Like a dart falling far off from the throbbing red bulls-eye, the journey so far in crowning our latest Miss Universe Malaysia 2012 has seen more misses than hits.
In the wake of Deborah Henry’s loss at the recent Miss Universe stage (of which I am still recovering from), the Miss Universe Malaysia Organisation is going strong, if not stronger, with its latest six-part reality TV installment on Astro Hitz. Yet, even amid vigorous efforts to develop the fledgling pageant based on the “Hip, Urban, Relevant, Real” premise, pageant organisers seem to be missing the point.
I, for one, am not one to take delight in bashing anyone or thing without rhyme or reason, and should there be reason to do so, I’d still find it hard to tap on my keyboard freely without caution (this post is taking me hours to write). I, too, like a worried mother, am eager to see Malaysia’s best do well on the international arena, which perhaps serves as a driving force behind this post.
So what’s the hubbub, you ask?
If you haven’t tuned in to the hour-long weekly episode, frankly, you might as well be watching an episode of America’s Next Top Model. Hot on the heels of the reality TV bandwagon, the pageant has been reduced to a budget version of the Top Model franchise. I cannot help but cringe at the familiar sight of girls bursting through the doors of their “Beauty Camp” loft, climbing up the stairway and into their rooms to book their bunk beds, or ANTM’s infamous Tyra Mail revised as what the show calls “Beauty Mail”.
Though the above are the least of my concerns, they are only the beginning of them. I could care less about the look and feel of the show, so long as the show stays true to what it claims to do: “…to groom, train and ultimately take Miss Universe Malaysia to the top line-up at the Miss Universe pageant,” as promised by MUMO National Director Andrea Fonseka.
Sadly, that hasn’t been the case, at least not on its first three episodes so far. Of the 19 finalists, four has been ousted, with another two laying down their sashes in the upcoming episode - but not without stating their case that the competition was based primarily on their photos, placing them at the bottom of the pack for their lackluster poses, and for one hopeful, her “winced” smile.
In the wake of Deborah Henry’s loss at the recent Miss Universe stage (of which I am still recovering from), the Miss Universe Malaysia Organisation is going strong, if not stronger, with its latest six-part reality TV installment on Astro Hitz. Yet, even amid vigorous efforts to develop the fledgling pageant based on the “Hip, Urban, Relevant, Real” premise, pageant organisers seem to be missing the point.
I, for one, am not one to take delight in bashing anyone or thing without rhyme or reason, and should there be reason to do so, I’d still find it hard to tap on my keyboard freely without caution (this post is taking me hours to write). I, too, like a worried mother, am eager to see Malaysia’s best do well on the international arena, which perhaps serves as a driving force behind this post.
So what’s the hubbub, you ask?
If you haven’t tuned in to the hour-long weekly episode, frankly, you might as well be watching an episode of America’s Next Top Model. Hot on the heels of the reality TV bandwagon, the pageant has been reduced to a budget version of the Top Model franchise. I cannot help but cringe at the familiar sight of girls bursting through the doors of their “Beauty Camp” loft, climbing up the stairway and into their rooms to book their bunk beds, or ANTM’s infamous Tyra Mail revised as what the show calls “Beauty Mail”.
Though the above are the least of my concerns, they are only the beginning of them. I could care less about the look and feel of the show, so long as the show stays true to what it claims to do: “…to groom, train and ultimately take Miss Universe Malaysia to the top line-up at the Miss Universe pageant,” as promised by MUMO National Director Andrea Fonseka.
Sadly, that hasn’t been the case, at least not on its first three episodes so far. Of the 19 finalists, four has been ousted, with another two laying down their sashes in the upcoming episode - but not without stating their case that the competition was based primarily on their photos, placing them at the bottom of the pack for their lackluster poses, and for one hopeful, her “winced” smile.
Six of the 19 pageant hopefuls These Miss Universe Malaysia rejects may have been bitter in their remarks but not entirely unsubstantiated. So far, the format of the show seems heavily geared towards the physical aspects of the delegates, with the end of each show boiling down to a judgement made based on the day’s photo shoot. To be fair, there were attempts by Fonseka in questioning the delegates every now and then during panel but can by no means equate to a “proper” test of intelligence – a crucial element for the Miss Universe Final Q&A segment.
On top of that, little attention to philanthropy, as purported heavily by most pageants, were paid – save for a catwalk down the runway for a breast cancer benefit, which in the end, served only to emphasise on the delegates’ modeling abilities or the lack of it.
But truth be told, Fonseka may not be entirely wrong in affording so much attention to the delegates’ aesthetics. Looking at the very nature of the Miss Universe pageant itself, much of the scrutiny happens way before any of the girls could even have the chance to open their months, let alone pick up a child in an act of philanthropy. These delegates need to first work their way through the swimsuit competition, the evening gown competition, before finally voicing their opinions during the “final (only) question” – a format I personally don’t sit well with, but let’s not go there today.
Reigning Miss Universe, Angola's Leila Lopes.Even so, should we be so brave to crown our next Miss Universe Malaysia based solely on the premise that our girl will at the very least be aesthetically “noticed” on the international stage?
In a more upbeat note, the show has some plusses worth mentioning here. For the first time, Malaysia is seeing a different kind of beauty via the judges’ selection of a delegate bearing a facial birthmark (which also bears an uncanny resemblance to Tyra’s penchant for unconventional beauties). Also, Fonseka’s move in enabling a seemingly clueless hopeful (her choice resulting in a walk-off by another fellow judge) is paying off with the 19-year-old lass staying clear from elimination for two weeks in a row now.
Having said all that I have said, I must admit that I do owe the pageant and its organisers the benefit of the doubt. I don’t dispel the fact that a lot more goes on off camera. After all, only one hour is captured on screen out of a week’s worth of toil and labour. I admit my perceptions are based solely on these on-screen moments and at most, some hearsay information, but by no means serve as an adequate gauge as to the show’s effectiveness in producing a beauty queen. My observations and opinions are therefore flawed, but if taken at the viewpoint of a lay viewer, understandably so.
From here on, I can only hope for greater episodes to come – with “greater” measured at the benchmark of episodes that feature the show’s attempt to produce a batch of holistic delegates, women who are sure of themselves in every aspect, with or without the crown.
