I watched the live coverage of the Miss World 2003 pageant on Saturday. Didn't intend to watch the whole thing initially, because Ace Ventura was on the other channel. But it turned out to be a good show, so I watched the whole thing.
I used to think beauty pageants were bimbotic or sleazy, but I realise both of these notions are rather far off the mark. Well, perhaps some lesser pageants are, but the Miss World pageant surely was not. Most of the contestants, we're told, are in higher education. Among them are 2 doctors and a dentist (with a doctorate!). Reading their biodata on the official website, one finds that many of the contestants are multi-talented. Very impressive, some of them. Of course, all of these could just be part of a major branding exercise to ensure the 'bimbotic' image doesn't ever come up. Well, I'll give the benefit of the doubt.
What really impresses is the overall entertainment value of the whole show. It was all very tasteful and professional, with showcases of Chinese culture all over (it was held in Hainan, China). There were the "Shaolin" monks, the Chinese dancers, the hold-on-to-a-red-cloth-and-fly acrobats and videos from trips to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Hainan itself. The show started with all 106 contestants but that was swiftly cut down to 20 semi-finalists and then to the 5 finalists, so it wasn't draggy at all. No beauty pageant is complete without mention of world peace, right? Well, Jacky Chan got to do the honours this time around! He gave a short speech before presenting the Miss World Scholarship (yes, they give scholarships!) to Miss Albania.
I think Miss India really messed up. She got into the finals but she did really poorly for the interview segment. I can't remember what question she was asked, but she started her answer with this memorised (so obvious) generic "Having spent the last month among 105 girls from around the world, blah blah blah" and she went on and on. And then, when she finally addressed the question proper, it was a one-sentence answer. A case of nerves, I guess, but she threw it away. Miss Ireland and Miss Canada both did well, and when Canada got 1st runner-up, I knew Ireland would get the crown.
Anyway, the girl that really caught my eye was Miss Australia. She's got this Meg Ryan thing going, hahaha. She won the Internet Popularity Vote and was fast-tracked into the semis but didn't make the final 5. Quite impressive actually, this girl. Check out her biodata. Just 22-year-old and such a high-flyer. Anyway, I think her Masters course is interesting - Gastronomy! The study of food and wine, I think.
