As one of the Philippines’ most recognizable beauty queens, Michelle Dee is using pageantry as a platform to promote autism awareness and inclusivity.
Michelle Dee was born to be a pageant queen and ended up building a name that went far beyond her family legacy.
She was born in the Philippines to businessman Fredrick Dee and former Miss International winner Melanie Marquez. Her childhood was spent in between the Philippines and Utah on her family’s ranch with her one sister and four half-siblings. Dee graduated with a psychology degree from the De La Salle University in Manila, then completed her certificate program in entrepreneurship essentials from the Harvard Business School.
Since she was sixteen years old, Dee has been an advocate for autism awareness and mental health education and has been working with the Center for Possibilities Incorporation assisting those with the development disability. So when she was 24, she decided to join pageantry to promote her advocacy work.
Dee was crowned Miss World Philippines 2019 and won six special awards, then that same year, competed in the Miss World competition where she placed in the top 12. She also placed second in the Miss Universe Philippines pageant in 2022, but later won Miss Universe Philippines 2023 to go on and represent the country at Miss Universe, where she reached the top 10.
Through her beauty and pageant skills, Michelle Dee’s advocacy work stood out above all. She has been working with the Autism Society Philippines and became one of the organization’s Goodwill Ambassadors in 2020. During Miss Universe competitions, she would use her platform to encourage stronger support for those with autism.
Aside from autism advocacy, Dee has also been an important figure for the LGBTQ+ community in the Philippines after publicly speaking about her bisexuality and the fear of backlash, which resonated with younger audiences who saw her as more than just a beauty queen. Pageantry may have introduced Michelle Dee to the world, but it was her dedication to her advocacy work that truly gave her a voice.
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