ARE QUESTION AND ANSWER PORTIONS OF BEAUTY PAGEANTS STILL RELEVANT?

 -What could have happened?

by Alejandro Bustillos

In my growing up years, I have already acquired a penchant for beauty pageants. Of course if it is any indication that I would grow up a gay later on who would follow the ways of beauty queens. In those days, we were always told that when the candidates reach the Top 5 or Top 3, the candidates are already equal in their chances of winning the Top plum. What would separate them from one another is their answer to the final question. I would always hear my teachers telling me, it is one way of separating the chaff from the grains. Well, the proverbial chaff from the grains talks! What does that mean? In the context of the beauty pageant, it means selecting the best among the beauties – the beauty with the wit and intelligence.

Honestly, watching this years’ series of international pageants, not one of these pageants adhered to the dictum of “separating the chaff from the grains!” In the Miss World 2012 Beauty Pageant, uproar occurred because of Miss China being selected as the winner. Then a more thunderous uproar happened at the Miss International Beauty Pageant when the Japanese selected their own representative to win over the other candidates who are much prettier, sexier and wittier. On the other hand, Miss Earth opted to choose a Goddess looking winner in the person of Miss Tereza Fakjsova even though she did not answer the question properly and correctly. Now comes the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant, the most popular and the pageant of all pageants following in the said context. Probably this year, pageant organizers are looking for the chaff and not the grains. In an era of creativity and high technology, probably people may look at the chaff to be much more useful. It is like saying that body and beauty sell more than the brains. In the neo-Darwinist sense, the chaff serves a greater function in the preservation of the grains. Therefore, in the realm of beauty pageants in this century, the meaning of the term has evolved and so with beauty pageants.

Before I digress too much with my thesis, my real aim is to understand and read into what these girls answered during the Question and Answer portion of the recently concluded Miss Universe Beauty Pageant:

A lot of spectators were surprised that Miss Venezuela tried to answer in fractured English and people found the answer to the question of Diego Boneta so bizarre. The question went this way: “If you could make a new law, what would it be?”

Quintero answered, “I think that any leys there are in Constitution or in life, are already made. I think that we should have, uh, a straight way to go in our similar, or, eh, in our lives as is this. For example, I’m a surfer, and I think that the best wave that I can take is the wave that I wait for it. So please do our only, eh, law that we can do. Thank you, Vegas!”

I would like to say something about what Miss Venezuela is trying to say. I think she is saying that she will not propose any new laws because there are already enough laws enshrined in the constitution or there are already laws made by men and divine laws that are enough in our lifetime.

Well, the judges probably understood it that way. So she probably had a higher ranking than Miss Australia.

Miss Philippines was asked by Nigel Barker the question: “As an international ambassador, do you believe that speaking English should be a prerequisite to being Miss Universe? Why or why not?”

Miss Philippines answered : For me, being Miss Universe is not just about knowing how to speak a specific language. It’s being able to influence and inspire other people. As long as your heart wants to serve and you have a strong mind to show to people, then you can be Miss Universe.”

Miss Philippines gave a very exceptional answer and it even underscored the fact that despite the flawed answer of Miss Venezuela she could have been Miss Universe.

Miss Australia came next and was asked by Lisa Vanderpump the question: What would you feel if you are told to lose weight and risk losing an assignment?

Miss Australia answered: I feel very comfortable with the way I feel and that is really important. If someone told me that I am overweight and I have to lose weight, I will completely ignore it as long as I am feeling good about myself and I think that matters. That’s all and I thank you.”

Of course, from the way Miss Australia answered she doesn’t mind losing the job as long as she thinks she is comfortable with her body. The question presupposes that it is a job that is financial lifeline and although she gave a very definitive and an emphatic answer, she veered from the true wisdom of the question.

Miss USA was asked by Ximena Navarette the question, what in her life had she regretted most and why?

“Olivia said every experience is something she's learned from, but the thing she did was to pick on her siblings while they were growing up. But she doesn't regret it.”

