Mimiyuuuh Is Forever That Girl

Years before she was rocking designer labels and landing on best dressed lists, Mimi had always been a fashion girl. A graduate of the College of Saint Benilde’s fashion design program, she has long possessed a deep-rooted appreciation. “I love beautiful things. I appreciate beautiful things,” she says. “And from the beginning naman, before ako naging si Mimiyuuuh, love ko na talaga ang fashion.”

In 2019, right when Mimiyuuuh was on the cusp of becoming the cultural force she is today, she cemented herself as “this generation’s unexpected stylish muse” on the cover of Preview. For the editorial spread, she wore Off-White with clean-cut bangs and her trademark front tooth in full display. It was a tongue-in-cheek fashion moment that even the brand’s late creative director, Virgil Abloh, took notice of online.

Mimi fondly looks back on where she was seven years ago, recalling: “Nakasakay ako ng Angkas [on the way to that shoot.] I was wearing something thrifted. Haggard na haggard ako noon kasi yun yung era na parang every day may work ako.” As her first major magazine cover and editorial shoot, the milestone marked a turning point in the way she approached self-expression.

Alongside her antics and crazes, she steadily fulfilled her sartorial aspirations through her work as a content creator. One of her first major fashion investments—a pair of silver Maison Margiela Tabi boots—remains one of her most prized possessions to this day. In many ways, the local fascination with Tabis can arguably be traced back to Mimi herself, who helped introduce the once-polarizing silhouette to a wider Filipino audience. (Yes, you can quote this writer on that!)

Through her fit checks, where she casually shares tidbits of styling know-how, she encourages viewers to welcome fashion into their own lives. One of her guiding principles reflects her effervescent personality: “For it to be chic, it needs to be fun.”

Whether through a quirky shoe choice or an unexpected pop of color, Mimi makes it a point to enjoy the process of dressing up. She embodies what it means for style to feel deeply personal—and how fashion can become a genuine form of self-expression.

“I feel like I have the responsibility to empower people through what I wear. Minsan naiisip nila na, ‘Ay! Kaya ko pala magsuot ng ganito kasi nakikita ko ‘to kay Mimi.’ Alam mo yung ganoon?” she illustrates. “Nakakatuwa na many young people are inspired to be who they are through fashion.”

Dressing for the life she wants has been protocol for Mimi since day one. So when her style evolved, so did her perception of herself. Something clicked, and “your girl” evolved into “that girl.”

Owning the title of “that girl” is a bold declaration, often delivered with a hair flip and a wink. “Yun naman talaga yung core ko,” Mimi says, vowing to always be everybody’s girl. Still, she’s also learned to give herself credit for everything she has overcome and achieved.

“Sa lahat ng mga pinagdaanan ko, I feel like I deserve to be that girl. And I deserve to live as that girl,” she says.

Becoming this proverbial girl is a day-by-day process for Mimi. While having a Hollywood icon validate you with the title is affirming in itself, fully embodying it is something far more gradual. Even during difficult moments, she still chooses to see herself that way. “In life, I feel like you're always at your best. Pero 'yung best mo, it doesn't mean na you're always at a ten. 'Di ba?” she explains.

“So I always feel like I’m that girl [even if] I’m at my lowest. Kailangan ko rin 'yung mga ganoong moments. Kasi kung palagi akong on a high, what makes being ‘that girl’ special?”

But as it turns out, stepping into this version of herself also comes at a cost—something Mimi perhaps didn’t anticipate at first. Over the past year, she’s faced criticism from people who claim she has become “unrelatable.” Many of her longtime followers have grown attached to a specific version of Mimi, one that no longer fully reflects who she is offline today. And at times, navigating the gap between those expectations and her real self can feel confusing.

The Mimi who once lived in a cramped apartment now resides in a high-rise condominium in Makati, with a fully furnished home provided for her family. If she once built her platform through “song association” and “boyfriend challenge” videos, she now shares shopping hauls and episodes from her “Sundays in Salcedo” series. And while she has no plans to dramatically alter her appearance, maintaining her image today also includes regular dermatologist visits that come with a far steeper price tag than before.

The notion of being “relatable” seems rooted in people's desire for Mimi to remain the Mimi they once knew. “Iniwan mo na kami sa kanal,” a netizen once wrote in her comments section. 

