Miss World 2013 Megan Young and Palmolive brand ambassador KC Concepcion with director of Shopee Philippines, Jane Lim.

“Don’t be afraid to be you. If you’re a little weird like me sometimes, embrace it. Be that person because that’s what unique about you. Never be afraid to step out of your comfort zone…Know who you are and stick with that.”

Filipino-American actress, model and beauty queen Megan Young confesses that she used to struggle with insecurity. She revealed that people called her names when she was young because of her appearance. She was called Olive Oyl, Walis Tingting, Ate Bulate and other things because she was very thin. But she grew up and bagged the Philippines’ only Miss World crown in 2013.

Now, she stars in the drama The Stepdaughters, where she plays a young, fearless woman named Mayumi, who changes her destiny by being tenacious and true to herself. It is her desire to play powerful female roles. Other than that, she also endorses many products and talks about her own definition of women empowerment.

At a recent Shopee’s Beauty Fair event, she shared her journey.

“Joining Miss World five years ago really took me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to be more confident,” Young said. “After being crowned, I realized I was in a position where I had the power to influence young women, and I wanted to do my part to encourage them to stand up for themselves. I used to just shrug off people who say insensitive or hurtful comments, but now call them out and tell them they’re wrong, and I encourage all women to not be afraid to do the same.”

Before joining the pageant, she admitted: “I was scared. I was afraid that they would turn me into someone that I wasn’t. That was why I didn’t get veneers. That was why I didn’t do anything to myself because that wouldn’t make me happy…I wanted to go in this journey by knowing myself. And by knowing who I was and the things that I like, that was when I felt empowered,”

Young mentioned that the evolution of beauty standards is never ending, and that we are always changing, but she emphasized knowing yourself, which will lead to empowement.

“What makes you happy? What makes you unique? What is something that you like and not just because somebody said this is who you should be?” she said. “Don’t be afraid to be you. If you’re a little weird like me sometimes, embrace it. Be that person because that’s what unique about you. Never be afraid to step out of your comfort zone…Know who you are and stick with that.”

Young is part of Beauty Fair of Shopee, an e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan.

“Shopee’s Beauty Fair is a celebration of women and their success, and we are proud to partner Maybelline and Palmolive for this event, both leading beauty brands who share the same belief that women should be celebrated as they are. Beauty Fair was conceptualized as part of Shopee’s continued commitment to empowering Filipinas across the country. We hope that this serves as an inspirational platform for more women to take a step forward towards achieving their goals,” Jane Lim, director of Shopee Philippines, explained.

Young joined actress KC Concepcion and blogger-influencers Martha Jante, Kristine Roces and Helen Payawal in sharing their personal stories on how they overcame society’s beauty standards, and to encourage Filipina women to do the same. The event featured three different talk show sessions where the five women shared personal stories on various topics, including how the media has influenced the standards of beauty, their struggles with overcoming society’s expectations of women, and how they managed to achieve success in both their careers and personal lives.

Concepcion, currently a brand ambassador for Palmolive, shared her own story on how being healthy is as important as being true to oneself. The singer-turned-actress talked about numerous topics from haircare to fitness, and how her journey with maintaining her health has helped her confidence and enabled her to achieve success in both her career and personal life.

On the other hand, the beauty influencers talked about their work as influencers and bloggers in the beauty industry, sharing their everyday struggles as women in their field and how they were able to overcome it with the confidence that makeup has been able to give them.

In line with the Beauty Fair event, Shopee is also celebrating Beauty Week from June 21 to 27. Users can expect up to 95 percent off the health and beauty category on top of a storewide sale, exclusive deals and bundles, P199 below collections and many more. Users can enjoy savings on a wide variety of items including makeup, skincare, haircare and other health and personal care items.

For more information about the Beauty Fair Sale, visit https://shopee.ph/BestofBeauty. Download the Shopee app for free on Apple App Store or Google Play Store.