When Olivia was asked of the question there was moment that she took a deep breath and it was reminiscent of Denise Quinones at that time she won in Puerto Rico. But when she opened her mouth she already said a mouthful which was appreciated by the crowd watching. The question was simple and it was answered simplistically. But it lacked the thematic content of Miss Philippines answer.

That moment of introspection on the part of Olivia made me felt that she would probably crowned Miss Universe.

And lastly, Miss Brazil was asked by Kerri Walsh who says that she wears a swimsuit when she competes, does she feel being reduced to a sexual object?

“Miss Brazil answered through an interpreter, and her answer was that: The way they dress does not matter. What matters is inner character because it reveals the true self and character. “

Miss Brazil’s answer merited the 4^th runner-up position and I believe she gave a very simplistic answer but truly essential.

Now given the contention that all candidates are of equal stature when it comes to beauty, poise and body, and that they are judged according to their wit, my ranking would be this: Venezuela, USA, Brazil, Australia and the Philippines. Since we do not see how the candidates are being rated we only have inkling that the candidates are again judged finally according to beauty, poise, glam and wit.

And these are what I observed:

1.         Venezuela’s beauty during the final night is so divine. She has blossomed into a great beauty, something that I did not observe during the preliminary.

2.       Miss Philippines was above par in terms of wit but if that portion is just 10% of the total, Miss USA eclipsed her because she did not have a total blunder in the end.

3.         Miss Brazil was relegated to the 4^th runner-up position although her answer is pretty consistent and acceptable; her scores in the beauty, poise, glam department may not be able to overhaul Venezuela’s lead which Miss Philippines and Miss USA did.

4.     In my theory, the ranking prior to the Question and Answer would be Venezuela, USA, Philippines, Australia and Brazil. After the Question and Answer, the lead of Venezuela was clipped by USA and Philippines, hence the final ranking.


Photo Courtesy: MissUniverse.com; screenshots of the Top 5 finalists

MISS UNIVERSE 2012 IS MISS USA, OLIVIA CULPO

by Raphael Porciuncula

Queentessence’ candidate of no consequence romped off the title of Miss Universe 2012 and stole the thunder from Miss Philippines 2012 in a glittering presentation of beauty, body and wit. Labeled by this blogspot as a Trump Card, she did in a way as she seemed to act as such. She seemed to be the Ace that was used at an opportune moment to defeat the enemy card. My thought as a writer is that she would just be included in the Top 16 and from there; she would be eliminated going into the evening gown competition. But she did not; she held her ground and eventually won the competition. I therefore take my hats off for her.

Of the candidates that entered the winning circle, it was Miss USA that I placed with the less chance of winning the crown. I was wrong; she came triumphant in the end. Miss USA’s victory is a big victory for small but pretty and cerebral women. Miss Universe in the recent past has evolved into a competition of tall, lithe and beautiful women but now, that phenomenon may have come to pass when she was crowned as the new Miss Universe.

Our new Miss Universe is from Rhode Island. Once she was crowned Miss USA, she was already hyped to become the new Miss Universe. But how can people be shortsighted. When the Miss Universe competition was underway, they have targeted their eyes on Miss Croatia and Miss Puerto Rico. But luck was on her side despite a lackluster answer, the crown was awarded to her.

Coming into the heels of Miss USA is Miss Philippines. She was once a much-maligned winner of her country’s national pageant but now look where her critics are? They are now praising hosanna’s to her excellent performance during the preliminaries and the finals.

Miss Venezuela was predicted to be the candidate that had all the trimmings of another Venezuelan beauty factory. But she bungled her chance during the question and answer portion. And still what a surprise, she ranked higher than Australia who gave a very good and a decent answer to her question.

Miss Australia came in fourth in the ranking. She is such a strong and charming candidate from the Land Down Under. She has the magic and magnetism onstage and yet she still came out wanting despite a commendable answer to the question thrown at her.

