Victoria’s Secret’s First Filipina Model Responds to Critics Saying She Looks Too ‘White’
By Carl Samson
Kelsey Merritt, the first Filipina on Victoria’s Secret’s runway, is enjoying her success in
In a new Instagram post, the 22-year-old model shared that all she has been doing in the last few days is looking at photos from the show in New York City.
“All I’ve been doing the past days is looking at photos from the #VSFashionShow and I can’t take the smile off of my face,” Merritt wrote. “I’m one happy girl.”
Merritt, who was born to an American father and a Filipino mother, was named one of the models to walk the highly-coveted runway in September.
Her callback has since drawn mixed reactions from Filipino netizens, who are torn about her representation as a “Filipina.”
Merritt, an AB Communication graduate from Ateneo de Manila University, has responded to negative comments, pointing out that her blood is “more Filipino” than those who have never set foot on the Philippines.
It reads: “I was born in the Philippines and I grew up in Pampanga. I finished my school in Manila before I moved to the US last year. My blood is more Filipino than the ‘pure’ who have never set foot in the Philippines.”
While critics may remain unconvinced of Merritt’s merit, a wave of Filipino supporters expressed pride in her accomplishment.
Featured Images via Instagram / @kelseymerritt
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