Kataluna Enriquez is a model and a beauty pageant winner, but Kataluna is also someone who is no stranger to controversy. Enriquez was born and raised in the Philippines. The Philippines is known for a few things. For one, it’s well-known for its lush, natural beauty. It is also known for beauty pageants. If you thought beauty pageants are a southern thing complete with big hair, southern accents, and pageant moms, you’d be mistaken. Pageants are HUGE in the Philippines, and Enriquez knew this growing up. Everyone who grows up there knows this. Why is this important? Well, we are about to tell you everything about Kataluna Enriquez.
1. Kataluna Moved to the US During Childhood
Enriquez moved to the U.S. at the age of 10 with family. It’s a big move to go from one side of the world to the other, and the entire family made the trip to California. The Enriquez family moved to a place called San Leandro, California, and that is where Kataluna graduated high school back in 2011.
2. Las Vegas is Home Now
Enriquez lives in Las Vegas at the moment. It’s home, but it’s also very close to home. Vegas is a quick flight from California, and it only takes a few hours to drive, so the beauty pageant winner gets to spend as much time with family as possible because of the proximity between the two locations.
3. Kataluna Was a Fashion Student
Following high school graduation, most kids decide they will spend some quality time in college, or they take a gap year, or they do something for themselves. Kataluna Enriquez knew that fashion design was the logical next step, and she did not have to go far from home to make that happen. She attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in LA.
4. She’s a Business Owner
Kataluna is a business owner, too. She opened her own business in 2016. It’s a design company called Kataluna Kouture. The company specializes in making pageantry gowns and costumes so that anyone who wants to participate in a pageant has the ability to find the right fashion for the event.
5. She’s Headed to Miss USA
For a beauty queen, this is a big deal. She is headed to the Miss USA pageant to compete for one of the biggest titles in the world, and she is happy about it. However, what makes her more excited than qualifying for this is the fact that she is not a biological woman. She was born a biological male and underwent surgery to become a woman.
6. She is Miss Nevada
She is the first ever biologically born male to win a state title and qualify for Miss USA, and she is making big waves in the transgender community as a result. Her stance is a big one, and it is making history in so many ways. There are many people in the transgender community rooting for her and cheering her on as she makes her way to the stage to compete for a national title.
7. She Felt Unwelcome in the Pageant World
She said in an interview that she did not always feel welcome in the pageant world. She was required to provide medical proof from her doctor that she is now a woman, and she felt that this was invasive. However, it’s also important to remember she did enter herself into a beauty pageant for women when her birth certificate lists her as a male, and that kind of documentation was necessary to prove she transitioned via surgery into a woman to compete in a pageant meant for women.
8. She Will Not Be the First Trans Woman to Compete in Miss Universe, However
While she is the first trans woman to compete in the Miss USA pageant in 2021, she will not be the first to compete for the title of Miss Universe if she takes home the Miss USA title. She will be the second. Angela Ponce was the first.
9. She Values Her Privacy
Kataluna Enriquez does value her privacy. Despite living a very public life, she is not always willing to share everything that she’s up to in her public life. She does value her privacy, and she tends to keep to herself when she is not on stage.
10. She Has an Impressive Following
Her Instagram feed is filled with followers supporting what she stands for. At the moment, she has close to 34k followers, though we anticipate that this number will increase substantially. As she becomes more famous and competes in the Miss USA pageant, we imagine that her follower count will increase.
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