Beauty Gonzalez is fun-loving, not rebellious, teen according to family

Let’s get to know Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition 2 housemate Christine Marie “Beauty” Gonzalez. Did you know that, albeit the fact that this 16-year-old half-Spanish beauty is based in Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental, her roots on her mother side can be traced to  Cebu?

Beauty is the youngest and only girl of the two children of Carina Arriola Luche, who belongs to a political family from Daanbantayan, and Manuel Ybarra Gonzalez, a former professional Jai Alai player from Spain. They made Dumaguete their residence as the family has been operating a coconut and sugar cane farm business for more than 20 years already in Negros Oriental following the retirement of Beauty’s father from playing as a “Pelotari using Ybarra as his name” of Jai-Alai in Manila when the said game was still at its height of popularity.

It was during Beauty’s frequent visits to Cebu, where all her relatives on her mother’s side are, that she was chosen to be one of Cebu’s 12 Prettiest Teens and image models of the fashion hub The Maze at Ayala Center Cebu a couple of years ago. Apart from doing a bit of modeling, she also eventually got involved in beauty pageants, becoming the 2006 Miss Teen Philippines - Central Visayas. According to her aunt (her mother Carina's younger sister) Bernadette Luche Tad-y, in an interview with The FREEMAN Entertainment, Beauty enjoyed all these experiences as she has always been “showbiz-y.”

She further describes her niece as not the “Rebellious Beauty” that PBB has dubbed her to be, but one who’s fun-loving and gregarious who especially likes to joke and play around with her younger cousins. “Maybe she’s ‘rebellious’ in a way that she likes to be always in fashion, she likes to model, etc., when her mother is not into that. In fact, one of the reasons why Beauty joined PBB is so that she could have her own money to buy the things that she wants.”

As for her being frank and bugay, which are being misconstrued as unladylike by some viewers, Bernadette explained that this is really how Beauty is. “Bugay jud na siya. That is because growing up, she is really close to the farm workers and is used to talking them.”

Her parents, especially her mother, who’s now one of the guardians staying inside the PBB house, initially frowned on Beauty’s interest in modeling, beauty pageants, and the like, very conservative people that they are.

But an unfortunate event happened to Beauty during her senior year in high school, earning her perhaps the PBB tag “Rebellious Beauty.” She was prohibited by school officials to march during her high school graduation after being alleged pregnant. It turned out it was far from the truth. Even Beauty’s father, Ybarra, himself had his daughter checked by a doctor to disprove the baseless rumors.

Bernadette reckons that this could be why Beauty’s father finally relented and allowed Beauty to join PBB, as this is one opportunity where she can enjoy herself as a teen at the same time show her real worth to other people. With his wife still inside the house, Beauty’s father has been busy doing his share in soliciting support for her daughter, like making banners and putting them around Negros. Bernadette shared that they once asked Ybarra, if he wanted her daughter to be the reality show’s big winner. He, however, told her that it would be enough for him that Beauty lands in the top 4, believing that there are other housemates much more deserving of the prizes than her daughter.

Beauty Gonzalez is turning 17 this May 28, and knowing what kind of birthday surprises Kuya likes to cook up for his residents, that’s a date that viewers shouldn't miss. — NMT