Maria Angelica De Leon, one of the most loved and famous beauty queens of Philippines, recently took to her social media to talk about the label of ‘Beauty Queen’ that has been attached to her name ever since she represented the Philippines in Miss International 2017.

She wrote that she had closed that chapter in her life as she explained that she believes being labelled a ‘beauty queen’ limits the boundaries of a woman. However, she also said that she was thankful for the amazing opportunity which she experienced because of her beauty pageant journey. She also talked about how she is not the one to care about titles, positions, crowns or names.

Despite the backlash she received due to her statement made yesterday, Mariel still stands by what she said. “It's 2018. Strong women rule”, she said. She also wrote on her Twitter account, “You can choose what affects you. Choose the positive. Choose the people that matter and that have been with you through your journey since day 1.”

The former beauty queen also talked about how people need to change their mindset about the low profile in women. She further elaborated by talking about how people in Asian culture need to let go of the idea of women needing to be submissive and quiet as they believe that women have no voice or an opinion.

Mariel De Leon, even though she passed quite a few bold statements, spoke her heart out and everyone has the freedom to express their opinion. Nevertheless, her followers and fans have still supported her for voicing her thoughts and making herself proud.