessory. I felt strongly for the stories of discrimination and division faced by q***r individuals, including me. I stood with sincerity in solidarity. It became more than just a mission for the crown, but for the community.
I won 1st Runner Up, which was an impressive feat for an inexperienced beginner. While many dubbed it as a "painful placement" because you were a flick away from the crown, I considered it a valuable victory. I expected an ephemeral experience and empty-handed end. I was doubtless of my dream, yet doubtful of my direction. At that point, I already had contentment in my heartโฆ
But sometimes, life has a way of bringing you farther from where you intended to be.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
One after another, I was able to seize several stages beyond the confines of college. From the โbaranggayansโ which were certainly a cultural shock, to supreme stages where I represented a major municipality...a story to be shared soon sometime. It opened doors of delightful opportunities which I was genuinely grateful for. I finally could conclude the jocund journey.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ
A year later and the chance at the crown came calling once again. If you could convert into coins every โYou should join!โ or โCome back!โ I have received, I would be rich. Everyone around me all expressed their enthusiastic support for me to shoot my shot again.
Why would I when I already did? Why must I return?
๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐. ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง. ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐.
With enough experience and endless encouragement, I returned to the realm with renewed energy.
๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ง.
I am usually a descriptive storyteller, but no word in my vocabulary could definitively describe how I felt when I won. I went to compete for the coveted crown with my college sash across my chest. Standing on that stage was already a win in my book, so winning 1st Runner Up was a brilliant bonus. The same remarks swarmed my runner-up sash, but to me, it was a worthy win.
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ โ๏ธ
A year has passed. I utilized the platform with purpose. I founded projects with my newfound name. I met plenty of people. I learned a lot of lessons.
Today, my reign reaches its resolution. It is a conundrum as to how a candidate undergoes really rigorous preparations to be ready for a pageant, yet nothing prepares them for when it is time to pass the crown. An enigma of emotions indeed, but I believe that while a reign may end, its legacy continues.
The legacy that I long to leave is not built on promises, but on passions. The platform of pageantry provides a venue for voices of visibility. I am honored to have had the chance to connect with communities and contribute to causes, and I will continue on this course through my channels.
This may be the closing chapter of my jubilant journey in pageantry, but this does not signify the end of the story. Every ending brings a new beginning.
Lovingly, this has been...
๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐. ๐ฆ
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๐ธ Photo Credits:
Tarlac State University - Supreme Student Council
Tarlac State University - The Oracle
TSU - College of Arts and Social Sciences Student Council
TSU Communicator's Guild
TSU - Safe Space Society
Chan Cee Portraits
Clark Louise G. Llana
Johanna Mikhaela F. Torres
Jermar A. Mantong
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๐ + ๐ฌ Check out more of ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐๐๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ in its dedicated album and in the reels section of the page!
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๐๐ป๐ฎ๐ช๐ป ๐๐ธ๐ท ๐๐ถ๐ธ๐ป๐ฎ...
Hey there! I am Amore. I love art, literature, fashion, dolls, pageantry, and gaming. Amore's Armoire is a little space I created to share the multitude of things I enjoy, much like a little closet where I can just escape from the chaotic world and create wondrous content and connections! ๐ฆ
๐: https://www.facebook.com/amoresarmoire
Amore's Armoire | 2026
