A walk through some of the private colleges and popular nightspots in town will reveal that Malaysia has no shortage of drop dead gorgeous women. Beauty and brains -- Malaysian girls have it all.
However, year after year, many pageant fans have given up on seeing our country reach the finals in the international arena.
However, year after year, many pageant fans have given up on seeing our country reach the finals in the international arena.
Are beautiful Malaysian women shying away from pageants or are we not giving our girls enough support to push them forward?
Miss Universe Malaysia (MUM) 2010 national director, Miss Universe Malaysia 2004 and pageant head judge, Andrea Fonseka, says Malaysian pageant contestants have limitations due to culture and tradition.
"Asian, including Malaysian, contestants tend to be far less outgoing, perhaps it is our culture. When we were younger, we were told never to speak our minds or to praise ourselves, as it was seen as being vain and rude.
"Asian, including Malaysian, contestants tend to be far less outgoing, perhaps it is our culture. When we were younger, we were told never to speak our minds or to praise ourselves, as it was seen as being vain and rude.
"Whereas, the foreign pageant contestants are proud of their country, their people and most of all, themselves. And why shouldn't they be? That pride translates to confidence, which translates to a more striking aura on stage."
MUM 2010 tagline "hip, urban, relevant and real" was aimed at attracting girls who are smart, fresh, down-to-earth, have leadership skills, a great sense of humour and possess the basic foundation of being a beauty queen.
"We spoke to them and learnt what they're about. There was a varied panel of judges who were all looking for something different. And when we could agree on a girl, it showed that she had the complete package of intelligence, looks, and the 'heart' of a beauty queen."
So, why are Malaysian contestants still falling short?
"We need support, and it needs to come first from the government. Why shouldn't we support our Malaysian representative, someone who can share the beauty of our fine nation with the world?
"We need to be able to spread the word that pageants can be a wonderful thing, which can open so many doors and change lives forever. It did for me. And I want as many capable Malaysian women to realise and experience the same.
"In many other countries, Miss Universe is seen as the final destination of all pageants -- all roads lead to Miss Universe. The girls enter as many other pageants as possible to get the experience before taking on the biggest pageant in the world.
"For example, it is not uncommon for winners of Miss World Jamaica to then enter Miss Universe Jamaica -- and win! Here, winners of former pageants are too afraid to take part in Miss Universe contest even though the experience itself would be worth it.
"I believe they are afraid of 'losing face'. Which is sad, because I can list so many former Miss World Malaysia who could possibly break into the Top Five at Miss Universe, or even take the crown!
"As head judge, I hope to bring passion and support, and I hope Malaysia joins me in supporting our girls on the international stage."
Fonseka says there are a few reasons that have caused the low placing of our girls in the international arena.
"One of which is that pageantry itself has been run into the ground by opportunistic people who try their hands at making a quick buck, or gaining access to beautiful women.
"The best pageants in the world are those run by people who have a true desire and passion for it.
"Secondly, the fatwa against Muslims joining pageants has narrowed down the pool of local beauties greatly.
"I'm not saying that non-Muslim women are not beautiful -- it's simple mathematics, that when you have less people to choose from, less talent will be found."
Muslims were denied participation in beauty pageants following the issuance of a fatwa in 1995 by the mufti of Selangor.
"But I have to say that we did well with this year's MUM, Nadine Ann Thomas. She, for the first time in a very long time, made everyone sit up and notice Malaysia at the Miss Universe pageant. Some online critics touted her to be a favourite!
"It didn't matter to me that she didn't crack Top 15, she did us proud. She raised the bar, and I hope with her as MUM, girls nationwide will be inspired to try their hand at embarking on an amazing journey."
Local girls lack exposure and support
REIGNING Miss Universe Malaysia (MUM), Nadine Ann Thomas, talks about empowering young women and giving pageant contestants more support.
Q: What do you have to say to those who crack "dumb blonde" jokes?
A: When you think of pageant girls, you think of that stereotype. But it has to go away, a little at a time. Many assume pageant contestants don't have anything to say, they're just giggly. I tried out for the MUM pageant because the concept has changed. I felt that I didn't have to pretend to be overly nice and sweet. I didn't go into the competition with a "world peace" mentality, I just brought myself to the competition, no pretenses.
