Catriona Gray says mental fortitude is important for a beauty queen

28 Feb – Catriona Gray believes that the most important thing that a beauty queen should have is a mental fortitude.

As reported on GMA, the reigning Miss Universe, who made an appearance at her homecoming press conference recently, shared that it is vital for an aspiring beauty queen to have a strong mentality.

"Being a Filipina beauty queen, being from the biggest social media nation in the world, you'll be bombarded in social media - good and bad - and that's just the part of the arena that we're in. But you need to be strong in your mind to know how to filter or to know how not to let it affect you or get you down, to the extent that you're hindering pursuing your dream," she said.

In addition, she said, a beauty queen should have a main purpose when entering a competition, and to always keep that clear in mind throughout their journey.

"You will need that purpose to hold on to, that is what's going to carry you through. This is really important for me, pursuing pageantry. Keeping true to my vision and that meant for me to be really hands-on in all aspects - wardrobe, presentation, national costume, everything," she said.

The other important thing to remember is to always be true to yourself.

"Once you get there to compete, you're all alone in a sense that you're all by yourself. So, you need to stay true to yourself and kind of have that strength, whether you draw it from an advocacy, your supporters or you draw it from your family... because through those moments in the pageant, when you are overwhelmed, when you are feeling doubtful, that what I drew from and it carried me all the way through," she said.

(Photo Source: Catriona Gray Instagram)