Beauty pageants have indeed been at the forefront of discussions. With some citing the benefits of these pageants such as empowering young women, many have chided the existence of beauty pageants due to the fact that it relies heavily on physical attributes and less of intellectual capabilities. The Big 4 of the pageant industry, namely Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International and Miss Earth have always been widely talked about and these events are usually broadcasted on live television for the whole world to see.
In terms of our country’s participation, we have never failed to send contestants each year, to bring the crown of these pageants to our homeland. Our representatives for these pageants have always amazed us, and are often involved in community-service initiatives and the entertainment industry upon returning from the pageant. Notable beauty queens include Kiranmeet Kaur Jassal, Vanessa Tevi Kumares, Tatiana Nandha Kumar, Thanuja Ananthan and Soo Wincci. Albeit the popularity of Miss Earth and Miss International on a global stage, our country seems hyperfocused on Miss Universe and Miss World — usually, not realizing the difference between these two pageants.
Recently, Alexis Sue-Ann Seow, Miss World Malaysia 2019 and also the 1st runner-up for Miss Universe Malaysia 2018, revealed the dark side of the Malaysian pageant industry and even managed to give some information regarding the difference between these two notable pageants, in The Fashion Weak Podcast!
According to Alexis, throughout her pageant days in Miss Universe Malaysia, she and the 18 contestants of the pageant, had to take pictures of their meals every single day and send them to the pageant’s WhatsApp group for a span of 3 months. She said, “It was one of the most toxic environments that I’ve ever been in. When I see the other girls eating less, I feel as though I’m eating too much. And when I cut down on my food, I feel tired because I’m working out 3 times a day, 7 times a week. I ended up eating less than 1200 calories a day.”
Adding on, the 26-year-old said that it was not a great environment to be in as it made her feel worse about herself although the initial purpose of it was to make her feel more beautiful. As for Miss World, Alexis shares that it focuses on beauty with a purpose and the contestants from various countries do amazing projects to help their community.
When asked if she would encourage her daughter to participate in beauty pageants, she said that she would not stop her child from participating in them, but she would ensure her child enters the right type of pageant.
Nevertheless, this just adds to the notion that some beauty pageants, indeed idolise and celebrate women of a specific body shape and pre-determined physical attributes by the patent organisation itself. Let’s hope there would be changes in the Malaysian pageantry scene.
Here’s the full podcast on YouTube:
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about the girl’s tough experience on Miss Universe Malaysia. Back in 2018, former winner Samantha Katie James detailed how she was body-shamed and bullied. You can read all about it here.
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