Advocating for both physical and mental health, Selena Antonio-Reyes has her sights set on the most prestigious crown in the world: that of Ms Universe.

Given how many pageants, including the most prestigious ones, set great stock on women in their early to mid-twenties, they send a message to women that desirability is based not only on physical beauty or intellectual wit, but also on youth. In decades past, this has driven many women who have remained beautiful and brilliant well into their later years to shelve their dreams of taking the crown.

However, given recent changes to the eligibility rules of the Ms Universe pageant, great beauties regardless of their age or even their status in life are now striving to bring their shared dream of bringing home a global beauty title to fruition. Selena Antonio-Reyes is one of these women with her eye on the ultimate prize.

A Woman of Great Beauty and Substance

Long-time pageant fans will recall that Antonio-Reyes (then Selena Alexis Antonio) was one of the gorgeous finalists at the 47th Binibining Pilipinas in 2010 and was one of the fan favorites in the competition. Given how she was 24 at the time of the competition and at the very limit of pageant age limits then, she knew that it was unlikely that she would get another chance to snatch the title.

Age, marriage, children, and a busy career have not kept her from making her mark on the country’s awareness, particularly where sports and fitness are concerned. Indeed, Antonio-Reyes has the distinction of having finished two of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors, and came away with the bronze in the 2022 run of the Spartan Asia-Pacific Championship. Given her background as a prize-winning gymnast, this keen aptitude for sport has stayed with her even now that she is in her 30s. Thus, it isn’t surprising that her trim and toned physique easily carried her to victory in the Ageless category of Century Tuna’s Superbods 2022.

There is, nevertheless, a deeper impetus for Antonio-Reyes’ drive to stay fit and healthy. Postpartum depression reared its ugly head in her life following the birth of her eldest child and would have incapacitated her the way it has millions of women throughout the world. But Antonio-Reyes is a staunch believer in mens sana in corpore sano—a sound mind in a sound body—and this led her to push herself out of depression through exercise and taking better care of herself.

“After dealing with the baby blues, I chose to campaign for overall wellness,” Antonio-Reyes explains. “In doing so, I can encourage others to work so that we can all have fit bodies and healthy minds. I am proud to say that my identity as an athlete and fitness enthusiast has revealed the profound link between physical well-being and mental health.“

Racing to the Crown

It is this campaign that serves as the foundation of Antonio-Reyes’ candidacy for the Pasig run of Ms Universe Philippines. Following the revision of the pageant’s eligibility rules last year, she realized that participating would enable her to expand the scope of her platform and encourage women to celebrate their strength, intelligence, and beauty regardless of their age.

“In a society that often dictates that our dreams should decline or be given up with age, I’m here to challenge, even change the narrative,” she declares proudly. “Age is merely a number; and we, as women, possess the transformative power to redefine norms, inspire, and lead, regardless of whichever stage we are in life.”

Antonio-Reyes’ bid for the crown is supported in part by a company with quite a history of giving back to their host community: St Gerrard Construction and Realty (SGC.)

For SGC vice-president Zarah Discaya, the choice to support Antonio-Reyes is in keeping with her own impetus to uplift the welfare and personal development of women and girls in Pasig City.

“Selena embodies the beauty, brilliance, and grace of the modern Filipino woman,” Discaya explains when asked why she threw her support behind the fitness queen. “She has carried her gifts well into her life and the way she overcame her mental and physical struggles after becoming a mother serves as an inspiration to all of us. Selena would be a most worthy candidate to present the essence of modern Philippine femininity to the world and take it to victory.”