Michelle Dee: The reality of the dream

MANILA, Philippines - At first glance, the story of how Michelle Dee got her start in modeling sounds like everything that dreams are made of. While accompanying her mother, 1979 Miss International Melanie Marquez, to a fashion show in Cebu, she was approached by stylist Noel Manapat, who invited her to become one of the new faces of Bench in 2016. Since then, she’s been appearing on billboards, retail ads and magazine covers all over the country at a rapid-fire pace.

“It was like a roller coaster; everything happened super fast,” Michelle says with a hint of astonishment. “The opportunity literally just fell on my lap. And when an opportunity presents itself, you should make the most out of it.”

What most people don’t see, however, is how much work Michelle puts into making this dream a reality. First, she has to deal with the pressures of the modeling industry and of being the daughter of a famous beauty queen. “My biggest fear is the fear of disappointment,” she admits. “I know they label me as the daughter of Melanie, so their expectations are really high.” These comparisons were especially difficult to deal with in the early days of Michelle’s career, but the young model has since learned how to deal with her moments of self-doubt.

 “As I matured and started listening to the advice that older, more experienced people would give me, I thought why would I waste all the potential that so many people see in me that I can’t see in myself?” Michelle also points out that having a mother like hers is a blessing in disguise, as Melanie serves as her mentor and role model.

There’s also the challenge of balancing her modeling work and her schoolwork, as Michelle is studying AB Psychology at the De La Salle University. “I felt that Psychology was the best fit in my current situation, given the people around me. I love trying to understand other people, and I have very close loved ones that need more understanding.”

Planning and organization are keys to achieving Michelle’s work-life balance. “Time management is your best friend. I’m also lucky to have a very loving handler that fixes my schedule.” In her opinion, being a student-model is perfectly doable — if you know how to prioritize.

 As a model, Michelle realizes that the industry that she’s in has a huge influence on how people — especially young girls — view beauty, which is why she hopes to help them understand that beauty isn’t about clothing sizes or how good they look in a photograph. “Beauty comes from within. It’s all about confidence,” she points out. “We’re all uniquely designed, nobody is ugly.”

Her hard work and passion have already translated into an impressive range of work for someone so young, but Michelle plans to take her career another step further. Along with her upcoming modeling projects (she keeps them a secret like the good professional that she is), she will be flying to New York and Los Angeles to broaden her network and get more experience. “Expect to see more of me!” she declares, brimming with confidence.

Photography by Rita Marie • Creative direction by Luis Espiritu Jr. • Makeup by RIA AQUINO for MAC Cosmetics • Hairstyling by Kierlo Velasco • Fashion styling by DIANE LASAM • Jewelry by Miladay Jewels • Floral cut-off dress from Two Chic Manila by TC Alvarez and cobalt blue top and rust pleated raffle trousers from Seek the Uniq • Shot on location at the C Lounge of Conrad Manila