The 29-year-old is not entirely unscathed by these remarks. In fact, the perception initially weighed heavily on her. For a while, she found herself questioning whether people would still embrace this newer version of Mimi—the one whose life had visibly changed alongside her success. But as she now confidently declares:

She adds, “I feel like people are meant to change. To be aspirational, you don't want to settle.” Those who’ve been privy to her personal life know that content creation, from the get-go, was her way of supporting her family. “And now that I have the capability to improve my life and my family’s life, bakit ko naman ipagdadamot ‘yon?”

This kind of crab mentality isn’t new to Mimi. In fact, she bravely admits that she once shared that way of thinking. “Ganoon din ako dati… gets talaga na sobrang hirap kumita ng pera ngayon. And when you see someone successful, you [end up feeling], ‘Ba't ang dali lang ng buhay para sa kanya?’ Syempre, mapapa-question ka rin,” she offers.

“But for me, ine-enjoy ko yung mga bagay na mayroon ako ngayon kasi pinaghirapan ko siya. Alam mo yung ganoon?”

Mimi takes pride in the hard work behind everything she has built. The people clamoring for her to become “relatable” again often overlook the fact that the content creator truly came from nothing and made something of herself. Every milestone—and every peso in her bank account—was earned through persistence and hustle. As she once famously declared, “You don’t need to steal to be fashionable.”

It’s moments like these that further cement Mimi’s status as “that girl.” There’s a certain swagger to the way she moves now, knowing she has made it this far through her own merit. “Feeling ko naman hindi ako nagyayabang…” she begins, before pausing to correct herself.

“Ay, alam mo, dapat pala ako magyabang. Kasi itong mga bagay na mayroon ako ngayon, pinaghirapan ko siya. Galing siya sa wala. Your girl is self-made.”

For someone as industrious as Mimi, manifestation still plays a huge part in her career. Her call-outs to the universe have been consistent steps in her process of elevating herself. “Naniniwala kasi ako na words are very powerful. Kung ano ang iniisip mo, most likely iyon din ang mangyayari sa'yo,” she articulates.

In retrospect, much of her success stemmed from how she claimed them before they even happened. The hard work comes next, followed by gratitude. “Ngayon kasi, I really believe that I deserve the best in life and anything that is meant for me will be mine,” she says.

Now that she has reached these heights, Mimi finds a renewed sense of purpose in her work. For her, the work isn’t done as long as there are people who continue to look up to her. “Now na nagma-mature na 'ko, I just want to be happy. Alam mo yung ganoon?” she shares. “But as long as meron akong mga nai-inspire na mga batang bading, I'll keep doing this.”

Even with how much her name and platform have grown, Mimi still understands just how difficult it can be to navigate professional spaces as a queer person. This becomes especially apparent in her experiences with brands that initially refuse to take her seriously. She’s too commercial, too loud, too much of this or that—judgments she has encountered time and again throughout her career.

“Hindi sila pipili ng bading,” she says point-blank. “Bihira lang na pipili sila ng bading na hindi pa ganoon ka-mainstream.”

This is precisely why it has become even more important for Mimi to continue doing what she does. Every step she takes forward opens doors for others who rarely see themselves represented in the same spaces. As Mimi sees it, her visibility extends far beyond personal success—it also serves as proof of what’s possible for the girls and the gays who see themselves in her story.

“Kung kaya ko, I feel like more girls and gays can do it also,” she says. “Ito yung way ko to empower them [and to show that] everything is possible talaga.”

And perhaps the young queer kid who most needs to witness Mimi’s example is Mimi herself. After years of forming the consummate image of Mimiyuuuh, she never fails to go back to who she once was—because that version of herself never left anyway. 

“‘Yung younger Mimiyuuuh, andito pa rin siya. Iba na 'yung peg and moodboard ko and all, pero si Mimiyuuuh pa rin 'to,” she expresses.

“'Yung batang nag-Preview cover nung 2019, siya pa rin 'yung nasa Preview cover this 2026. I'm just so grateful for her. 'Yun lang talaga. I'm just so grateful that she stayed true to herself.”

This unabashed sense of self is what continues to keep her grounded. No matter how far she has come, Mimi never truly lost touch with the person she was before she became “that girl.” And perhaps that is what makes her so irrevocably Mimi.

Perhaps that is also why she remains our girl—now and forevermore.