Another beauty was pronounced Miss Universe 2016 last January 30 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. Alas! She wasn't a South American head turner this time-rather, she is a very real French woman. What made her stand out from the other universe wannabes? Aside from the fact that she is a dentist, this extraordinary woman can also cook in her spare time.
As a woman, worthy of my own attributes, I sometimes ask myself if God had gifted me with a marvelous height and a splendid Venusian beauty, would I dare join a beauty pageant? I then ask the readers, who are also women who are proud of their own achievements in life, would you consider joining a beauty pageant on the list of your top successes?
There may be mixed reactions.
But one thing is certain-being judged for your uniqueness based on your looks alone is not only preposterous but also bereft of humanity. To all the pageant judges out there, how high and mighty of you to assess a woman's over all value based on her swimsuit prowess and evening gown aura!
God bless the woman who can grace a Question & Answer portion with a rallying march for world peace and a climate change advocacy. What else is outstandingly new?
As a Filipina, I have witnessed many aspiring women who joined as many beauty pageants as they could. The opportunities are as endless as the sea. The Philippines-being the land of famous beauty queens-boasts of women who have been groomed since their girlhood days to romp and catwalk like a Miss Universe of wonders.These charming little girls have been immersed into numerous training programs and exposures to the world of glitter and drama.
But is the Universe crown, and all other beauteous crowns for that matter, all worth the pain, the hysteria and the anticipation endured during the pre-pageant gallantry? Take it from the words of Miss France, Iris Mittenaere, "that Miss Universe is not widely popular in Europe." She is hoping that through her promotional tours, she will be able to enlighten Europeans about how glamorous being a Miss Universe is.
Some critics claim that beauty pageants do promote cultural exchanges among nations. True enough,in the recent Universe pageant, certain beauty queen aspirants attempted to have a quick taste of "balut"-the legendary snack food in the Philippines-wherein there's a baby chick inside an egg yolk and you have to consume it (including the chick's fur and tiny legs) together with the soup. To these beauties, the experience was probably both heavenly and bewildering.
And don't forget the once in a lifetime experiences of these beauties who are able to tour the famous tourist spots of their host country. They were able to go to the majestic views of Palawan and the chocolate hills of Bohol. Certain contestants left themselves behind after the pageant because they wanted to have a closer look of the their host country which indeed houses 7,107 islands.
Still other critics proclaim that beauty pageants develop self-esteem. In the first place, a contestant spends a lot of time and energy beautifying herself and enhancing her other God-given beauty marks. To delve further, sometimes this self-esteem issue is abusive in the sense that some beauteous creatures go as far as undergoing plastic surgery to have better boobs, more aquiline nose and more shapely butts. All in the name of the elusive crown.
So why does the world conduct beauty pageants?
Someday when I have my own little girl, I may train her to address issues like "what the essence of a woman is" and "how she can contribute to the world's unity agenda." Who knows? She may be the next Miss Universe in town!
