Janine Gutierrez Is Ready to be Seen

There was a time when sexy meant bare skin—decolletage in 17th century France, an exposed ankle or wrist in Victorian London, and uncovered legs during the height of World War 2. Then the sexiness bar kept getting moved as necklines plunged lower and skirts got shorter.  

Today, sexy can still mean all those things. But it’s also so much more.  

Sexy can be a state of mind. It’s confidence, self-awareness, and grit. It’s the smoldering, come-hither look she gives from across the room; the hearty laugh she lets out at the corniest of jokes; the enthusiasm in her voice when she talks about something she’s passionate about.  

Yes, sexy can be physical, but it’s also innate charisma, attitude, and smarts. And those are all qualities our Sexiest Woman Alive 2026 have in spades.  

She’s objectively attractive, but she’s also polished, talented, and fiercely independent. Audiences know her for her roles on television and film, but in person, she is relatable and genuine, graceful and self-assured. While there are many who are arguably similarly gifted with "obvious sexiness," her edge is that she carries herself with effortless poise and intellect—a combo that’s becoming exceedingly rare in today’s pop culture landscape.  

Esquire’s Sexiest Woman Alive for 2026 goes beyond just physical appeal and cultural relevance; she stands as a shining beacon of womanhood that we believe others would do well to look up to and emulate. 

Ladies and gentlemen, we present Esquire Philippines' Sexiest Woman Alive 2026: Janine Gutierrez.  

Janine Gutierrez is not the first actress that would come to mind when you encounter the word sexiest. She is undeniably beautiful, a favorite for commercials and fashion editorials. She is also very talented, appearing in television shows and movies that cineastes and observers with the most discerning taste would easily consider as important.  

But the 36-year-old actress exists within an industry where “sexy” is often synonymous with high-octane, performative allure. In contrast, Janine operates on a different frequency. For instance, it is easy to describe Janine as low-key. She possesses a persona that leans more toward the cerebral than the provocative.  

But don’t make the mistake of thinking that Janine is “quiet,” although she acknowledges why people would think that she is.  

In reality, Janine is measured—although she is also in the midst of a deliberate unraveling. After years of navigating the industry with a self-imposed guard—a byproduct of growing up in the fishbowl of a legendary showbiz clan—she is ready to be seen. 

This makes her the perfect choice to be Esquire Philippines’ Sexiest Woman Alive, the return of the venerable title after a seven-year hiatus.  

“I do resonate with quiet. I feel like ganun nga talaga yung persona ko in the industry compared to other people. I feel like sobrang low-key ko and the work that I do. Parang, I don’t necessarily gravitate to what I think would be the most popular,” Janine told Esquire Philippines after the photo shoot for her Sexiest Woman Alive feature at the Discovery Primea hotel in Makati City. “I still would choose something that resonates with me and with the things I believe in rather than what I think would be a huge hit.” 

She continued: “But moving forward, I really just wanna be intentionally more carefree and have more fun and be more out there and present and just not take things so seriously.” 

This evolution is not just about a change in temperament. It is not a professional branding. Rather, it feels like a redefinition of the very word that now accompanies her name on this month’s cover. 

“Sexiness is more a state of mind than anything,” Janine said. “It comes from within, in the things you believe in, in how you act, in how you interact with other people, and the energy that you bring out into the world.” 

This epiphany, of course, is hard-won from years of making her own name in show business. Janine comes from a family of actors. Her father Ramon Christopher is a popular actor during the 1980s and is the son of actor Eddie Gutierrez and singer-actress Pilita Corrales. Her mother Lotlot de Leon, an actress who remains active in the industry to this day, is the adoptive daughter of actor Christopher de Leon and actress Nora Aunor (who was named National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts in 2022). Janine’s name brings as much opportunity—because it cannot be denied that being part of prominent showbiz clans makes becoming an actress easy—as it did weight. In short: a nepo baby. 

Janine’s entry in show business does not dispel this label, as adorable or good-intentioned as it may be. “At first, I wanted to do it to earn money because I wanted to help my Yaya who got sick at the time. I wanted to be able to contribute something sa paggamot niya,” said Janine, who also studied European Studies at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City. “I had the opportunity to work in show business, so I was like, “Oh, baka nga I should try.’ Yun yung nagbigay sa akin ng lakas ng loob to step out of my comfort zone and really do things in front of people, which was scary for me.” 

“I ended up loving it,” Janine said, appearing in supporting roles for GMA-7 soap operas such as My Beloved (headlined by Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera) and Makapiling Kang Muli (starring Richard Gutierrez and Carla Abellana). “I really tried to learn and work super hard para I would be deserving of the opportunity.” 

Acting did not come naturally to her, despite coming from a showbiz family (she did not inherit the acting gene, Janine quipped). “When I started, I was super bad,” she said.  

“I had this one scene na talagang ang pangit (ng acting ko) na umere sa teleserye. And then my mom saw it. She was like, ‘Anak, huwag mo nang uulitin yan’,” Janine shared. The actress is able to laugh at her missteps now; she is even confident enough to admit the said television show was Makapiling Kang Muli. But she was devastated by this. 

“And then after that, I did not have work for a year. So doon ko (narealize na), “Oh my God, gusto ko pala talagang maging marunong na actor.’ And to do this seriously. At first kasi, parang try lang, let’s see what happens. Pero nung nanganib yung work ko, doon ko na-realize na I really want to do this. I want to take it seriously,” she said.  

And take it seriously she did. Despite her acting misfire in Makapiling Kang Muli, Janine became one of GMA-7's most reliable leading actresses, starring in major TV projects such as Villa Quintana (a remake of the popular 1990s afternoon soap opera) and More Than Words with Elmo Magalona (who, interestingly, is also a member of known showbiz family). She even headlined soap operas solo (meaning: without the benefit of a constantly onscreen male partner) like Legally Blind and Dragon Lady (admittedly, as was the standard of the time, the concepts of these afternoon shows were a bit quirky, if not campy).  

