Beauty Pageants

[GeneChing]

Miss Columbia, Catalina Robayo, went commando.

Here's the most tasteful pic I could find that didn't have a censor star over it.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Miss Columbia, Catalina Robayo, went commando.

Here's the most tasteful pic I could find that didn't have a censor star over it.

Yummy !

[GeneChing]

Miss Universe pageant allowing transgender women
By COLLEEN LONG, Associated Press – 18 hours ago

NEW YORK (AP) — A rule change that would allow transgender women to participate in the Miss Universe beauty pageant next year is a step forward for equality, advocates said Tuesday after pageant officials announced the policy shift.

Pageant officials said they are working on the language of the official rule policy change but expected final word to come soon. The rules will have to be approved by Donald Trump, who runs the Miss Universe Organization, and NBC. Trump and NBC co-own the contest.

The announcement of the policy change comes a week after the organization decided to allow Jenna Talackova to compete for Canada's spot in the Miss Universe pageant this year.

Talackova, a Vancouver resident, underwent a sex change four years ago after being born a male. The advocacy group GLAAD called on the Miss Universe Organization to review her case, as well as open the competition to transgender women, after she was disqualified from competing in the Miss Universe Canada contest next month.

"We want to give credit where credit is due, and the decision to include transgender women in our beauty competitions is a result of our ongoing discussions with GLAAD," said Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization. "We have a long history of supporting equality for all women, and this was something we took very seriously."

The Miss Universe Organization produces the pageant, as well as the Miss USA and the Miss Teen competitions, according to the organization's website. The Miss Universe pageant began in 1952 as a local "bathing beauty" contest, headed by California-based Catalina Swimwear, the site says.

Trials for next year's Miss Universe pageant begin this summer.

"Everybody should be allowed to participate in every aspect of society," said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. "Absolutely it's good news, it's another pernicious structural discrimination barrier taken down."

Susan Stryker, director of the Institute for LGBT Studies at the University of Arizona, said she hoped to see similar progress in areas that would impact more people — like employment discrimination issues and anti-transgender violence.

"The next question is, can't we move beyond beauty pageants and make changes in areas that have more relevance," she asked.

She pointed out that while trans people should be able to take part fully in society, there are issues with beauty pageants overall, questions of "whether beauty pageants are the best way to advance the cause of girls, of women."

But she said trans women participating in the pageants could make a difference, and help shatter stereotypes and educate the public. She pointed to Chaz Bono, a transgender man, and the impact of his appearance on "Dancing with the Stars."

"To that extent, it's just a great thing to have a positive media representation even if it is inconsequential," she said.

Contest officials worked closely with GLAAD to change the policy, and the advocacy group on Tuesday praised the decision and the work by Talackova to remain a contestant.

"The Miss Universe Organization today follows institutions that have taken a stand against discrimination of transgender women including the Olympics, NCAA, the Girl Scouts of America and The CW's America's Next Top Model," said GLAAD's senior director of programs Herndon Grad****. "At a time when transgender people are still routinely denied equal opportunities in housing, employment and medical care, today's decision is in line with the growing levels of public support for transgender people across the country."

Talackova's sex change initially led organizers in Canada to disqualify her from the 61st Miss Universe Canada pageant in May, citing a rule that she must be "naturally born" a woman.

Talackova pleaded with the pageant's leaders to drop the rule.

"I am a woman," Talackova said last week. "I was devastated, and I felt that excluding me for the reason that they gave was unjust. I have never asked for any special consideration. I only wanted to compete."

Associated Press writer Deepti Hajela contributed to this report.

Here's some pix of Talackova.

[GeneChing]

She's a bad girl. Naughty, naughty. She might just make it like Vanessa Williams did.

Former Miss USA Rima Fakih pleads no contest in driving impairment case
April 12, 2012 |

Former Miss USA Rima Fakih appears Wednesday in 30th District Court in Highland Park with city attorney Todd Russell Perkins, left, and her attorney, W. Otis Culpepper, at her impaired driving trial.

By Melanie D. Scott

Former Miss USA Rima Fakih pleaded no contest to driving while visibly impaired, avoiding a trial that was to start Wednesday on a more serious charge of operating while intoxicated.

Fakih, 26, stood next to her attorney, W. Otis Culpepper, on Wednesday in 30th District Court in Highland Park as Culpepper announced she would accept a plea deal.

"You have to pay the price for making mistakes, but you move on and make sure you learn from those mistakes," Fakih said after the hearing.

Two other charges -- open intoxicants, a misdemeanor, and careless driving, a civil infraction -- were dismissed as part of the plea deal.

Fakih, who two years ago was the first Arab American to be crowned Miss USA, will be sentenced on the misdemeanor conviction May 9. A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing purposes.

"The settlement that was reached is fair to all sides," Culpepper said. "She doesn't have to go through all of this anymore."

Culpepper said he expects Fakih will be placed on probation and hopes she can serve that probation in California, where she now lives and is pursuing an acting career.

Fakih was arrested Dec. 3 after a Highland Park police officer said she was driving a black 2011 Jaguar XJR at a high rate of speed near 6 Mile and Woodward.

