BodyCon 4.0: The country’s most inclusive contest

In BodyCon, there's no age limit, height requirement or any kind of restriction. It is inclusive in the sense that anyone can join and shine.

There will never be a shortage of pageants in the Philippines. Our beauty-crazy archipelago continues to drive the demand for contests from the barangay level all the way to the national stage.

Beauty competitions in the Philippines, even small ones, average 30 to 40 contestants vying for the coveted title. Clearly, a lot of women dream of representing the Philippines in international pageants one day.

Why do Filipinos love pageants so much? Part of the appeal of pageantry is the aspirational aspect of it. We love looking up to and admiring larger-than-life goddesses who grace the stage.

But that same quality that makes pageants so appealing also makes it somewhat exclusive. Beauty pageants have rigid requirements that make it impossible for a truly diverse set of people to join. What about everyone else? Those who aren’t the right height, age or size for a pageant?

Yes, pageants have undergone many changes to get with the times. It is no longer enough to be beautiful to win a pageant. More weight than ever is now being placed on communication skills, intelligence, charisma and advocacy. However, at the end of the day, looks still do matter a lot. Unfortunately, not everyone got the look.

That’s the space that BodyCon hopes to fill. A person can only work so much on beauty, but fitness opens up endless possibilities for everyone. I truly believe that anyone, regardless of look and age can reach their full potential through fitness.

BodyCon 4.0, the fourth installment of the nationwide search for the next fitness ambassadors, took place last March 28 at the Music Museum in Greenhills, San Juan. The spectacle was a celebration of fitness, health, and empowerment — bigger and better than ever.

With the theme “Heavenly Bodies,” 49 candidates were chosen through a rigorous screening process to compete for seven prestigious titles. The candidates were judged on physical appearance, stage presence, personality and communication skills — with the greatest weight bearing on fitness story and advocacy.

Fitspiration celebrity couple Robby Mananquil and Maxene Magalona

The event kicked off with a parade of bodies, featuring the 49 contestants marching around The Promenade mall and the surrounding area towards Music Museum, decked out in dazzling god and goddess costumes. They stunned the full house in attendance as they performed an ethereal opening dance number.

The participants were then introduced one by one and given the opportunity to flaunt their hard-earned bodies in the swimsuit portion. The big screen onstage showed their entire BodyCon journey, which covered months of hard work and fitness events, including dance concerts and a grueling fitness challenge.

Afterwards, special awards were given for the Best Performances in the fitness challenge, as well as the People’s Choice on social media. Emotions were high as the 49 candidates were cut down to the Top 30.

The audience got the opportunity to get to know each of the finalists better through their video testimonials. Each candidate’s fitness story was shown onscreen as they came out and hit their best poses. It made everything even more inspiring and surreal.

Unlike any other pageant, every contestant in the Top 30 was included in the question-and-answer portion. The candidates were given a variety of questions covering everything — from fitness advice to diets and controversial topics in the sports and health industry.

After deliberation by a panel of judges made up of Nicole Nason, Gold’s Gym senior manager of International Franchise Operations; Mark Dayrit, president of Gold’s Gym Philippines; Paolo Pineda, senior manager representing Gatorade Philippines; Ronald Mascariñas, president of Chooks to Go; Bobby Claudio, chairman of Toby’s Group of Companies; celebrity couple Robby Mananquil and Maxene Magalona; and Mauro Lumba, Century Tuna Superbods 2014 winner; the results were clear.

The winners were Enzo Bonoan, Mr. BodyCon 2019; Michelle Arceo, Ms. BodyCon 2019; David Du, Mr. Fitspiration; Romaness Cornelia, Ms. Fitspiration;  Carlos Aberin,The Fitspiration Youth award; John Sorima, Mr. Gold’s Gym staff; Althea Vega, Ms. Gold’s Gym staff.

Winning BodyCon requires unrivaled drive and determination. This is exemplified through the track record of previous winners who went on to achieve in their respective fields. Previous BodyCon winners include Miss Earth 2017 Karen Ibasco and celebrity fitness personalities Culver Padilla and Arnold Aninion.

The finalists showcased in BodyCon represented a truly diverse group — all different but all beautiful. There were no age limits, height requirements or any kind of restriction. It truly was inclusive in the sense that anyone can join and shine.

BodyCon will continue inspiring people to reach their full potential through fitness every year. It is an annual celebration of amazing and inspiring stories of how fitness change lives for the better. Every finalist was indeed already a winner!

*   *   *

Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph or mylenedayrit@gmail.com.