Advertisement

Pinay among ‘Asia’s Next Top Model’ top three finalists

Filipino Stephanie Retuya is a part-time model and a full-time mother to a baby girl. (Yahoo! photo/ Deborah Choo)

Will a Filipina make it to the top?
 
23-year-old Stephanie Retuya from San Pedro, Laguna is one of three model aspirants who made it to the finale of the Asia-Pacific reality show “Asia’s Next Top Model.”
 
Read related story: Models on 'The Face' say tough skin is a must

Retuya, together with Kate Ma of Taiwan and Jessica Amorinkuldilok of Thailand, will compete for a modeling contract, a working trip to London, a cover shoot with fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar Singapore, and 100,000 SGD, among others.
 
Model Nadya Hutagalung serves as “Asia’s Next Top Model’s” head judge.
 
Retuya is the only Filipina in the competition that saw 13 other models from countries such as India, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan, among others, vying for the first Asia’s Next Top Model title.
 
The Pinay model wasn’t a frontrunner in the competition, having landed at the bottom two of the weekly photo shoot challenges five times.  She’s usually criticized for playing too safe during photo shoots and her lack of confidence. However, Retuya managed to get two callbacks (out of five) during the go-see challenge, where the models are asked to audition for actual modeling jobs.
 
“Asia’s Next Top Model” is based on the popular US reality show “America’s Next Top Model” (ANTM). While no Filipina has made it in the show’s past 19 seasons, Filipinos have made significant appearances on “ANTM” the past few years. Filipino designers such as Michael Cinco and Francis Libiran designed clothes for the show’s photo challenges, while celebrities Georgina Wilson and Anne Curtis have made cameos.
 
You might also like: Tyra Banks doesn’t want fashion fad

The winner of “Asia’s Next Top Model” will be revealed on Sunday, February 17 on Star World, with “Top Model” franchise creator Tyra Banks slated to make an appearance.

Check this out: Asia's Next Top Model contestants


Editor's note: Yahoo! Philippines OMG! welcomes opinions—and the occasional wisecracks—that enrich and highlight new angles on its stories. Below-the-belt rants may be a fact of online life, but that doesn't mean you should turn into a troll. You can speak your mind without bashing anyone. Keep it clean, folks.