And lastly, Miss Brazil wounded up 5^th in rank. A lot of pundits were questioning how Miss Brazil was highly rated by us. Well, during the preliminaries, she really excelled in the swimsuit and evening gown segments. She was even ranked by us as number 1 in the evening gown. We believe that she might just look old because of her styling because if you look at her pictures in the national costume presentation, she was very pretty and engaging.  I felt that she had what it takes to be Miss Universe and we were not wrong with her.

MISS PHILIPPINES’ JANINE TUGONON ALMOST MADE IT

by Jetset Alejandro

Our Philippine representative to the Miss Universe 2012 almost made it as the new Miss Universe but she was denied by Miss USA Olivia Culpo in a glittering pageant ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada. Janine was clearly a standout from the beginning into the end and it seemed like, she was going to be the 3^rd Miss Universe for the Philippines and the 2^nd with an Aringay, La Union heritage. Miss Gloria Diaz was the first Philippine Miss Universe and her father Jaime Diaz hails from the town. Janine could have followed the streak as her father Jose Mari Tugonon comes from the entrenched Dulay-Ysip clan of Aringay.  It would have been a rapturous occurrence for the Aringayenos as this would have underscored the fact that the fabled story of the town may have a grain of truth after all -  the beautiful maiden “Aring” as its origin.

It is really very difficult to predict who will be the Miss Universe’ panel’s choice would be as year after year, the question and answer portion has become to be not the basis of the final choice of the winner. Let us try a rundown of the winners in the last 6 years. In 2007 in Mexico City, Riyo Mori of Japan won over Natalia Guimares of Brazil. It was a classic case of a not so beautiful but fashionable girl over just a beautiful girl. In 2008, however, Miss Venezuela eclipsed Miss Colombia who was the clear front-runner because she buckled in her answer.  In 2009, the year when Stefania Fernandez won the crown in Bahamas, Miss Australia Rachel Flinch gave the best answer to the question but she ended up as third runner-up with Kosovo eclipsing her for the second runner-up position. In 2010 where the pageant was held again in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ximena Navarette  of Mexico stole the thunder from Yendi Phillips of Jamaica although Jesinta Campbell of Australia gave the best answer to the questions thrown by the judges whom they have picked. In 2011, the more superior answer of Shamcey Supsup over the other candidates landed her the 3^rd runner-up position. It was all the same this year.  Janine gave the best and most qualified answer compared to Miss USA who had to give herself some moments to think about her answer and to rattle the judges with her round and round in circles answer.

With Janine’s feat, she would again be the epitome of young girls’ dream. Janine joined the Binibining Pilipinas Beauty Pageant in 2011 and she wounded up as First Runner-Up. With her first runner-up win, many rambunctious pageant aficionados questioned her runner-up finish. When she rejoined the pageant the year after that, the more rumblings occurred but in all fairness, there was not a word of dismay that came from her. She just came out exemplary, stunning and roaring during the finals night and she was everyone’s winner. And truly, she was every inch a queen but was denied the final outcome by the judges’ or the Miss Universe organization.

Janine’s answer to the question given her by Nigel Barker was quintessential. It opened a gate of discussions to the very much talked about topic of Philippine candidates speaking using their national tongue during the Question and Answer portion of the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant. Pageant fans are always saying that the Philippines is at a disadvantaged since other countries use interpreters during the portion and it gives them the time to think and compose their answers in their language and the interpreters help them by giving them a better translation of their answers. Nigel Barker’s question was asked in this way:  "As an international ambassador, do you believe that speaking English be a prerequisite for being Miss Universe? Why or why not?"

And Janine answered in a very relaxed and intelligent manner, a scene that was repeated all over the world as she gave that most famous answer : “The Miss Universe title is not just about knowing how to speak a specific language. It is about being able to influence and inspire other people. If you have a heart to serve and a strong mind to show people, then you can be Miss Universe!”

Indeed, with her answer, despite being first runner-up, she has eclipsed the victory of Miss USA and became the Miss Universe of so many people of all walks of life.

