true ORIGINAL
Vogue Philippines|December 2023 - January 2024
Gemma Cruz Araneta on her life in Mexico, her reluctant foray in modeling, becoming a public servant and cultural advocate, and when she's writing her next great book.
AUDREY CARPIO
true ORIGINAL

Gemma Cruz Araneta is still turning heads in her eighth decade. Standing 5'10" with a coiffed silver mane, she is easily the tallest, and most striking person in the room. Her very presence commands respect, emanating a knowing dignity distilled from years of living a life that can be described as wide-ranging and far-reaching, even colorful. She grew up with the greats looking over her shoulders: Filiomena Francisco, the first Filipina pharmacist, her mother the writer Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, and her uncle the diplomat-historian Leon Maria Guerrero. She calls Jose Rizal her great grand uncle.

Hailing from a distinguished family of letters, it must have come as a surprise that Gemma Guerrero Cruz would make a name for herself as a beauty queen-a move that behooved her uncle Leon to send a cable from Spain to his sister Carmen with the message, "Basta de barbaridades!" (enough of this nonsense!)

But she wasn't just another pageant contestant, Cruz Araneta became the Philippines and Asia's first international title holder when she was crowned Miss International in 1964, in Long Beach, California. Back then, she was aware of how pageants were being used as a geopolitical tool. Considering what was going on at the time the United States of America was trying to shore up support for a war in Vietnam-it seemed that an Asian candidate would have a good chance of winning the title.

This story is from the December 2023 - January 2024 edition of Vogue Philippines.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 2023 - January 2024 edition of Vogue Philippines.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM VOGUE PHILIPPINESView All
FORCE sensitive
Vogue Philippines

FORCE sensitive

Designer Kelvin Morales premieres his latest collection, translating resonance in barongs, structured pieces, and a neutral palette spliced with ultramarine.

time-read
5 mins  |
August 2024
INSIDE OUT
Vogue Philippines

INSIDE OUT

It’s all overcast skies and solitary roads. Something in the air shifts when ANNE CURTIS explores Tokyo.

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2024
CHANCE ENCOUNTERS
Vogue Philippines

CHANCE ENCOUNTERS

How a series of serendipities helped a women-led artistic team bring Gabriela Serrano’s sophomore short dream-time

time-read
5 mins  |
August 2024
DARK MATTER
Vogue Philippines

DARK MATTER

These 13 contemporary Filipino films show new ways of being and seeing.

time-read
4 mins  |
August 2024
guiding lights
Vogue Philippines

guiding lights

These five women remain models for a healthy career in a complex, often unforgiving industry.

time-read
4 mins  |
August 2024
the cold rush
Vogue Philippines

the cold rush

ICE bathing remains the hottest topic in WELLNESS, but is it really for everyone? KATHLEEN BAIRD-MURRAY takes the PLUNGE

time-read
7 mins  |
August 2024
la vita è bella
Vogue Philippines

la vita è bella

PIA WURTZBACH is enjoying the newest chapter of her life as a growing presence in the global fashion scene. It's a journey that has taken her to fashion weeks all over the world and to becoming Bulgari's first Filipino friend of the house.

time-read
9 mins  |
August 2024
A WATERY STAGE
Vogue Philippines

A WATERY STAGE

The Paris Games will kick off, in spectacular fashion, with a procession on the Seine. Gaby Wood meets the creative director orchestrating it all

time-read
9 mins  |
July 2024
STUDENT OF THE GAME
Vogue Philippines

STUDENT OF THE GAME

For professional athlete Camryn Bynum, the mind is what separates the good from the great

time-read
3 mins  |
July 2024
SHOOTING HIS SHOT
Vogue Philippines

SHOOTING HIS SHOT

COLE MICEK now explores life as a space wherein his two worldsfashion and hoops—intertwine

time-read
2 mins  |
July 2024