Mention the name Anne Curtis and what immediately springs to mind are her big, hazel eyes, signature red lips and the iconic beauty mark under her left eye. Of course, it helps that you can spot her face everywhere, from several billboards along Edsa to your TV screens at home.

 

 

Yet what makes her so popular among Filipinos isn’t just her constant presence in the media; rather, it is her down-to-earth, effervescent personality. She isn’t afraid to let her true self show, and is always game to do anything, whether randomly bursting into song or breaking into an impromptu dance.

 

Natural

 

In person, Anne is every bit as natural as she is on television. We caught up with her at the Plains and Prints 2014 pre-fall collection shoot, where she arrived straight from a taping of “Showtime.” As soon as she arrived, she gave everyone a quick beso before proceeding to have her hair and makeup done.

 

Sitting with one leg propped up on her chair, she animatedly chatted with the people around her.

 

“Hi, nice to meet you!” she said as we introduced ourselves. The whole time, she kept a smile on her face, looking genuinely happy.

 

Fun

 

“I’m having fun. I think that’s the best thing—that it doesn’t feel like a job, because I’m enjoying what I’m doing. I love to act, I love to sing—even if I’m not a singer!” she said with a giggle.

 

This, she explained, is because her job allows her to do things that she genuinely wants to do, such as to pursue her interest in singing. She held her second concert, “Annekapal,” at Smart Araneta Coliseum last May 16.

 

“What I always clarify is that I’m not a singer,” she admitted, “but I’m a performer. I’m an entertainer. Whatever I lack in my voice, I make up for in the stunts and the outfits, to make sure that I give a good show, visually. Maybe for your ear, it’s not really heaven to listen to; but with your eyes? It’s a sight to see,” she pointed out.

 

Despite being famous, Anne has kept her feet on the ground. “I don’t really look at myself in that way,” she said of her popularity. “It’s during concerts, for example, and when I check my Twitter account and my Instagram feed that I realize, ‘Wow! This is really happening!’”

 

Anne happens to be the most followed Filipino on both Twitter and Instagram; she has millions of followers waiting to see whatever she posts next. She shares tidbits of her daily life—the food she’s eating, the places she travels to, her outings with friends, and her adventures at work.

 

Connected

 

“I use my social media sites for anything, really. It keeps me sane by keeping me connected to the outside world—with what’s happening to my friends, my sister, my family abroad, and even as a way to get instant feedback from my followers about the latest episode of ‘Dyesebel’! I use it to stay connected to people,” she said.

 

She tries her best to make time to reply to fans through her Twitter account, even when she’s stuck in traffic: “So they tweet asking me when I’ll be stuck in traffic again, so I can have a little communication session with them,” she said, laughing.

 

Anne’s most popular online posts are her #ootds or “outfits of the day.” Since she’s considered a style icon by many, her #ootds are often bombarded with comments about how beautiful her outfit is, or how good she looks in almost anything.

 

“I just stick to whatever I’m comfortable in,” she said. “Unlike before talaga, I followed trends, whatever is in!

 

“But you find out that what you really like to wear and what is flattering to your body are just the key. It should be something that’s fun and that suits your personality.”

 

Relaxed fit

 

This is the reason she loves wearing Plains and Prints: “No matter what your age as a woman, the brand has a lot of pieces that have a relaxed fit. Even the length, the style, the fit—they’re all ladylike and comfortable.”

 

Anne is thankful to be considered a style icon by many, despite the fact that she makes comfort and practicality a priority in her dressing. “I’m just grateful that I’m kinda dressing the way I regularly would—in a fun and comfortable outfit—and that people still look up to me as a style icon. I’m thankful that I don’t have to make the extra effort to make sure that an outfit is super nice or #ootd worthy.  I wear whatever I’m comfortable with, and people like it.”

 

Thankful

 

Above all, Anne is especially thankful for her job: “It’s just great that I’m able to do something that I love and that I’m able to make my dream come true. I’m able to inspire others that if you really want something, you can make it happen; as long as you believe in yourself and push yourself to make it happen.”