"The eye of the beholder: 1994 Miss Universe Pageant in the Philippines" -- Thai Beauty Message Board

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Date Posted: 19:08:20 06/16/02 Sun
Author: COPYRIGHT Transpacific Media Inc. 1994
Subject: "The eye of the beholder: 1994 Miss Universe Pageant in the Philippines"

Anyone who has spent any time in the Philippines knows that Secretary Carlos's statement is no joke. But when you are trying to change the country's image as the "sick man of Asia," it is probably wise to rule out the second option. Cockfighting may be legal and hugely popular in the Philippines, but it is certainly not the ideal activity to lure foreigners and their money to your shores. So Secretary Carlos convinced his boss, President Fidel Ramos, that a great way to promote the president's "Back in Business in Asia Again" PR slogan was to hold the greatest and biggest beauty pageant of them all: the Miss Universe Pageant. It would be a natural.

For a whole month, eighty of the world's most beautiful women would be cavorting all over the country with a contingent of international press in tow. The pageant would be broadcast to 600 million viewers worldwide. Soon the tourists' dollars and the foreign investments would be flowing into the country.

"We look at it as a marketing tool," Carlos said. "We hosted the Miss Universe Pageant to show the world that we can host international conventions. The Pope is coming in January and that will be hosted and planned by this same committee. The Philippines is ready to do business with the world." Then as an aside he adds "and Filipinos love beauty pageants."

And so the 1994 Miss Universe road show thus did travel to Manila in April and May. While Filipinos will be debating for a long time whether Secretary Carlos's predictions were ever fulfilled, the pageant certainly accomplished one thing: it proved that Filipinos are crazy about beauty pageants.

From the time the festivities began late in April until the final day on May 21st, the 77 delegates vying to become the world's next superwoman were mobbed, cheered and ogled everywhere they went. Their very presence caused traffic jams. President Ramos interrupted his activities to meet with them. The raucous press hung on every bit of gossip and intrigue like it was earth-shattering news. Filipinos like a spectacle and for them, short of a revolution, it could never get any bigger than this.

Nobody is quite sure of the origins of this passion for pageants. Some say it has something to do with the Philippines' Spanish heritage. The country had been colonized by the Spanish for nearly 400 years and in most Latin and South American countries today, beauty pageants are also a national obsession.

Some Filipinos say that the idea, like so many in their country, came from America and that Filipinos just gave their full attention to it.

Almost everyone will tell you, though, that Filipinos have a soft spot for beauty. When a love song comes on the radio or jukebox, whole rooms full of people can often be seen singing the words, lost in the longing of the song. Outside the Philippines Convention Center, where the Miss Universe pageant was held, the huge crowds trying to get glimpses of the contestants consisted of more women than men.

"Why do you want to see the Miss Universe contestants?" I asked dozens of women. Rarely did the answers vary. "Because they are beautiful," they said.

Beauty pageants are a part of the annual fiestas held in every single one of the 1500 barangays or villages. There are two noontime television shows which feature a daily Little Miss Philippines pageant, popular among a broad section of the country.

"It's in our culture," said Margarita Moran, the 1973 Miss Universe from the Philippines. "It takes people away from their everyday problems. It's their entertainment." Said another woman, "We are a poor country. Despite our shortcomings, we still believe in beauty. When we see a young girl who is so beautiful and naive, we want to tell everyone about her."

"Mothers push their kids to join the pageants," said one man outside the convention center. "They equate beauty with success. If you are beautiful then you are given more place."

The press capitalized on the country's interest by covering the Miss Universe festivities like it was the moon landing. The Philippine press can be the rowdiest on the planet. In Manila alone there are over 25 daily newspapers.With the competition so keen, the only rule is that there are no rules. Anything can be said about anyone or anything, regardless of whether it is true or not.

Every day for a month, every paper in the country had pictures of the contestants in bathing suits splashed across the front pages. Whole sections were given to the Miss Universe contest. Miss Universe was a topic for the front pages, the editorial pages, the entertainment pages and even the sports pages. Some of the important stories that made banner headlines were "MISS ICELAND AND HER LOVER TO STAY HERE!" and "MISS VENEZUELA TO WIN - PSYCHIC PREDICTS!" In one paper, three pictures of Miss Korea, Miss Japan and Miss Hong Kong in bathing suits were accompanied by the headline "ASIAN ASSETS." In another paper pictures of African contestants were placed under the headline "BLACK BEAUTY."

"I can't explain the journalism in this country," said Marty Brooks, president of Miss Universe Inc. But his public relations manager, Kelly Totten got it pretty close. "It's like the Nutritional Enquirer gone mad," she exclaimed.

Even she wasn't spared from the scrutiny. She and her staff had never seen anything like the Philippines press corps. In order to try to keep everyone in line, Totten responded by scolding the Philippine press like little children. One columnist, complaining about the rude treatment, pointed out in his paper that Totten's last name rhymed with the Tagalog word for "penis."