Photo Courtesy: missuniverse.com

NATIONAL COSTUMES OR CREATIVE COSTUMES? – A MISS UNIVERSE 2012 SPECTACLE

By Lavinia Otilla

There are a lot of beautiful costumes paraded by the candidates of Miss Universe 2012 in Las Vegas. We get the feeling that most the girls’ costumes are patterned with the Las Vegas costumes. Most of the costumes look very carnival in character and thus the few real traditional costumes that adhered to what a national costume is were drowned in this dissonance.

What does a national costume signify? It refers to the clothes traditionally worn by some belonging to a particular nation. In other words, it is an outfit that identifies a geographical region. Before going to this treatise again, I took pains in going through research on what is the national costume of the countries.  

1.    BRAZIL – Colorful hand painting depicting the amazon forest and the people.

2.    CHINA – this is a modernized cheongsam. With the cloth that appears to have the decorations of the porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, one can still feel the Chinese influence in the costume. It is very creative and it tried to project the cheongsam in a new and fashion forward look.

3.    ECUADOR - the costume is made-up of a colorful hand-painted tilma-like cloth which depicts the biodiversity of the country. It is ornately decorated and it is very attractive.

4.    GHANA –The Ghanaian national dress is intricately patterned, brightly colored kente cloth, which is hand woven. With the cloth, they are further adorned with necklaces made of beads. Such ornately adorned kente cloth are usually worn by women and men.

5.    INDIA – India presented a modernized sari. It is made up of silk ornately designed.

6.    JAPAN – She presented a modernized kimono intricately and colorfully designed with fans. The fan designs are very significant as the kimono was originated by a fan painter. What makes this costume interesting is that it blended western and eastern influences. Western in the sense that the dress showed flesh (shoulders, bustier type of cut) while it still adhered to the original concept of the kimono.

7.    KOREA – Miss Korea used the traditional hanbok. It was colorfully designed and Miss Korea’s hair adhered to what the traditional Korean woman should wear.

8.    MEXICO – Miss Mexico presented a costume reminiscent of the Mayan influences. It is very colorful, vivid and beautifully crafted.

9.    NICARAGUA – The Nicaraguan costume is a modern rendition of the traditional dress used in folkloric festivities of the country. It is an intricately designed dress in which the historical imprints are placed in the dress.

10.PANAMA – Although Miss Panama presented a very beautiful and intricately made, it has the trappings of an Aztec inspired costume. But based on research, the national costume is the Pollera. The pollera has a wide skirt and is commonly used in weddings and in festivities.

11. PERU – Although Peru presented a very colorful and well-designed dress, I do not know what to make of it. In a recent reading it states that the Peruvian costume is made up of vibrant and colorful designs of traditional Peruvian clothing and the bright, geometric patterns seen in ponchos continue to blend thousands of years of Peruvian style mixed with traditional Spanish and modern influences. My take on the costume? It has nothing to do with the culture of Peru. It is a costume that is apt to blend with the Las Vegas.

12. PHILIPPINES – The costume that Miss Philippines has worn is derived from the costumes of the Muslim royalty in the south. The Maranao’s in Mindanao use this type of dress and they are usually colorful. The use of a crown depicts royalty. The sash or the band signifies also the status of the wearer. She could have used a fan or an umbrella for more effects.

13. ST. LUCIA – Miss St. Lucia’s costume is reminiscent of the creative costumes that represent the products of the place. The costume truly depicts a Caribbean paradise like St. Lucia.

14.USA – Miss USA’s interpretation of the Statue of Liberty is truly worth praising. I like the creative mind behind it although I feel the creator should have used brighter color to add more excitement and attention to the costume.

15.VIETNAM – Miss Vietnam presented a beautiful and colorful rendition of the  áo dài .

So in effect, who are my personal choices in the Top 5 in the National Costume?  

       Ecuador, Japan, Korea, Philippines and Vietnam.

My best in National Costume is Japan for being true to form and yet fashion forward. 

Photo Courtesy: MissUniverse.com