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?