We were lucky to catch up with Melelani Duquez recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Melelani, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
The way I developed my confidence and built my self-esteem took years of trial and error. Till this day, I am still working on keeping my spirits high but I know that realistically, we all can’t feel great about ourselves all the time. My journey of building my confidence and self-esteem begins way back in middle school.
Starting middle school, I was always bullied for something. I didn’t fit the conventional standard of “beauty” at all. For me it was always, “You’re too short” or “No model wears glasses” or “You don’t even wear make up.” I always felt like there was always something I had to change about myself to try and be the prettiest girl in the room. Living in a traditional Filipino household didn’t help either. Culturally, having dark skin meant that you’re in the “working class” which usually was looked down on in the Philippines. It transferred over to me, a 3rd generation immigrant living in Hawai’i. I was always told to not go in the sun or to use papaya soap to brighten up my skin’s complexion. I wasn’t considered beautiful wherever I went.
When I began high school, I took that as an opportunity to try to change myself. I bought the clothes all the popular girls were wearing, wore make up, and tried to go about life without my glasses. Although, the comments stayed the same and developed into “You’re too skinny” and “You don’t have any ass or titties” and “You just looking for attention as an ugly girl.” It hindered my learning and mental health, so much so that I had enough of trying to fit in this cookie cutter that society calls beauty. I had this mental breakdown/moment of realization that how I look is not everything. I stopped trying to impress everyone else and just stuck to focusing on the things that mattered to me. I graduated High School with a grade point average of 3.5 alongside my family who loves me for who I am.
Now, at 23, I learned a lot since high school. I learned that my glasses make me who I am and help me see the world. Being short is so common in Hawai’i so I shouldn’t feel insecure about my height. I may not have the traits that most “beautiful” girls have, but I am beautiful for being me. I’m strong and intelligent and I do have attractive features on me. I learned that not everyone will find you beautiful and there will always be someone more beautiful. Overall, it’s the way you carry yourself that will stand out to everyone. You can be beautiful and still have an ugly personality. I keep being myself day after day and if other people think that’s beautiful, awesome! If not, then who cares? As long as I’m happy, everything else that is for me will follow.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Aloha! I am Melelani, also known as Miss Mele in the modeling scene. I got the name Melelani from my kumu hula. She named me Melelani, which means heavenly song, because I was always singing during practice. I got “Miss Mele” because I previously worked with kids and it stuck with me, I thought it was cute and simple.
My main niches are fashion and import modeling. My goal with my career is to be the representation for young Filipinas that look like me. I want to show the world that height is not everything and glasses are beautiful! Eventually, I would love to travel and bring the Fashion of Hawai’i to all corners of the world.
I have had some big achievements since I have started my modeling career in February 2024. I have been a 2 time cover model and featured model in a magazine called “Fasslyfe” and featured in an issue of “La Modele” Magazine. I have been a featured model for a car show called Hot Import Nights and SPOCOM in Hawai’i. I also am a brand ambassador for Vindicated the Brand LLC.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
There were so many things that have made an impact on my journey that it’s so hard to pick only 3. However, these three things really made my career sky rocket since I started as a model.
1) Perseverance. I kept trying. In the age of Instagram, the algorithm is hard to learn when you begin. If I’m going to be honest, I still don’t understand it. I posted things and waited to see how they performed. I didn’t get too upset when a post or reel didn’t perform well. I just kept going!
2) Don’t Compare! I noticed when I began modeling, I did a lot of comparing to myself and other creators. However, that hinders you from being your authentic self. You were born to be different so allow the world to see that being unique is amazing.
3) Numbers don’t mean everything. If you’re so worried about follower, likes, and view count, you will spiral when you don’t hit certain numbers. Instead of worrying about numbers, think about who you’re reaching. If you’re making an impact on people with what you share, that means more than the numbers.
My main advice for anyone that’s early on in their journey is to never give up, always ask questions, and make as many connections as possible! You will always have someone you can learn from so keep going and keep asking the questions even if it seems silly. Make as many connections to allow yourself to grow. It comes with learning more about the career you’re going into.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Yes! I am always looking for people to collaborate with! Whether you are a photographer, car owner, magazine, or a fashion/cosmetics brand, I would love to help you share your vision with the world. If you would like to connect with me, you can reach me best on email; melemodeling@gmail.com or on my instagram @howzitmele.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/howzitmele
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howzitmele
Image Credits
Personal Photo: Amateur Sight Photography
Additional Photos: Anamei Media, Francis Bautista, KySnaps
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
