Katrina Johnson nixes idea of Miss International ‘archetype’

The Miss International pageant is one of the competitions where avid fans believe a candidate of a certain archetype (erroneously referred to by many as “prototype”) has a favorable shot at the crown. But Philippine delegate Katrina Anne Johnson said she believes otherwise.

For a lot of pageant fans, the Japan-based international pageant almost always crowns women who look like “Barbie dolls,” with gentle demeanor, and have somewhat of a subdued stage performance. The Binibining Pilipinas titleholder offered to dispute such observation.

In her four years with the national pageant (as a candidate in 2023, a reigning runner-up in 2024, a returning candidate in 2025, and a reigning queen in 2026), Johnson got to personally encounter four reigning Miss International winners.

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Jasmine Selberg of Germany visited in 2023, Andrea Rubio of Venezuela in 2024, Huynh Thi Thanh Thuy of Vietnam in 2025, and current queen Catalina Duque in the most recent Bb. Pilipinas staging.

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“If you look at those four women, for example, they don’t necessarily look physically the same, they have different types of beauty,” Johnson told Inquirer Entertainment in an interview.

The Davaoeña pharmacist faced the media at her send-off press conference held at the grand ballroom of Novotel Manila Araneta City in Quezon City on Oct. 28, where 2013 Miss International Bea Rose Santiago and other Bb. Pilipinas International titleholders were in attendance.

Johnson also noted how different the four International titleholders’ personalities were, aside from them coming from different parts of the world, which meant they do not have similar looks.

“But the one thing that I have noticed and experienced first hand is they are truly so charming and so warm, and so intellectual. You just can’t help but be drawn, and they’re so magnetic,” she said. 

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“You learn from them, they challenge you. You’re able to speak to them, and you really feel that level of connection. Like they’re just so warm, you want to be friends with them,” Johnson continued.

She is set to fly to Tokyo for the 64th Miss International pageant later this week, on a quest to secure the Philippines’ seventh victory. It has been 10 years since the Philippines posted its last victory, courtesy of Kylie Verzosa who won in the 2016 competition.

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Johnson said she is ready, sharing that she has maximized her more than a year since winning her national crown to prepare for the international competition.

The 2026 Miss International pageant will hold its final competition at the Kanadevia Hall (formerly Tokyo Dome City Hall) in Tokyo on Nov. 25. /edv