MANILA: Beauty queen-turned teacher Alexandra Mae Rosales confessed that she used to just unabashedly use products to prettify herself, with wanton disregard for sustainability.
But now she said she has become more eco-conscious.
“I was guilty before. I often used excess products. And I think you should just read how much you need.
"It’s a waste if you put too much, and it doesn’t need to be that much,” the Laguna lass told INQUIRER.net at the opening of a health and beauty care chain store in San Pedro on Friday (June 21).
Rosales shared that it is, perhaps, one of the most common practices among women and beauty queens that go against sustainability. And for her, education became the key in changing her ways.
“Sometimes, we are just not informed. That’s why it is important to inform yourself, whatever you decide on what to do,” she said.
She had done the rounds of national and international pageants, being the first Filipino woman to win in the Miss Supermodel Worldwide contest in India, and having competed in the 2021 Binibining Pilipinas pageant, and the 2024 Miss Universe Philippines pageant last month where she entered the Top 20.
And as a tourism teacher, the dusky beauty also hopes to spread awareness on eco consciousness in traveling.
“I am encouraging you all to make sustainable practices as much as you can, do your research. I know right now traveling is very much something the youth wants to do,” Rosales pleaded.
She acknowledged that it will take effort to look at the sustainable practices observed by a place one wants to visit.
But she hopes would-be travelers will also find out if there are causes that a destination is adopting, or how much it is contributing to the community.
And this is where pageantry also comes in, Rosales said. “When you say sustainability, it’s what makes our world go round.
"And up to know, the reason why we still have what we have, like the natural resources, it’s because of sustainability.
"And it’s very important that we beauty queens have a platform to be able to raise more awareness and encourage people to do the same,” she shared.
“Whenever I travel, I make sure that I pick the right tourist spots that contribute to sustainable tourism, and do not exploit animals and everything else.
"I think being able to choose the right places to go is also something that you can add to the sustainable practices,” Rosales added. - The Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
