MANILA, Philippines – Celebrities Anne Curtis-Smith, Gabbi Garcia together with other notable Filipinas shared their stories of empowerment and struggles in life that made them #StrongerNow.
ANNE CURTIS-SMITH: CRITICIZED THEN, ON TOP OF HER GAME NOW
We have seen Anne Curtis-Smith grow from a TV sweetheart to a daring movie star with the roles she has taken over the years—she has showcased her excellent entertaining skills through her sold-out concerts, too. What is not familiar to us, however, is the road she paved to break into the showbiz industry. She started as a foreign-looking little girl who could barely speak any Filipino, making it a struggle for her to land crucial speaking roles. There have been times before she skyrocketed to stardom, when she would struggle to lock in a project, making it seem like leaving Australia was not such a good idea after all.
Anne continued to clock in hours and fight for what she was passionate about—performing. “It was a slow climb to achieve my dream, but with patience and willingness to learn and speak Tagalog fluently, networks, directors, and producers took notice that I was improving in my craft. From then on, I have never stopped working, and now… I am ANNEstoppable”
GABBI GARCIA: SHY GIRL THEN, GLOBAL ENDORSER NOW
Gabbi Garcia is another woman the country has fallen in love with, especially for breaking through beauty standards with her morena skin that she now wears so proudly, encouraging more Filipinas to do the same. But all this confidence she has now actually started from a deep sense of insecurity, having to get through criticisms for being too “regular-looking.” She would receive negative comments so often because she did not fit people’s idea of what an actress should be.
Gabbi shares, “I was so insecure with all the other girls, but I tried to hide that. Although it eventually came to a point where I started to question my worth. Am I worth other people’s time and attention?” She let go of her doubts as she learned to find strength in herself and in others, working towards inspiring the people that look up to her that regardless of your looks and what others think, it is important to stay true to yourself.
KEVIN BALOT
You would be in awe with the story of her journey to winning Miss International Queen 2012, also being the first transgender Filipina to garner the crown. As the only boy in the family, Kevin grew up with expectations from her father that she would turn out to be an engineer, but she had other plans for herself. She worked several jobs and joined beauty pageants to put herself through nursing school until Miss International Queen 2012 happened, and the rest was history.
Now, she tirelessly works to continue to expand the knowledge of Filipinos about the most underrepresented segment of the LGBT, and advocacy she lives by. She has come out triumphant from her struggles and actually had a crown on her head for it, and now, she serves her cause to empower more women like her.
Pantene Philippines started the #StrongerNow movement to inspire Filipinas celebrate every scar, every sweat, every struggle that made them the kind of strong they are now.
Other brand ambassadors of Pantene also shared how they hurdled the struggles that came their way. Anna Cay went from vlogger then to app maker now; Alodia Gosiengfiao, hobbyist then to gaming idol now; Chi Gibbs from apprentice then to self-made boss now; Gabs Gibbs from multi-media student then to multi-faceted artist now; Dennise Lazaro from beginner then to national athlete now; Jasmine Curtis-Smith from new comer then to award-winning now; Joyce Pring from student VJ then to certified host now; Say Tioco from self-doubting then to trendsetter now; and Danah and Stacey Gutierrez, insecure then to self-loving now.
In line with #StrongerNow campaign, Pantene Philippines also launched the new Pantene Pro-Vitamin series, which features the first-ever vitamin shampoo. The Pantene Pro-Vitamin series strengthens hair against breakage with every wash, much like the women it supports—stronger with every damage.
The new Pantene Pro-Vitamin shampoo and 3 Minute Miracle conditioner are designed to put in more nutrients with every wash, strengthening hair with resilience to take on daily hair stress. Check out the variants and and save up to PHP332 with exclusive discounts and bundle sets via Lazada.
— The Summit Express
ANNE CURTIS-SMITH: CRITICIZED THEN, ON TOP OF HER GAME NOW
We have seen Anne Curtis-Smith grow from a TV sweetheart to a daring movie star with the roles she has taken over the years—she has showcased her excellent entertaining skills through her sold-out concerts, too. What is not familiar to us, however, is the road she paved to break into the showbiz industry. She started as a foreign-looking little girl who could barely speak any Filipino, making it a struggle for her to land crucial speaking roles. There have been times before she skyrocketed to stardom, when she would struggle to lock in a project, making it seem like leaving Australia was not such a good idea after all.
Anne continued to clock in hours and fight for what she was passionate about—performing. “It was a slow climb to achieve my dream, but with patience and willingness to learn and speak Tagalog fluently, networks, directors, and producers took notice that I was improving in my craft. From then on, I have never stopped working, and now… I am ANNEstoppable”
GABBI GARCIA: SHY GIRL THEN, GLOBAL ENDORSER NOW
Gabbi Garcia is another woman the country has fallen in love with, especially for breaking through beauty standards with her morena skin that she now wears so proudly, encouraging more Filipinas to do the same. But all this confidence she has now actually started from a deep sense of insecurity, having to get through criticisms for being too “regular-looking.” She would receive negative comments so often because she did not fit people’s idea of what an actress should be.
Gabbi shares, “I was so insecure with all the other girls, but I tried to hide that. Although it eventually came to a point where I started to question my worth. Am I worth other people’s time and attention?” She let go of her doubts as she learned to find strength in herself and in others, working towards inspiring the people that look up to her that regardless of your looks and what others think, it is important to stay true to yourself.
KEVIN BALOT
Kevin Balot joins the #StrongerNow movement. |
You would be in awe with the story of her journey to winning Miss International Queen 2012, also being the first transgender Filipina to garner the crown. As the only boy in the family, Kevin grew up with expectations from her father that she would turn out to be an engineer, but she had other plans for herself. She worked several jobs and joined beauty pageants to put herself through nursing school until Miss International Queen 2012 happened, and the rest was history.
Now, she tirelessly works to continue to expand the knowledge of Filipinos about the most underrepresented segment of the LGBT, and advocacy she lives by. She has come out triumphant from her struggles and actually had a crown on her head for it, and now, she serves her cause to empower more women like her.
Pantene Philippines started the #StrongerNow movement to inspire Filipinas celebrate every scar, every sweat, every struggle that made them the kind of strong they are now.
Other brand ambassadors of Pantene also shared how they hurdled the struggles that came their way. Anna Cay went from vlogger then to app maker now; Alodia Gosiengfiao, hobbyist then to gaming idol now; Chi Gibbs from apprentice then to self-made boss now; Gabs Gibbs from multi-media student then to multi-faceted artist now; Dennise Lazaro from beginner then to national athlete now; Jasmine Curtis-Smith from new comer then to award-winning now; Joyce Pring from student VJ then to certified host now; Say Tioco from self-doubting then to trendsetter now; and Danah and Stacey Gutierrez, insecure then to self-loving now.
In line with #StrongerNow campaign, Pantene Philippines also launched the new Pantene Pro-Vitamin series, which features the first-ever vitamin shampoo. The Pantene Pro-Vitamin series strengthens hair against breakage with every wash, much like the women it supports—stronger with every damage.
The new Pantene Pro-Vitamin shampoo and 3 Minute Miracle conditioner are designed to put in more nutrients with every wash. |
The new Pantene Pro-Vitamin shampoo and 3 Minute Miracle conditioner are designed to put in more nutrients with every wash, strengthening hair with resilience to take on daily hair stress. Check out the variants and and save up to PHP332 with exclusive discounts and bundle sets via Lazada.
— The Summit Express