Real Majestic – Hannah Arnold

After being delayed for more than one year due to the pandemic, Binibining Pilipinas has finally crowned a new lovely queen. With her charm, beauty and wit, many see Hannah Arnold’s potential to bring home the Miss International crown in November this year. But looking back on the momentous July 11 Binibining Pilipinas competition, one remains intrigued on how she reached her dream to become a beauty queen considering the tough competition she faced. “I made sure I wholeheartedly enjoyed myself, I went out there showing to the judges and audience the authentic Hannah Arnold. I performed to the best of my ability, using all the years of training I had undertaken and I knew that the remaining piece in the formula was up to God,” she explains.

While waiting for the big event, Hannah continued to prepare for the competition. “Honestly it was quite hard to train when restrictions kept on changing, the BBP schedule was postponed and cases were rising. Luckily my camp, Aces and Queens, accommodated us candidates online to keep us safe and take away some worries. We had fitness training three times a week via zoom, Question and Answer training once a week via zoom and pasarela (walk) training was mainly myself sending videos to my trainer and him sending back corrections,” she shares. Of course, there are people whom she will always be grateful to and had it not been to them, she would not have claimed victory. She said that she is very thankful to Papa J, Kali, Atty. JV and Ian for their patience and for adapting to make sure they were true queens come coronation night.

Even during her introduction, Hannah was already unique and exceptionally vocal in encouraging the country to invest in science and technology to prevent another pandemic. She really hopes that with this pageant, she can capture people’s attention not only with her looks but also with her voice and messages. Her passion in science rooted from the fact that she is a Forensic Science graduate and sleep scientist. “I have always been a passionate advocate of education, especially in encouraging students to take science courses. This pandemic taught us that we need a greater spotlight on science and we need to support our current and future scientists. Scientists discovered the COVID-19 virus, they developed vaccines and they are still fighting it. I really want to see the younger generations believing that they can prevent whatever comes next,” she says.

For those who do not know, Hannah first joined Bb. Pilipinas in 2019. Although she did not make it in her first try, she learned valuable lessons that helped her win the crown the second time she tried joining. “What I learnt back then is that it was not only a competition, but it was a workshop. It helped us girls transform our weaknesses, showcase our strengths and do so with poise and grace. I found that behind the scenes we became a family and that is why I wanted to return in BBP 2020/2021 to keep on developing my skills and to make more family,” she relates.

No doubt, Hannah has regal looks. But among her features, she thinks that her height makes her stand out. Having a height of 5’10”, she literally looks towering next to her friends and relatives. Besides, she has fair and radiant skin that complements her majestic aura. Nonetheless, she’s like most of us who experience having skin problems. And this is her surprising skin revelation: “Honestly I do have bad skin days especially now that I am experiencing maskne. What I do to help lessen the effects of the masks, pollution and stress is to drink at least two litres of water everyday, have eight hours of sleep every night and remove my makeup thoroughly as soon as I can after interviews and guestings. I am also lucky to have a dermatologist family (Avignon clinic) that provides different facials every few weeks depending on my concerns.” Maskne is a combination of “mask” and “acne.” The term appeared during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to refer to acne and other rashes of the face that occur in association with mask wearing. Despite admitting that she experiences maskne, it seems like she does not have any skin problem at all. She looks flawless in every angle. As for skin care must-haves, she thinks that both women and men should have a toner in their routine because the extra dirt or makeup is invisible to our eyes but will be seen after cleansing. As she observed, toners also help hydrate and reduce pores.

Going on a diet program like Palaeolithic, keto or Mediterranean is not her cup of tea. She just watches her portions and eats whatever is served on the plate. But she really makes sure to move her body for at least 30 minutes a day. She does jump rope workouts, sit ups, star jumps or walks up and down the stairs when she does not have much time for a full workout.

Surely, Hannah projects the confidence of a beauty queen. But she worked hard to gain her confidence. In fact, there are still days that she does not believe in herself or like how she looks. “What I do to shake this feeling off or the comments of others is to look in the mirror and say these words my mumma sent me: I am the best. I can do it. God is always with me. I am a winner. Today is my day,” she discloses. She also encourages everyone to say positive mantras to feel good and slowly gain self-confidence.

Hannah believes that all of us should keep chasing our dreams despite the challenges we face. “On every journey to achieving our dreams, there will be moments of uncertainty and hardship, however, we must not let this deter us from the ultimate goal. Those moments are actually meant to teach us certain lessons and for us to reflect on why we started the journey in the first place. Just remember that in the darkness, stars shine their brightest. So please continue to follow your own path, pick yourself up and shine that light for your dream,” she ends.