The kind of beauty that Filipinos like was evident in Miss Belgium, the one contestant who nearly brought the country to its knees. Nineteen-year-old Christelle Roelandts was one of the first contestants to arrive in Manila. Her innocent, vulnerable and voluptuous features made her the instant favorite among the press and public, which mobbed her wherever she went.

To say that the country fell in love with her is an understatement. The neckties that Miss Belgium donated to the Miss Universe charity auction fetched a hefty $400. Miss Belgium even complained that a woman was waiting to take her picture as she came out of the stall in the ladies' room. To this day, underground copies of her picture are the hottest selling item on the streets of Manila. There were several stories about men who got in knife fights over who was more be, Miss Belgium or Miss Philippines. In one of the incidents, which occurred during a drinking spree, two men had taken Miss Belgium's side while one argued for Miss Philippines. The two men attacked the Miss Philippines supporter and killed him.

"She's a natural beauty," said a doorman at the Manila Hotel where the contestants stayed.

"She's mysterious and intriguing," said one of the hotel's supervisors.

Explained one Filipino reporter, "Miss Belgium is the typical girl any Filipino would love. Filipinos love mestizas - white skin, tall, with a face like a doll. She looks so vulnerable."

Several of the candidates found themselves the center of attention for more controversial reasons.The annual Flores de Mayo parade, a Filipino festival celebrating the Virgin Mary, included the contestants from the Miss Universe Pageant. The plan was for the delegates to parade in ternos, the long, traditional national dress, which would be designed by the top Filipino designers. Normally the terno is very conservative. The terno worn by Miss Israel, however, had various holes in it from the thigh down, exposing her legs. This not-so-traditional costume set off a nationwide uproar. The designer of the terno was chastised by several government officials. "This is an affront to all Filipinas," proclaimed one congressman. "It's a national disgrace." Two congressmen said they would hold hearings to find out how such an appalling breach of protocol could have happened.

The parade had to be cut short because over 300,000 people turned out to see the contestants. There was not enough security and frenzied mobs began rushing the women, who in turn fled to their buses.

Miss Philippines, Charlene Gonzalez, did not need any controversy to garner attention, but controversy soon found her anyway. After winning the National Costume contest, protests came from all over the country that the host nation should not win. It had something to do with hospitality. It did not help that nine of the eleven judges were Filipinos. Several of the other contestants cried foul as well.

Miss Thailand, Areeya Chunsai, disapproved of the Manila police for rounding up 279 homeless children living on the streets just as the pageant began. While the police claimed that the children were picked up for sniffing glue and taking cough syrup, she insisted: "Hiding the problem doesn't make it go away." Areeya, a graduate in journalism from Michigan State University. got a lesson in Philippine journalism when a headline the next day blared: "MISS THAILAND DENOUNCES MANILA POLICE."

This was the first pageant for Miss Universe Inc's Marty Brooks. who was very surprised at the popular reaction in the Philippines.

"I was not prepared for the incredible interest here," he said. "The overall support for pageants in the US is not at all what it's like in the Philippines, Asian countries and South American countries. The delegates are treated like royalty, like Hollywood celebrities. The current Miss Universe is not just queen of her country but queen of the world. It's mind-boggling the respect that these women have been given and how they're placed on a pedestal."

All of this commotion points out the fact that the Miss Universe Pageant is not simply a beauty contest but an international event that has few rivals. It must be typically American that in 1952, when the Catalina Swimsuit Company was dreaming up a name for the world's first-ever international beauty pageant, it bypassed the earth, heavens and galaxy and went straight to the universe. If you're looking to promote your product, it doesn't get any bigger than that. Today Miss Universe Inc is a for-profit business based in Los Angeles with a full-time staff of 17 people. The company is now owned by Madison Square Gardens, which is owned by Paramount, which is owned by Viacom, making it part of one of the biggest entertainment conglomerates in the world. Besides the Miss Universe Pageant MUI also produces the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants.

The Miss Universe Pageant is considered the world's premiere beauty contest. Its prestige stems from its core of nearly 80 national directors who run pageants in their individual countries and then send the winners on to the Miss Universe Pageant. This worldwide network has been cultivated for the last 42 years. The individual pageants are sold by MUI as franchises, the value of which is based on the popularity of the pageant in each country.

"It's amazing that they can get 77 girls together from around the world to put on a show seen by 600 million people, and they don't have to pay them anything," noted Jaime Granados, a Colombian journalist and veteran pageant follower. "They make stars out of them and then turn one of them into the woman of the world. It's a license to print $100 bills."

Which is exactly what the Procter and Gamble company, the main sponsor for MUI, has in mind. While certainly they have various cosmetics, beauty aids and laundry detergents they'd like the women of the world to buy, the unofficial umbrella phrase that Procter and Gamble promote all this under is "Woman Of The Nineties."

