Miss Macau to be crowned at The Venetian
So after 11 years, a new Miss Macau is finally going to be crowned this Sunday at CotaiAreana at The Venetian Macao.
The 10 finalists are below, and the general consensus from people I’ve been speaking to has been:
“Is that the best they can do?”
“Not pretty”
“So ordinary”
“Wait, isn’t that a man??!”
Sure, it’s easy to stand back and point fingers, but to actually get up there and bare your soul to the public, not to mention your body in a swimsuit is not easy for any girl without formal training.
We should applaud them if anything, for their courage. Beauty pageants are a strange thing. If you represent your country in an international sporting (think of the recent Olympics), music event, or film, you get the respect and support from your countrymen and women. Miss Macau will eventually represent this SAR on a an international stage, at an event that will be broadcast worldwide.
In terms of exposure for the country, they are just as eligible for support, yet, I doubt Miss Macau is going to have a whole bunch of Facebook groups dedicated to her and her her journey to the international finals.
In fact, many beauty pageant contestants in Asia have to battle constant criticism about their looks and intellect, and the stereotypical assumptions that they must be vain and stupid.
This is in a major contrast compared to beauty pageant contestants in India, where a pageant queens are stars and Latin America, where the women have been often quoted as “a national treasure”.
In India, girls with “pageant potential” start their training from young. Classes held by pageant trainers cover subjects including dressing, deportment, manners and how to generally come across as a good ambassador for their country.
I don’t believe Macau has the habit of grooming potential pageant queens from young - and after 11 years, any pageant trainers would probably have changed careers or starved to death by now. Most of these girls were probably still playing with Barbie Dolls and My Little Pony.
Indian superstar Aishwarya Rai’s career took off when she became 1994 Miss World. To me, she has always been the ultimate beauty, even if she doesn’t fit the Kate Moss mold.
In Venezuela, the local winners can bag themselves prizes like an apartment, car and even free plastic surgery and cosmetic dentistry services, to make them even more gorgeous. They often go on to lucrative endorsements, acting careers and marry celebrities.
In the United States, many girls dream of representing their country in a beauty pageant.
As a result of the support and admiration the girls in these countries get, more of them are likely to enter the competition, leading to a greater talent pool to select girls from. But who would want to represent their country only to be unappreciated at ridiculed? Perhaps there is a girl out there who could make the finals. But it is unlikely she’ll ever consider joining the contest without the support of the public.
If anyone thinks that the girls below aren’t exactly supermodel standard, well I’d agree. They aren’t your typical stick-thin and lanky clotheshorses. But then, people confused modeling contests with beauty pageants. Pageant queens are supposed to show poise, speak well, show sympathy and intellect and come across as likable - well, in order to be successful.
Successful models on the other hand, have to have symmetrical features which can adapt to suit different trends and figure which flatters most styles of clothing (read, skinnier than your average beauty queen).
They don’t particularly have to be well versed or liked, or well behaved off the runway.
It’s like comparing an actor to a model - both are attractive but require a different set of criteria and skill.
So anyway, here the girls are.
Good luck to them, and may they make Macau proud!
Entry No.01
Vanessa Chan
Age 26
Entry No.02
Kelly Qu
Age 24
Entry No.03
Sonia Hoi
Age 23
Entry No.04
Milna Leong
Age 24
Entry No.05
Ana Kuan Barroso
Age 20
Entry No.06
Iris Chan
Age 22
Entry No.07
Cherry Ng
Age 21
Entry No.08
Florence Loi
Age 23
Entry No.09
Martina Wat
Age 19
Entry No.10
Annie Loi
Age 22
Miss Macau 2008 at CotaiArena Sunday September 7.
7.45pm
MOP100
For more information:
Phone: +853 2871 5190
Email: alwyn.lee@suninnovation.com
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