Mariel de Leon, overwhelmed to be part of a fashion show for Kim Kardashian's shapewear brand

Beauty queen-turned-model Mariel de Leon couldn't believe that she booked her first New York City fashion show and walked for leading shapewear brand Skims of Kim Kardashian.

READ: Mariel de Leon signs contract with a New York-based modelling agency

Mariel de Leon: 'I don't like being called a beauty queen...I've closed that chapter in my life'

The daughter of Christopher de Leon and Sandy Andolong took to social media to describe the moment as “surreal.”

“I still can't get over the fact that I walked for @skims @kimkardashian for my first fashion show in NYC! Its so surreal to think that out of more than 1000 girls, I was one of the girls chosen to be part of the show.”

The former 2017 Miss International Philippines also looked back at her experience of being bullied online because of her shape.

She wrote, “In the past few years, I went through a lot of online bullying and body shaming... But I'm glad that what was perceived as something negative about me to many people was the very thing that got me here.

“I'm so proud to share this experience with beautiful women of all shapes + sizes + ages + colors. Its so amazing to see how the fashion industry here has evolved into a more inclusive and diverse one.

"The women who stand up for inclusivity, diversity, strength, and self love inspire me to love myself unconditionally and to be okay with the body I have. Thank you.”