Miss Universe 2019: Black is Beautiful or Blackout?

It has been eight excruciating years since Leila Lopes of Angola was crowned Miss Universe in Brazil. She’s the fifth beauty of black descent to be crowned Miss Universe in the pageant’s 67 editions. The others are Trinidad & Tobago’s Janelle Commissiong who won in 1977 and Wendy Fitzwilliam in 1998,  Chelsi Smith of USA in 1995 and Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana in 1999. 

L-R: Janelle, Chelsi, Wendy, Mpule & Leila

Miss Universe 2011: Leila Lopes of Angola

HISTORICAL FIRSTS. Evelyn Miot of Haiti made history in 1962 when she became the first black to reach the top fifteen. In 1968,  Anne Marie Braafheid of Curacao came close to becoming the first black to win Miss Universe. She was 1^st runner up to Miss Brazil. 

Historic firsts in Miss Universe

FIRST BLACK MISS UNIVERSE. It was in 1977 when Janelle "Penny" Commissiong of Trinidad & Tobago became the first black Miss Universe. She was also the third Miss Universe winner to be chosen as Miss Photogenic by the international press covering the event.  During her reign, she raised awareness for black rights in countries where people of African ancestry faced racial discrimination long before advocacy became popular in pageantry. 

Janelle is Miss Photogenic & Miss Universe 1977

Historic win for a black beauty

 A BLACK MISS UNIVERSE FOR 2019?  The announcement that Atlanta, Georgia has been selected as the venue for this year’s Miss Universe pageant has people start talking of a black winner this year. I guess there have been tell- tale signs that the stage has been set for an ebony Miss Universe.  The city is populated mainly by African- Americans. Even the venue, Tyler Perry Studios, is an American film studio that churns out mostly black films. The venue owner and the pageant host are symbols of successful black Americans.  And this year, we have an all African- American set of winners for Miss America, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA. 

Cheslie Kryst is the first lawyer to win Miss USA

The signs point to a black Miss Universe winner because this year’s edition is a celebration of African- American culture with Atlanta, Georgia as host city. If a black wins, then it would be a historic first for Miss Universe Org to have an all- black trio of winners.

It would be symbolic of African- American black empowerment if a black winner will be crowned as Miss Universe 2019 in the slave capital of the Old South, that is, Atlanta, Georgia.

So who would be deemed the most worthy among the gorgeous black beauties this year if Miss Universe Org and the US mainstream media would push their agendum of black empowerment as their vision of diversity?  

The logical choice would have to be Miss USA Cheslie Kryst who would be unbeatable if she enters the top six after the competitive swimsuit and evening gown rounds for the top twenty. The current Miss USA is a natural speaker who has to put on hold her lawyer job to fulfil her winner responsibilities. Prior to competing in Miss Universe, Kryst had been doing live anchor reporting for the show "Extra". The highly accomplished Cheslie graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law with a Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration in 2017.   

Black beauties from Kenya, Barbados & Dominican Rep

The other black beauties in the running are the girls from Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Haiti, Panama, Dominican Republic and Barbados.

So will it be a black beauty or will there be a blackout? Watch the Miss Universe 2019 finals on December 9, 8 am over ABS CBN or Star World at 8 am.

Miss Universe 2019: Is It Time for a Thailand Triumph?

It’s about time for a third Miss Universe winner from Thailand. It’s long- overdue. Their previous wins were in 1965 and 1988. Gunning for their fifth consecutive placement since 2015 and hopefully, their third win, Thailand is leaving no stone unturned to ensure their bet’s victory.

Fahsai Drouin: Miss Universe Thailand 2019 

From preparation time to send- off, Thailand left no stone unturned to ensure a Miss Universe victory. Talk about a spectacular send- off for any Miss Universe candidate! That scene in Thailand when throngs of Thai pageant fanatics converged to send off their Miss Universe bet is epic!

So why should Thailand win its third Miss Universe crown?

The following are points to support a Thai victory:

     

  -  Thais are among the most fanatical when it comes to Miss Universe pageant fans. Remember how the whole venue erupted into thunderous applause & cheers when their hometown bet made the top 20 and eventually place among the top ten in last year’s Miss Universe edition. Rewarding Thailand with the Miss Universe crown would be a profitable move for MUO.

-     Thailand has spent millions in dollars to host three successful editions of Miss Universe. Giving them the crown would be a token of gratitude for the spectacular Miss Universe 2018 edition that had 94 delegates- the most in Miss Universe history. 

Fahsai Drouin: Is She the One?

-   The reigning Miss Universe Thailand 2019 is Jennifer Paweensuda Saetan-Drouin from Bangkok. Better known as Fahsai, her Thai nickname has got what it takes to be the next Miss Universe. The 26 year old 5’11” tall model/ DJ has a globally appealing beauty, biracial background, English fluency and a summa cum laude graduate from the University of Calgary in Canada where she majored in Kinesiology. 

