View this post on Instagram
Bianca Gonzalez-Intal marked her 40th birthday with a bare-faced photoshoot with BJ Pascual.
In the caption, she shared the inspiring story behind the shoot.
Gonzalez-Intal began, “‘Beej, I turn 40 this March and I wanna shoot a portrait that’s very raw, no make up or styling, literally ‘this is me’ ang peg,’ I told BJ. He answered, ‘Game!! That would be amazing ✨✨.'”
She added, “I’ve been modeling since I was 17 years old and so every professional photo I’ve had has me in full make up, hair, and styling. I loved doing all that, yes! But I’ve long wanted to have a very RAW portrait of me—like those I’d see in Richard Avedon’s work—and I was never really sure if I could pull it off. Baka mamaya, I’d set up this fancy shoot, only to have photos I’m not happy with.”
Avedon was a noted fashion and portrait photographer who has worked with publications like Vogue, The New Yorker, and brands like Calvin Klein, Revlon, Versace, and more.
Gonzalez-Intal also spoke about her morena skin. She wrote, “I’ve been proud of my morena skin for many years, yes, but it’s only now that I’ve fully embraced and accepted all my body’s flaws and imperfections, peklats, dark knees and all. I still get conscious about it at times, but I’m no longer tough on myself about it. In this stage of my life, I feel confident to step in front of a lens with no make up on my face. Literally, just me.”
The TV host shared that she asked Pascual not to edit out her lines, eyebags, or sunspots. Pascual agreed.
“BJ understood the deeper meaning of what I wanted to do. With no make up artist, no hairstylist, no stylist on set, we just played around. I put on some lip oil, BJ got down on his knee to zhush my hair, Damian his right hand man fanned my hair for wind effect, and his assistant Rolly curled the ends of my hair for one shot. The most chill shoot ever, and one of my favorites to date. Thank you @bjpascual, you are a creative genius and I love you! These are officially my favorite portraits because you captured ME.”
Gonzalez-Intal ended her post with another story, this time with makeup artist Lala Flores.
“She told me something I would never forget. She said, ‘Ang happiness, hindi napho-Photoshop.’ That has stuck with me ever since. And I guess now, the reason I want to have these portraits taken is not just because I fit a certain standard of what is “beautiful” in my mind. It’s really because I AM truly, genuinely HAPPY.”
The TV host celebrated her birthday on March 11.
What do you think? Share your thoughts below!
Do you have a story for the WhenInManila.com Team? Email us at story.wheninmanila@gmail.com or send us a direct message at WhenInManila.com Facebook Page. Interact with the team and join the WhenInManila.com Community at WIM Squad. Join our Viber group to be updated with the latest news!