"Woman Of The Nineties" was the buzzphrase heard often during this year's pageant. This woman is able to balance traditional and modern values. She wants a family but she definitely wants a career as well.

"We take great pride in treating the delegates as delegates, as modern women, not as sex symbols," said MUI's Totten. "This is not just strictly a beauty pageant."

It is true that the contestants are often viewed by the public as spokeswomen and ambassadors. To a lot of smaller countries, being represented in the Miss Universe Pageant is a way to get on the map. It's the kind of recognition they feel could bring tourists and their money to their nation. For example, where else can the Turks and Caicos Islands share the same international stage with the United States?

This fact is not lost on the countries that send women to compete. In Zimbabwe ideal of beauty is a woman with a voluptuous body who can produce many children. But the Zimbabwean judges were not looking for a woman with a big bottom.

"The judges will look for somebody who can best represent Zimbabwe," said Yvette D'Almeida-Chakras, the first contestant from her country in 14 years. "They want somebody who can speak about the country. That is why I think I won. It puts us on the map. It increases tourism."

According to Miss Japan, Chiaki Kawahito, the Miss Japan beauty pageant is not a big thing in her country. The Miss Universe Pageant, however, is in a a completely different league. Kawahito attributed her victory to her multicultural upbringing.

"My father had a lot of exchange students in our house when I was growing up," she said. "I'm not afraid to talk with foreigners. I think that's the reason I was chosen. It's important because this is Miss Universe. People in Japan don't think of Miss Universe as just a beauty pageant."

After three weeks of relentless activities, rehearsals and public appearances, the magnitude of the event was certainly being felt by the contestants. The hectic pace was wearing them down. The Philippine summer sun seared and the humidity soared. And the crowds of gawkers did not let up. Over a quarter of the women got sick, many with diarrhea. Being sick in stifling Manila is not a pleasant feeling. Being sick in Manila and having to look like Miss Universe at the same time is something you would only wish on your worst enemy. Obviously, being the "Woman of the Nineties" is not an easy job.

When pageant day finally came, it seemed as if the whole of the Philippines was sitting on the edge of its collective seat. The two-hour show, much of which had been pre-taped over the last week, took place at eight o'clock in the morning - in order that it could be broadcast live in primetime to the United States. The royally dressed throng at the Philippine Convention Center included President Ramos, the Vice President, senators, congressman, and everybody who is anybody in the Philippines.

When they announced the semi-finalists, Miss Philippines was among them and the crowd roared its approval. Among others who made it were Miss USA and Miss Venezuela, two contestants who had been very popular the entire month. Two of the public's favorites, Miss Belgium and Miss Thailand, were let go. It is not known how many knife fights this caused in Miss Belgium's honor.

Sitting next to me in the floor section off to the side of the stage, was Jaime, the Colombian journalist. His country's arch-rival, Miss Venezuela, had been announced first.

"She's a catalogue of plastic surgery," he cried in my ear. When they announced Miss Colombia he breathed a sigh of relief. "I still have a story."

Miss Philippines also made it to the round of six and the crowd could hardly contain itself. When Miss Venezuela made it to the finalists, Jaime cut down her entire country with one snide remark: "Would you believe that in Venezuela the color the contestant wears is a matter of national controversy?" But then they announced Miss Colombia and he did not feel so bitter.

Of the six semi-finalists, Miss USA, Miss Philippines and Miss Slovak Republic were let go, leaving Miss Venezuela, Miss Colombia and Miss India as the three finalists. Jaime could barely contain himself.

"I think it's going to be Miss Colombia," he said excitedly. "If she wins I am going to pull from my seat and yell 'Colombia, Colombia!!' I am going to do something crazy here."

They announced the second runner-up and it was Miss Venezuela. Jaime was in a state of near panic.

"I need a drink. I'm so nervous. Can you imagine how she is? It is very important for our country to win this. We will enjoy it very much. We will have parties all over."

Then the announcer said "And the first runnerup is ... Miss Colombia. Miss India, you are Miss Universe 1994!!"

Sushmita Sen, an 18 year old model from New Delhi became the first Miss India to capture the Miss Universe crown. Her quick wit and spiritually toned answers dashed the hopes of millions of Venezuelans and Colombians, including Jaime, who disappeared to the nearest bar after his country came in second for the third straight year.

As for the Filipinos, they never really expected to win. It would not look good to win in your own backyard. For them the Miss Universe Pageant was another excuse to have a good time; a month-long distraction of beauty which fit perfectly with the Filipinos' love of pageants and their easy-going nature. As far as any of the benefits that were promised by Tourism Secretary Carlos, these would be debated for a long time in the Philippines. After the pageant Carlos was feeling fatigued. He had just spent the last six months putting together the Miss Universe Pageant, using it as a marketing tool to let the world know that the Philippines was a great tourist destination. Carlos decided he needed a vacation. So he packed up the family and set off for a little holiday - to the United States.

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