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R’Bonney Gabriel breaches 1M IG followers after Raul Rocha criticized her
R’Bonney Gabriel has reached over one million followers on Instagram after Miss Universe president Raul Rocha compared her follower count to other Miss Universe titleholders, including reigning queen Fatima Bosch.
In a now viral statement, Raul said, “Just for your knowledge, Fatima has gained three million followers in just one week.”
“Yet, our former American queen, R’Bonney, who won in 2022, has reached only around 800K followers in nearly five years," he added.
On TikTok, R’Bonney responded to his statement saying, “I’m so tired of being measured by follower count.”
@rbonneynola In less than 24 hours, yall got me to 1 MILLION followers on Instagram ???????? It was never about the numbers, but people look down on me just because of my social media follower count. Thank yall so much for supporting me. Your support is so strong and so real. It means the world yall rallied for me to get here. Thank yall for tuning in to my journey. Maraming salamat po. It feels crazy to celebrate this, but I’m happy ???? let’s not forget there’s still a whole world out there beyond digital platforms. Human connection and impact is still what’s most important ??
? original sound - First Motors
But less than 24 hours after the issue broke, the Filipino-American beauty queen hit the one-million mark on Instagram and she shared an appreciation post for all her fans and supporters.
“It was never about the numbers, but people have looked down on me just because of my social media follower count,” R’Bonney said.
“It feels crazy to celebrate this, but I’m happy,” she added. “Maraming salamat sa suporta. Your support is so strong and so real.”
With a bigger platform, R’Bonney intends to continue using fashion “as a force for good.”
“It was always about advocating for the arts, making women feel beautiful in my designs, and sustainability through my brand,” she said.
R’Bonney also left a reminder that “there’s still a whole world out there beyond digital platforms.”
“Human connection and impact is still what’s most important,” she said.
In the comment section of her Instagram post, fellow beauty queens like Catriona Gray, Sheynnis Palacios, and Andrea Meza gave their encouraging words.
“Never about numbers! You are loved!!!” Catriona commented.
R’Bonney was crowned Miss Universe 2022, where she made “herstory” as the first Filipino-American beauty queen to win the crown.
After her reign, R’Bonney lived the Philippines for over a year and reconnected with her Filipino roots.
— Hermes Joy Tunac/LA, GMA Integrated News
