By Loh Keng Fatt
News Editor, Sunday Times
kengfatt@sph.com.sg

 

MISS Singapore World. Miss Singapore Universe.

They must be the top two beauty contests in Singapore for anyone aiming to sashay on and land a bigger prize on the global stage.

It is a nice quest to aim for but it's not linked only to the dreams of starry-eyed, pretty girls.

Nor does it concern only the pageant franchise-holder which stands to score bragging rights if its girl wins the grand finale.

The country's good name is also co-opted into this mission — even though the contests are not:
a. national projects,
b. backed by any major homegrown organisation,
c. and have almost zero involvement from members of the public on the selection process.

The plain fact is, if such contests are privately organised, and mostly devoid of publicity and heck-care from the public, should the winner's sash deserve to carry the Singapore name in the title?

After all, the contests are run by franchise-holders which see them as one way to generate money.

There is nothing wrong with this business model, of course, except that its end-result involves the image of Singapore.

They are sending someone abroad to fly our flag. Not just any flag but the Singapore flag.

The winner is called Miss Singapore World or Miss Singapore Universe, not Miss Lion City or Miss Sunny Island.

Who are the judges in these contests? What are the contestants judged on?

How much help does the winner get, in terms of snaring a decent budget for clothes and deportment classes, to put up a good fight abroad?

National pride is at stake.

We know of some countries which do spend quite a bit to back up their finalists.

No wonder then that the perception among many people in Singapore is that the calibre of contestants has dropped because many would-be participants are not sure what they are getting into.

So until the contests receive a big shot in the arm, in terms of financial support or backing by, say, the Singapore Tourism Board, and there is a way perhaps for the public to help choose the winner, a la Singapore Idol, we should take out the Singapore name from the beauty titles.

Read Joanne Lee's blog on why Ris Low's story is still news: Why Ris is still a news story

Read Nicholas Yong's blogs on the on-going saga of former Miss Singapore World, Ris Low:
What does 'boomz' really mean?
To boomz or not to boomz...

Read more about Ris Low: Ris has a boyfriend