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Architect Richelle Singson-Michael, daughter of Chavit Singson and one of the judges at Miss Universe 2018, revealed a lesser known yet disturbing fact about the batch of queens that participated at the recently concluded beauty pageant.

Richelle Singson-Michael

While the experience being a member of the all-female judge gave her the once-in-a-lifetime chance to work with confident, empowered women, it also exposed her to the many challenges that the candidates have dealt with in life.

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A post shared by Richelle Singson-Michael (@arch_richellesingson) on Dec 17, 2018 at 10:50pm PST

She started off her caption by giving a glimpse of what happened behind the scenes, "I never realized what a difficult task it would be to be part of the selection committee for Miss Universe.

"I believe the preliminary interviews were the most significant portion and I wish you all could see the personalities behind the ramp walk.

"Every single contestant was qualified and the range of stories were so diverse. The most common questions asked were on accomplishments and difficulties. You would never guess what the most common dominant challenge was that these ladies have experienced."

Her caption, however, took on a different tone when she started talking about the shocking stories that the girls shared with the judges during their preliminary interviews.

She recalled, "I will tell you that an alarming number of this year's Miss Universe contestants shared that they were bullied when they were young.

"Can you imagine? Some of these beautiful young women who have won in their countries and have taken the international stage were once bullied. It must mean it is more rampant than we think."

Bullying has been a hot topic lately, especially in the Philippines. Richelle couldn't help expressing her dismay over the alarming behavior of kids these days.

"What is it in the psychological raising of these kids that makes them fulfilled when they bully others? How do we equip our kids in dealing with bullies?"

She then posed a question that summed up the behavior of netizens nowadays: "Cyber-bullying is equally disturbing. Why do some netizens feel good in making harsh comments? #missuniverse #missuniverse2018 #bullyingawareness"

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*** I never realized what a difficult task it would be to be part of the selection committee for Miss Universe. I believe the preliminary interviews were the most significant portion and I wish you all could see the personalities behind the ramp walk. Every single contestant was qualified and the range of stories were so diverse. The most common questions asked were on accomplishments and difficulties. You would never guess what the most common dominant challenge was that these ladies have experienced. *** I will tell you that an alarming number of this year's Miss Universe contestants shared that they were bullied when they were young. Can you imagine? Some of these beautiful young women who have won in their countries and have taken the international stage were once bullied. It must mean it is more rampant than we think. *** Here in the Philippines we are now dealing with a viral bullying video. What is it in the psychological raising of these kids that makes them fulfilled when they bully others? How do we equip our kids in dealing with bullies? Cyber-bullying is equally disturbing. Why do some netizens feel good in making harsh comments? #missuniverse #missuniverse2018 #bullyingawareness

A post shared by Richelle Singson-Michael (@arch_richellesingson) on Dec 21, 2018 at 8:40pm PST

Richelle advocates women empowerment. In her Instagram profile, she describes herself as this: "I'm an Architect. I'm an Aviator. Though both fields are male-dominated, I like to think I dominate my world as mother & wife."

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