Miss International Jasmin Selberg excited to meet ‘idol’ Catriona Gray
Reigning Miss International Jasmin Selberg and Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray. Image: INQUIRER.net/Armin P. Adina, Instagram/@catriona_gray
MANILA, Philippines—While many Filipinos are gushing over reigning Miss International Jasmin Selberg, the German beauty queen revealed there is one Filipino icon she cannot wait to meet, 2018 Miss Universe Catriona Gray.
“I really feel really excited. So when I saw that she (Gray) will be the host for Binibining Pilipinas, I was like ‘oh my God, I’m meeting my idol, on top of getting to finally watch Binibining Pilipinas live,’” she said at her press conference at the Novotel Manila Araneta City in Quezon City on Friday, May 26, when the Inquirer asked if there are titleholders from the Philippines who she looks up to.
“I really hope that I get to bond with her. What she said, ‘you are never denied just redirected,’ really inspired me,” said Selberg who, like Gray, had two attempts at an international crown before finally winning. She first joined the 2021 Miss Globe pageant won by Bb. Pilipinas Maureen Montagne, who the German beauty said she also looks up to.
Selberg will get to share the stage with Gray at the grand coronation night of the 2023 Bb. Pilipinas pageant, where they will be joined by 2016 Miss Grand International first runner-up Nicole Cordoves and 2014 Miss Universe Philippines Mary Jean Lastimosa. The three Filipino queens will host the ceremony, while the German queen will appear as a special guest, as well as help crown the woman who will represent the Philippines in the 62nd Miss International pageant next year.
The European beauty will be the first non-Filipino reigning international titleholder to grace the stage of the national pageant. This distinction will add to her other historic feats as a beauty queen. She first made a notable record when she broke her country’s 33-year title drought in the Miss International pageant. After her coronation, she shared being grateful to write history, being herself a student of history.
She shared with the Inquirer that her reign as Miss International has enriched her grasp of her fields of study, which are history and philosophy. “With every country that I visit, I really try to learn about the culture, and also, of course, about their history. Because sometimes there are sensitive topics you shouldn’t talk about, or which you should actually talk about. So, that is something really important to me,” Selberg explained.
“And of course, looking at life in a philosophical way in general really helped me to ease my mind and also to just be myself during my reign already,” she continued, adding that being an international beauty queen has made her experience living like her “childhood hero” Hannah Montana, a fictional character living a double life played by Miley Cyrus in a sitcom shown at the turn of the millennium.
“So usually when I come to other countries outside of Asia, outside of Europe, people recognize me where I go or want to take a picture with me. So that is really something that makes me feel appreciated, and just so happy and lucky to be in the position I am in now. But once I come back to Germany, it kind of vanishes,” Selberg said.
“Because, of course, Germany is quite big, and pageantry is not that important there yet. So, I kind of get to relax once I’m back, and also to focus on my private life, for example, and focus on recharging so that once I go to all my travels, I can give that love and that calmness and all that radiating back,” continued the German lass.
Catch Selberg at the 2023 Bb. Pilipinas Grand Coronation Night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum at the Araneta City on Sunday, May 28. Tickets to the show are now available at Ticketnet. The contest will be shown on A2Z channel 11 on free TV, Kapamilya Channel and Metro Channel on cable, and the Bb. Pilipinas official YouTube channel at 9:30 p.m. It will also be beamed to other countries via The Filipino Channel. /ra
