An Internet sensation called Miss McDonald

It started as a Halloween costume on October 2004," explains Genie Renada, popularly known on the Internet as Miss McDonald.

"The idea for a costume came as early as June 2004. I’ve always loved fast-food mascots, my favorite being Ronald because he’s the most instantly recognizable of all. Plus, he’s the most human-looking one, so I chose him for a costume."

Dressed as Miss McDonald and with her boyfriend in tow, Genie (short for Genevieve) thought it would be fun to visit as many McDonalds stores they could cover in a day and take pictures with the fiberglass statues. "I told my boyfriend about (the idea) and he planned a route. That’s how he became the official photographer. Then I thought, wouldn’t it be funny to have a picture of Miss McDonald hanging up laundry? So we went home and took more pictures of me doing random stuff, like sweeping leaves and watching TV. Then I put them up on an online journal, mainly to amuse people."

Her blog, called "A Day In The Life Of Miss McDonald" (www.livejournal.com/user/~miss_mcdonald) has captured the imagination of at least 2,400 (and counting) livejournal users who look forward to a weekly photo featuring Miss McDonald in normal day-to-day situations. Comments have shot up to as much as 200-plus per entry, with visitors coming from the US, UK, France, Netherlands, Japan, the Philippines, and more. What’s interesting is the number of proposals Miss McDonald has received in a year, considering her photos are innocent and non-sexy. Apparently, a lot of people think this 25-year-old Filipina is hot.

I try to make out the mystery that is Miss McDonald.

Philippine STAR: Who made your costume?

Miss McDonald: I did! It’s hand-sewn. The yellow top and bottom were a cheap sweater and jogging pants. The striped part was a kid’s sweater we found at an ukay, the red sleeves and collar I cut from my old shirts. The only parts I didn’t make were the gloves, which were C.A.T. gloves I dyed, and the striped socks, which were sent to me by my sister who lives abroad. The boots were found at an ukay. They were originally brown, then my boyfriend spray-painted them bright red and painted the soles black, and the shoelaces are actually bias tape. The wig I had to construct myself, I cut the hair from two rubber devil masks.

How long does it take you to get dressed?

About 20 minutes. The makeup alone takes 10 to 15 minutes.

Who does the conceptualizing?

I usually come up with the concepts, and my boyfriend and friends pitch in. My boyfriend takes the pictures, and when he isn’t around I use the self-timer. I might collaborate with other photographers for future pictures.

What does your family think?

Well, my family, or specifically my parents, are pretty used to crazy stunts – all us kids are pretty creative. I have a twin brother who loves to make costumes, too – we went as Optimus Prime and Arcee (from the Transformers) for Halloween once. What they weren’t aware of was how big (the site) had gotten. That was a surprise to them.

When was the tipping point when you became popular on the Internet?

It happened in February of this year. Links to my journal were posted on link-sharing communities like metafilter.com, monkeyfilter.com, and boingboing.net. Because of that people visited, who told their friends, who submitted the link to other sites, then it all just… exploded. So many people visited the site that my pictures went dead. I’ve heard of people receiving links to my journal through e-mail forwards, and that I’ve got a Japanese fan site.

What kind of comments do you get?

I’ve had lots of people tell me they love me, and have gotten a few marriage proposals. About 95 percent love it, but the rest that don’t are usually people that hate McDonald’s, or don’t understand what the heck I’m doing and think it’s some kind of sick fetish. The worst comments are the bastos (lewd) ones, which I screen or hide. I don’t mind people who don’t like it but I do mind if they’re rude or bastos about it.

Are you surprised at your popularity on the Net?

Somewhat. I’m not surprised it got this big since McDonald’s is everywhere. As far as I know nobody’s done anything similar. It’s funny because all of this matters only when I’m connected to the Internet. Otherwise, I’m not particularly popular.

I saw you on the TV show F once with your homemade bags. Are you still making them?

Yup, I still make bags, just not the plastic lunchboxes that were featured because they weren’t sturdy enough. I like making stuff. I’m working on new bags, which I’d like to consign.

Do you have a day job? What are your hobbies?

I’m a creative editor at K-Zone – it’s a kid’s magazine from Summit Media. I like making stuff. For K-Zone I’m in charge of the crafts section. My motto is: Why buy it if you can make it? So all my hobbies involve making or creating something.

Have you officially heard from McDonald’s?

Nope.

Jollibee or McDo?

Jollibee for their Yumburger with cheese and choco mallow pie, and McDo for their spaghetti, French fries and Coke. I swear they taste different.

What’s your favorite meal?

Cheeseburger or Yumburger with cheese.

What are your currents?

Right now I’m obsessed with little plastic toys, which I turn into necklaces–little toy soldiers, cowboys and Indians. Actually I’m obsessed with anything miniature, plastic and brightly-colored, and Japanese.

How long do you plan to do this?

Until I get sick of it. Or I run out of the white face paint.

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You can reach Miss McDonald at miss_mcdonald_mail@yahoo.com.