Q: What is your most memorable pageant question?
A: It was here in Malaysia, when I was asked about the MUM tagline. The question was: 'Hip, urban, relevant and real, which are you and why?' I chose 'relevant'. I was raised on the concept that as a woman, things might be more difficult. My mum always taught me to never really rely on anyone, and to make sure I can stand on my own feet. I was raised to be strong and to never underestimate myself. I believe Malaysian women don't realise their full potential. If you put your mind to it, you really can do anything. I want to help young women get out of their shell.
We may still be traditional in our ways, but our culture is becoming westernised. So, it may be hard to understand what's right and wrong. Sometimes, kids get lost. But it's about knowing who you are. The younger generation, especially girls, need to find someone to guide them. I hope I can help them find their path.
Q: When/if you have a daughter, would you encourage her to join a beauty pageant?
A: If it is something that she wants to pursue, definitely. I believe the most important parenting lesson is to raise a child to be what he or she wants to be. As a mother, I would want to endorse that and help her reach that goal, within reason of course. I would tell her not to be bothered about what others think.
Q: When you compared yourself to the other participants in the recent Miss Universe pageant, in what areas are we lacking?
A: I would think it's exposure. For instance, Miss Puerto Rico bought her first make-up set when she was 10 years old and most of the other girls had done seven pageants before. For me, it was my first experience.
Another area is support. I stayed with Miss Philippines and she got gifts everyday. Filipinos flew from all over the world just to support her. It may not seem like much, but it matters a lot. I would have liked to have more people from home push me forward, it would have really helped with my confidence level.
Offer beauty queens better perks such as university scholarships
DATIN Josephine Fonseka believes that beauty pageants in the country have not changed since her glory days.
"It is just as difficult now as it was for us before. I don't think people are okay with it these days, there's still a lot of reservations because people's perception of beauty pageants has not changed very much.
"My parents were very supportive of me joining the pageant. If they had not been, I would not have been able to enter and win.
"The main difference between then and now is that before, it was similar in every country -- an even playing field. Today, Western countries have moved forward whereas Asians are still very conservative in this aspect.
"In my time, we had less body enhancement services and cosmetic surgery was not well accepted, so the Western contestants did not have that advantage. Today, although we have it here, we still fear to tread. We are handicapped in that aspect.
"I'm not encouraging cosmetic surgery, but if we can find the middle ground between too much and too little, that would increase our chances of winning the crown."
Support from government and family, she says, is also greatly lacking.
"I think support from the parents is not so forthcoming, resulting in it being impossible for many girls to embark on this journey. We are a very family-oriented nation and parental support plays a very important role.
"But why are parents not supportive? It's mainly because our government is generally not supportive.
"If you look at European countries, the outlook is totally different. Young women are enticed to join beauty competitions because of the great prizes, including university scholarships.
"European contestants are encouraged to better themselves in various aspects, even before going for national beauty contests. After winning, they are encouraged to improve themselves further.
"Some are even given free gym memberships, so when they go for the Miss Universe pageant they are already 'there'. That's where we lose out."
However, Fonseka believes that the local pageant industry is making progress.
"There was vast improvement in last year's organisation and support. Throughout the pageant, Nadine Ann Thomas (MUM 2010) had a lot of television time, she was scanned as though she would be one of the top. Many local and foreign blogs also thought she had a really good chance.
"I think she was good, but Malaysian contestants need to be a bit more daring in their approach.
"Organisers should be going to colleges and talent scouts. If you go from that angle, you might get some good and intelligent girls. And if you give university scholarships, the right people will come in.
"Ultimately, you can have the idea but you need the money. Everybody has to change their perspective of beauty pageants.
"It is for the winner and organisers to establish the right image and branding for us to do better. If it is built correctly, people will accept it better and parents will be more encouraging of their daughters joining beauty pageants."
Read more: SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT: And Miss Universe is... not Miss Malaysia! http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/02avbeauty-2/Article/#ixzz10eaHTFGj
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