Bb. Pilipinas - Universe 2006
Lia Andrea Ramos
My joining the pageant came as a pleasant surprise to my family and friends. As a political science graduate of the University of the Philippines, Diliman, I’ve always dreamt of entering the foreign service and becoming a diplomat.
But the persistence of Jonas Gaffud, a geography graduate of UP, who had spotted my graduation picture in 2001, finally won out. He had been convincing me to join the contest year after year, but my exact reply was: “I don’t think I’m cut out to be a beauty queen.”
So why did I change my mind five years later? I remember walking along Central Park in New York some time after New Year, and musing about where my life was going. I was turning 25 in nine days and had this strong desire to make things happen for me in 2006. I had a gut feeling that this was going to be my year.
Inner voice
Interestingly enough, when I flew back to Manila some days later, the idea of joining Binibining Pilipinas popped into my head. There was this inner voice that told me I would win, and I thought, why not? Better not let any opportunity slip by than wonder all my life about what could have been.
And indeed, it was an opportunity to expand my sphere of influence. I was already involved in development work with Asia Foundation, an international non-governmental organization. As part of a team implementing a program on legal accountability and dispute resolution, I thought a beauty title could help me reach out to more people and promote personal advocacies, particularly women’s and children’s welfare.
It wasn’t as easy as I thought. I barely knew how to put on make-up and wear high heels. Remember the movie, “Miss Congeniality”? I felt I fit that stereotype, right down to the “world peace” joke. But in a span of one month, Jonas managed to transform this NGO employee into beauty queen material.
I’ve always thought that my strong Filipina features, self-confidence and spontaneity were an advantage, but I realized that my biggest edge over the 23 other candidates was my experience and commitment to development work. During the preliminaries, I felt that the judges saw the passion I have for my work. I hope they saw me as I perceived myself: a modern day Filipina who is independent, articulate and driven.
Grace and poise
The other candidates, a lot of them professionals in their own fields, earned my respect, as well. It takes a lot of hard work and perseverance to stay in the game. Walking in four-inch heels and looking poised in a two-piece bikini isn’t that easy. It takes a woman who is comfortable in her own skin to display grace and poise under public scrutiny.
Winning the title completely changed my life. My choice of putting myself in the public eye also meant embracing a life where I had to project a beautiful image all the time. I realized I had another choice to make: I had to make sure that beauty in my case becomes a means to an end, a way to gain more influence over people. Beauty queens must face the challenge of breaking the stereotype that limits a beautiful woman to being an object of adornment.
Preparing for the Miss Universe contest was another matter altogether. I’ve never channeled all my energies with such intensity as I did when I prepared myself physically, mentally and emotionally for the pageant. Fortunately, I found a good trainer and supportive friend in John Cuay of Gold’s Gym, who pushed me hard every single day. I had to discipline my diet, giving up pizza, pasta and french fries in the name of, well, “world peace.”
Colombia classes
The Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. (BPCI) was supportive of my training here in Manila, and provided me with the opportunity to prepare further in Colombia. The past queens were equally generous in sharing their expertise. In Bogota, where I had to take up classes on catwalk, hair and makeup, culture, current events, dance, and so on, for three weeks, I had to struggle to mold myself into a woman of elegance and style without sacrificing my individuality.
But meeting a lot of interesting people made it all worthwhile. Colombians are such happy people. They live in a culture that celebrates life in song, dance and laughter. Similarly colonized by Spain for centuries, the Colombians have common sensibilities with those of Filipinos, in how they value family ties and in their ability to laugh in the face of economic and political problems.
Armed with ample training and desire to bring home the crown, I flew to Los Angeles fueled by high hopes and positive energy. Having a lot of relatives in LA gave me a home court advantage. And it probably helped, because I won the Miss Photogenic award, thanks mainly to text votes.
Pageant luck
Luck plays a major part in everything in life, and that includes competing in beauty pageants. At rehearsals, I looked around and saw a room filled with gorgeous and fascinating women. I thought anyone could be Miss Universe. It all depended on what package the judges were looking for. Beauty is indeed subjective.
Not getting into the top 20 was a disappointment to me. However, I don’t regret the entire experience because I know that I represented the country well, and that the quest for the crown has enriched my life in so many ways. The Miss Photogenic award was icing on the cake!
To say that I had an amazing experience at the Miss Universe pageant is an understatement. Meeting girls from 85 other countries and learning about cultures is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It still amazes me that despite the language barrier, we were able to make sincere connections among us. Equipped with my very basic and flawed Spanish, I easily made friends with the Latinas. Establishing ties with the Asians and Africans came naturally.
It was also worth getting to know the real people behind the thick foundation and false eyelashes who had their own stories to tell. One said it had always been her dream to compete in the Miss Universe pageant, while another took this route because it was a way out of poverty. We all had different reasons for being there. What we become out of the entire experience is another story.
Relevant beauty
Some people might ask how relevant a beauty pageant is, when terrorism, economic woes and fuel prices hog the headlines. I think it is precisely because there is so much conflict in societies today that we need it. Given the social and cultural differences around the world, a pageant provides a venue where people can co-exist and create an understanding. In my case, it provided us a means with which to share our values and beliefs and learn from each other. We may not have been gathered to resolve conflicts, but I can see how beauty queens can be instruments of diplomacy.
As a modern and independent woman, I see the pageant as an arena where women can speak out their mind on any issue. Moreover, it provides women an opportunity to represent certain advocacies, like combating the AIDS epidemic in the case of Miss Universe.
For someone who’s never traded on her looks, it can be difficult to maintain an image of elegance and refinement when I’ve always dreamt of going backpacking across continents and sleeping in the deserts of Morocco. But I have learned not to be afraid to use beauty and femininity to be in a position of greater responsibility.
And that’s where my beauty title has put me. As a public figure, I am given the license to move people to action. This has certainly changed my life. As someone who hopes to effect change in society, I believe I’ve taken a defining first step to make a difference.
Featured Article: Giving Up French Fries for World Peace originally appeared on Inquirer.net.
