Beauty pageants have historically never had great support in Singapore (apart from the year 1987 when Miss Universe was held here). Correct me if I’m wrong, but the general sentiment is that Singaporeans don’t place importance on beauty competitions; our way of life is to focus on work, studies, and to plan a nest egg for retirement. And of course there’s nothing wrong with that — it’s this “way of life” that makes us practical, and well-known to be smart. But at the same time, global pageants carry on… and when they call for entries, why wouldn’t we want representation.
Above: behind the scenes at 1880 singapore, getting ready for the miss universe singapore 2024 press conference on 28 august.
The most prestigious of these pageants is Miss Universe, and just yesterday, the press conference was held to introduce the 15 finalists that will compete to represent Singapore for 2024. This year is also the first time NYLON SINGAPORE is partnering with the pageant (with any pageant, in fact), and this move by the Miss Universe Singapore organisation signals to us their desire for a change in direction; an edgier, more “real” perspective, if you will. And this comes in the wake of the changing rules for participation. The only rule to audition this year, is to be at least 18 years old. There’s no limit on age (in previous years, participants had to be younger than 29), plus marital status doesn’t matter anymore too.
Above: finalist waiting for the press conference to begin.
With these relaxed rules, this year we see a diverse cast, including a married transgender woman, a divorced mother, and a 34-year-old. Inclusion is always great, but what would be greater, would be support for them. Being in a beauty competition is hard enough — and one would argue that, yes, once these girls join, they open themselves up for critique. But as a society, and a human being, let’s not be mean. Beauty pageants always bring with them online vitriol. For the keyboard warrior, this may be entertaining, but for the participants and their families, it’s just cruel.
Above: finalists waiting for the press conference to begin.
I’ve met each of these finalists in person to shoot their official portraits, and every one of them stands a fair and equal chance of winning this competition and representing Singapore in Mexico this November. Let’s please support them positively with kind words. These are brave girls who have chosen to put themselves out there for scrutiny, and to use the Miss Universe platform to share their stories. They may not be olympic athletes, but one of them will still be representing our country in a famous global competition, so let’s hold back our criticism this year and lend words of kindness and support instead. Unlike our regional neighbours like Thailand and the Philippines, we aren’t a nation that places weight on pageants; but we can still place weight on kindness. If the pageant can change their mindset about who can take part, then so should we.
Above: that’s me with the finalists for Miss universe Singapore 2024, taken at the press conference on 28 august.
The Miss universe singapore finals will be held on 22 september 2024 at Amber Lounge. Public voting details and ticket availability will be announced on 11 september on Miss universe singapore’s official INSTAGRAM and WEBSITE.
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