Hawaiian-based Filipino beauty and social media influencer Bretman Rock is the cover model for Vogue Philippines’ first ever Pride cover.
Rock took to Instagram stories to share his emotional reaction to this milestone.
“This is Vogue Philippines’ first Pride cover,” he declared in the heartfelt clip. “This is my country’s Vogue Philippines’ first Pride cover, and to be part of it, I’m not even part of it, I am it.”
Tearing up, Rock emphasized the importance of representation and expressed his hope for a future where queer children, particularly those from marginalized communities, can also experience the same sense of pride and visibility.
I waited my turn, and I deserve every single [megapixel] on that image. This truly is a big deal, and I really wish, I hope that every brown queer kid gets to have their Vogue cover one day because every queer kid deserves to feel like this.
I think it was hard to be taken seriously because obviously, I started this when I was seventeen years old, like before I went through puberty you know! … So I think the struggle really was finding work when I was young, and being taken seriously by big brands. But they take me seriously now, they know my impact and what I can offer to a brand deal, and I feel like I have an upper hand now. I get to be the picky one now, which is great!
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