Grand slam for a neophyte beauty

One evening, Gionna Cabrera decided to go to V-Bar for a party. Her statuesque beauty impressed Jonas Gaffud, who is always on the lookout for young, beautiful girls as he runs a modeling agency. Jonas approached her and asked if she was interested in joining the Bb. Pilipinas Charities contest of Stella Marquez de Araneta. As the cliché goes, the rest is history. Gionna was crowned Bb. Pilipinas-Universe and is now all set to represent the country in the Miss Universe Contest in Thailand next month.

When I saw Gionna Cabrera on TV during the pageant, I thought she looked beautiful and sophisticated. I agreed with the judges’ decision in giving her the titles Ms. Photogenic, Best in Swimsuit and Best in Long Gown. What a grand slam! These are the most coveted titles in the contest. Stella Araneta says Gionna deserved them all and I agree with her.

What struck me, too, was Gionna’s intelligent answer to the question of Artemis Sumer, wife of the Turkish Ambassador to the Philippines. The question was, "What is the greatest social issue facing women today? " Gionna answered that the deprivation of basic human rights of women is the biggest social issue for women today. She gave as example the Taliban women in Afghanistan who are not allowed to go to school and stay illiterate all their lives. "March is women’s month. Women’s rights should be in focus. Women should not allow their rights to be trampled upon, " she declared with conviction. On moral issues, she tells me that she is pro-life and against abortion.

Before my interview with Gionna, I asked Stella A. what she thought of Gionna’s chances of winning the crown. She answered without hesitation that Gionna is a combination of beauty and brains. She is very fluent in English, having studied in the best schools when she was growing up – in Miriam College for grade school and St. Paul’s for high school. Today, she is a student at the University of Asia and the Pacific in Ortigas Center, taking up a course in Integrated Marketing Communications. When she graduates, she plans to work in the field of journalism as a reporter or TV broadcaster. I told her she should be a TV broadcaster as a pretty anchorwoman is always a delight to watch. She answered with an unaffected smile, which is what’s refreshing about her. The sophistication that I saw on TV was in fact a mask and a creation of the beauticians. In person, she is simple and unaffected with a touch of childlike innocence.

The neophyte beauty queen is an interesting subject of study. Today, one sees Gionna as an unaffected, unsophisticated, beautiful girl/woman who has still a lot to learn about being a beauty queen. She has to learn how to walk like the seasoned supermodels on the ramp, learn how to pose and decide what her best angles are, and go for some physical training to further improve her 34-25-35 vital statistics. Stella A., who is the mentor of all the beauty contestants, wants her to lose inches on her waist and tone up some more. She agrees that she should lose those inches so she will look more curvaceous. She says that a tiny waist, ample chest and a nice butt are the standards for a beauty queen and she will strive to train physically to achieve this in one month to boost her chances of winning the title. In the height department, she is a sure champion. At 5’10", she is considered tall in any language. Many years ago, Stella Marquez won the Ms. International title. She stands 5’8" and at the time she was towering over the other contestants. Today, Gionna’s height is the standard for beauty queens.

Gionna is the daughter of Rodrigo Cabrera who was the National Electrification Administrator during Cory Aquino’s time and the former Nida Jimenez, an independent businesswoman who dabbles in jewelry. She claims that she is a mixture of her parents. She has that intellectual curiosity and scholarly ambitions that were influenced by her father, and from her mom, creativity and passion for the arts.

Her good looks won for her some contracts to model for Smart, Pond’s, and Union Bank. She also did some modeling for Rustan’s and Escada and some fashion shows for PMAP (Professional Models Association of the Philippines).

Her favorite designers are Stella McCartney, Narciso Rodriguez, and a Japanese designer, YNKEI. But she need not wear designer clothes. Being tall and slim, she would make even a sack look trendy.

Here, her choices of clothes are from Cumbia Boutique and jewelry from Mod Milano Jewelry, both at the Gateway Mall. Both stores will be on sale from April 1 to 15.

What are her words of wisdom to the women of her time? "Focus on your aspirations. Never turn down good opportunities that may pass only once in your life. Remain optimistic and always be faithful to God."

Gionna, Godspeed and bring home that crown!