Exciting airport send- off

-    She was chosen by Mouawad, the new crown sponsor to model for the company which further made people in the pageant world to believe that she is the chosen one. Remember Catriona Gray? She was invited by Sherri Hill, Miss Universe major sponsor to model at the New York Fashion Week even before the Miss Universe pageant officially started. 

Miss Universe 2019 Catriona Gray crowns Miss Thailand 2019

-     Fahsai was crowned as Miss Universe Thailand 2019 by both the reigning Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray and Sophida Kanchanarin, Miss Universe Thailand 2018.  

So what would prevent Fahsai from clinching the Miss Universe 2019 title?

-   Crowning another biracial beauty from Asia would be a case of too much, too soon and would be against IMG’s stance on beauty in diversity.

-     The intense pressure to deliver just might overwhelm Fahsai

-     The growing buzz that a black beauty will be crowned might turn out to be true.

-    The ladies from the Philippines, France, Colombia and Kenya have been gaining momentum during the past few days leading to the pageant finals.

Will it be time for a Thai triumph in Miss Universe 2019? Watch the live telecast on December 9, 8 am, ABS CBN or Star World 8 am.

Part 1: Miss Universe 2019 Pre- Pageant Thoughts

Gone are the days when international beauty competitions were all about beauty and world peace.

In this age of social media and advocacy- driven campaigns, beauty takes the back seat to smart, relatable, empowered, advocacy- driven achiever women and to the dynamics of business revenues. 

Miss Earth is about articulate spokespersons for the environment. 

Miss World is all about Beauty with a Purpose and, of course, Julia Morley’s anointed one. 

Miss International, the most traditional of the four most prestigious international beauty competitions selects the charming girl with exquisite, doll- like features and with refined manners.

Miss Universe has undergone a paradigm shift. After changing ownership in 2015, the new management tried to resuscitate the brand with a spectacular edition that had the most talked- about crowning fiasco.

With waning popularity in the US, an all- time low in TV ratings, difficulty in snagging high- profile sponsorship deals and inability to snag host venues outside the US, Miss Universe is now shifting from crowning uber gorgeous, smoking hot glamazons to selecting charming, articulate & empowered achievers with riveting back stories and with huge social media following. 

If IMG is earnest in its campaign for diversity, then we just have to be ready for a surprise winner, someone who is under the radar but would spring a surprise on pageant night.

Pageant enthusiasts are still hopeful that most of the frontrunners would still advance to the top twenty (after judges & the MUO whittle down the field from 90 to 20 during the preliminaries consisting of closed- door panel interviews, swimsuits & gowns)

Based on media hype & pageant fans’ support, leading the pack are the sash factor beauties from  THAILAND, PHILIPPINES, BRAZIL, COLOMBIA, INDONESIA, PUERTO RICO & USA. Not far behind are FRANCE and ALBANIA, Starting to get noticed in Atlanta, Georgia right now are HAITI, CROATIA, PANAMA & INDIA. From the African continent, we have SOUTH AFRICA, KENYA, NIGERIA & ANGOLA. 

Gazini Ganados guns for back- to- back victory

THE OTHER GIRLS WHO CAUGHT MY EYE

NEXT: Is It Time for a Thailand Triumph in Miss Universe 2019?

60th Crowning Anniversary of the First Miss Universe from Asia

The honor of being the first Asian to be crowned Miss Universe belongs to a lovely Japanese named Akiko Kojima.  

The 22 year old model who stood at 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) and measured 37–23–38 inches was the last Miss Universe to be crowned in Long Beach, California since the pageant moved to Miami Beach, Florida in 1960.

Akiko bested a field of 34 beauty delegates including frontrunners from South America and Europe. Her runners up were Miss Norway – Jorunn Kristjansen 1^st RU, Miss USA- Terry Lynn Huntingdon 2^nd RU, Miss England – Pamela Anne Searle and Miss Brazil – Vera Regina Ribeiro 4th RU. 

Rounding out the Top 15 were the ladies from Belgium, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Korea, Poland and Sweden.

Akiko was a professional model in Tokyo, the second among four children. She said that she really wanted a simple life. ‘To be a lovely wife and to raise a big family.’

Akiko's Asian Allure

Miss Universe Akiko Kojima and Cadet 2-C Kenneth Gifford

at the 1959 Miss Universe  Coronation Ball 

Akiko Kojima in her national costume

This year, Akiko marks the 60^th anniversary of her crowning as the most beautiful girl of the universe. Akiko’s crowning paved the way for Asian beauty to be finally recognized as universally appealing.