Miss Singapore Universe

I cannot help but “pity” beauty pageant contestants, especially those in Miss Singapore Universe (MSU).

In the past, the pretty ones are labeled “bimbos” who have nothing to boast for except their body and breasts. Try as they might to smile and beam at the cameras, they are still best remembered as beauties with a serious lack of intelligence.

The irony is, this year’s contestants are again caught in the centre of a controversy. Not for being “brainless beauties”, but for being “brainy”.

It is said that the “quality” of this year’s MSU contestants has “improved”, in the sense that the pageant has attracted highly educated participants, with some even pursuing PHDs.

You may ask, what are these highly educated women doing in such beauty pageants?

To prove a point: beauty and brains can co-exist.

But it seemed that their plan backfired.

Instead of appearing as bright ladies out to outshine the other girls, they emerged far from it.

These supposedly smart ladies gave disappointing answers during the Q&A session which made me drop my jaws as I watched the competition while it was shown on television last Sunday.

I could not tell what those ladies were driving at, and I somehow wondered if they understood the questions in the first place.

Frankly speaking, it is not an easy task cracking your brains for an answer to a question within just a few seconds.

Many of us must have had the same kind of experience in school, when we freaked out during an oral examination in front of the examiner. Not to mention appearing in front of a huge audience and a panel of judges who are ready to pick on your faults.

But like they said, these are apparently intellectual ladies who excelled in academia, and we expected more from them.

We are not satisfied with them just provided elementary answers (or worse still making incoherent and ridiculous remarks). We listen in the hope of being impressed.

Unfortunately, many of them failed under expectations.

At the end of the day, we can only conclude: Yes, these girls are Ace students on certificates, but No, they are not witty on national television.

It is a fact that more often than not, contestants in Miss Singapore Universe are held under the microscope, and their flaws may be magnified. And I must admit that sometimes they may be subjected to unfair scrutiny as well.

Nevertheless, although I admire these ladies’ courage in participating in the competition, I cannot help but feel that they ought to do some homework before they step up on stage. Not for winning the competition, but for their own sake.

I think this pageant has sent us an important message.

It is not easy to please the audience and it is an uphill task to show that a woman can possess both beauty and brains.

Most importantly, it is never too wise to try unless you are sure you have them in you.