But Janine truly shined in her work for the big screen, particularly in Joel Ferrer’s romantic comedy Elise and Rae Red’s feminist thriller Babae at Baril. In Babae at Baril, a film that explores the life of a woman/as a woman in a man’s world, Janine was able to show that she’s more than just her family name: a deglamorized performance that captures the character from timid department store clerk to a woman emboldened; a woman who has discovered her power. It is a performance that placed her among the list of the best actresses of her generation, at a time some pundits considered as the third golden age of Philippine cinema. Her succeeding roles for television and film continued to reinforce this, that she is a product of continuous, tenacious work.  

Yet this trajectory—from barely passable actress to acclaimed artist—is one that she may not have been able to traverse without the privilege of her family origins. That she was given opportunities and protection because of where she came from. 

“Looking back, it was really always an advantage. I just tried to do my best para hindi ako yung tipong nakalusot lang. I always tried to make myself worthy of the opportunity given to me,” Janine said. The effort is acknowledged by both fans and the industry. A recent tabloid headline—notorious for being harsh and sensational—reads: “Janine Gutierrez, nepo baby pero workaholic.” 

Thus, it is both fitting and surprising that Janine felt she came into her own and discovered her own identity as an artist in show business not through acting but by “coming into fashion and doing magazine covers.” She loves doing fashion editorials for magazines and publications, Janine exclaimed. And this is no lip service, too; her three-layout shoot with photographer BJ Pascual for the Sexiest Woman Alive feature became a five- to six-layout, whole day affair—at Janine’s own behest.  

“Kasi syempre as an actor, palagi kang mako-compare sa mom mo, sa lola mo. So what I really felt was my own was fashion and covers and shoots like this. Kasi I got to do that thing that was unrelated to what my parents had done,” she explained. 

Which makes it evident that Janine is no stranger to the world of the beautiful, the world of the sexy. “I feel like sexiness is a state of mind, and it's a confidence to really vocalize and act on the things you believe in, and share your passions and your joys and your concerns and your interests to the world. I feel like it comes from within, and that confidence is really nakakahawa. And I think that's the energy, that sexiness,” she said. Janine says she considers her grandmother, her Mamita, Pilita Corrales as sexy, her standard. 

“She was definitely physically sexy. Pero she was funny, she was so prangka, she was so confident. But at the same time, sobrang gracious. Sobrang warm. People would really gravitate to her,” she explained. “She was always approachable and she had such a glow about her. So I think it was feminine and confident and carefree that she was always so sexy and radiant.” 

Janine said she feels sexiest when she feels brave. She explains: “I feel like bravery allows for sexiness. Parang just being true to yourself and not being scared to share the good and the bad about yourself. I guess being totally human to me is being sexy.” 

“I always thought that strong is sexy. When you're being brave and strong or fighting for something you believe in, like being present at a rally or being vocal about something that you think people should pay more attention to, I feel like that's being brave as a woman. And it also allows you to be your highest, most unapologetic self.” 

And being her highest, most unapologetic self is what Janine wants to achieve now. “I had such a crazy year last year,” Janine said. While she did not elaborate, there's no question she was deeply affected by the passing of her maternal grandmothers Pilita Corrales and Nora Aunor just four days apart.   

Janine is not dismissing the privilege she has gotten from being the daughter of her parents. But she now acknowledges that growing up in a showbiz family made her closed off. She was scared to be seen and be perceived, scared to make mistakes because her mistakes would become reflections of her parents and her grandparents. 

“Yung effect niya sa akin—I just don’t want anyone to see me. And siguro nadala ko rin yun kahit nung artista na ako.” 

Now, Janine wants to be seen. ”I really wanna shake that off and just be more of myself in front of everyone and not be so guarded…I realized na me not wanting to be seen is also hindering me from things that I wanna do and people I want to connect with,” she explained. 

Janine also said: “So many things happened with our family and I guess I just realized that life is short. You should have more fun. You should not be so worried about making mistakes. Trust everything about yourself and don’t worry about judgment. Parang connection and authenticity are more important than that.”  

This explains why Janine is more active in sharing personal updates on her social media accounts. Or why she is more open about her relationship with actor Jericho Rosales. Of the actor, she said: “I have learned so much from him… being with him has shown me that it is safe to let go a bit more.” 

But don’t be mistaken: this evolution, this desire to be seen is all her. 

“I really want to be joyful in everything,” Janine said. More than joy, she also wants to continue to be brave. 

“For a long time din kasi I feel like I stopped being vocal about the things that mattered to me. Kasi siguro I was disheartened with things that have happened in the past. Pero parang, it's okay to get tired but don't give up. “So now I really want to be present in those things that I believe in,” she said.  

Being brave, being joyful, being vocal about the things she believes in—Janine is making sure she will be seen, still in her own frequency. 

Story: Chuck Smith

Production: Rhia Grana

Editor-in-Chief: Paul John Caña

Creative direction: Igi Talao

Photography: BJ Pascual

Videos: John Mariano, Jo Tamesis, Greeko Junio

Makeup: Anthea Bueno assisted by Ryan Agos

Hair: Jay Aquino

Styling: MJ Benitez assisted by Teresita Gabat

Nails: I Do Nails

Shot on location at Discovery Primea

Acknowledgments to Janine's team: Pinky Angodung, Karen De La Fuente, Markie Castillo, Mitzi Cabrera, Shey Baltazar, Noreen Martinada

Special thanks to Maserati

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