The officer said the car was traveling at 60 m.p.h., and that Fakih changed lanes several times without using a turn signal.

Police pulled her over in the area of Woodward and Highland. The officer said Fakih appeared disoriented and had slurred speech. Police found a wine bottle and an open bottle of champagne in the car, reports said.

A breath test revealed she initially had a blood-alcohol level of 0.19%. The level at which someone can be convicted of drunken driving is 0.08%.

Fakih was born in Lebanon and moved to the U.S. at age 7. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

[sanjuro_ronin]

She's a bad girl. Naughty, naughty. She might just make it like Vanessa Williams did.

She looks quite doable

[fimed]

I don't believe in this kind of beauty.. Which come from wrong places.. The beauty queens whatever it is miss India, Miss africa, Miss world and Miss Asia.. They always come from dump places or dirty places.They are not pure by their soul and work too..

[GeneChing]

wtf = world taekwondo federation.

Vietnam Taekwondo player faces fine for entering beauty pageant in Thailand
Thanh Nien News
Friday, March 06, 2015 07:00


Nguyen Van Son, 21, competes in the Mister Global contest in Thailand. Photo courtesy of Mister Global.

Authorities on Friday said they have never granted any permission for Nguyen Van Son, a member of the national Taekwondo team, to compete in an ongoing male beauty contest in Thailand.
The 21-year-old athlete will face a fine of up to VND30 million (US$1,500) for the violation, local media reported.
Over the past two years, nearly a dozen of Vietnamese women have entered beauty pageants without any official endorsements and then faced penalties soon after their homecomings.


Nguyen Van Son poses in an army uniform for the Mister Global contest.

Under a rule, those who want to compete in a beauty contest abroad must have at least one national title before being selected by the culture ministry to represent the country.
Son, who has won 15 medals at national and regional Taekwondo tournaments, did not have any beauty title.

Mister Global
Despite the pending fine, Son is still preparing for the final gala on Saturday of the Mister Global pageant, organized for the second time in Bangkok.
He said he was invited by the contest’s organizers, asking for support from his fans from home.
The man, who is 1.93 meters tall, has been considered one of the front runners.
At the national costume competition, Son chose to wear a uniform of the Vietnamese army, which sparked controversy among many Vietnamese.
There have also been rumors that he underwent plastic surgeries

I don't believe in this kind of beauty.. Which come from wrong places.. The beauty queens whatever it is miss India, Miss africa, Miss world and Miss Asia.. They always come from dump places or dirty places.They are not pure by their soul and work too..

Speaking of Indian beauty queens, I'm still in love with Ash. And let's not forget that Michelle Yeoh started as a beauty queen. A lotus arises from a muddy swamp.

[GeneChing]

Yes, there is a vid. Follow the link.

China copies Brazil's 'Miss BumBum' contest with its own 'celebration of women's beautiful buttocks'

Dozens of women shook their shapely buttocks in skimpy thongs in Shenyang, China, on June 24
They were competing at the 'Beautiful Buttocks Contest', a copy of Brazil's famous beauty pageant
Contestants were judged by the 'roundness, curviness and firmness' of their bums, organiser said
The final competition is set to take place at Bird's Nest, the Chinese national stadium, on December 24

By Tracy You For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 09:22 EDT, 30 June 2017 | UPDATED: 09:40 EDT, 30 June 2017

Writhing, wiggling and shaking, dozens of scantily-clad women did whatever they could to show off their shapely bottoms at a packed Chinese mall.

Crowd were restless, cameras were flashing and the young winner was hailed by the onlookers.

Welcome to the Communist version of 'Miss BumBum', likely the most surreal beauty pageant in the world.

China hosts own Miss Bum Bum competition in Shenyang show


About 50 contestants flaunted their shapely backsides at the Yulong Shopping Centre in Shenyang, China, on June 24


They were competing at the 'Beautiful Buttocks Contest', which is China's answer to Brazil's famous 'Miss BumBum' pageant


The competition will be held in five cities around China and the final competition is set to be held in Beijing on December 24

So called the 'Beautiful Buttocks Contest', the event is China's answer to Brazil's lavish and fiercely-contended 'Miss BumBum' competition.

But the irony is there.

In a culturally conservative country where just 20 years ago wearing a bikini on the beach would draw a woman disapproving stares, young female contestants now sport skimpy thongs and twerk their backsides at a shiny shopping centre.

A series of five contests have been organised by Saipu, a Beijing-based fitness club, to impress spectators around the country.

'With the development of the times, men are looking for more visual stimulation, and the public want more entertainment,' Zang Zhichao, an employee in charge of the contest from Saipu Fitness Club, told MailOnline.

Mr Zhang claimed that he had not heard of the 'Miss BumBum' contest in Brazil.


The regional Chinese 'Miss BumBum' contests were held in Beijing on June 18 (pictured) and Shenyang on June 24


More competitions would be staged in Xi'an, Wuhan and Shenzhen between July and December when the final contest is


Female contestants did whatever they could to show off their shapely bottoms in order to catch the judges' attention

continued next post

[GeneChing]

He said the 'Beautiful Buttocks Contest' was a part of a bodybuilding competition his company had organised.

'Compared to other bodybuilding contests, showing off the bums has the lowest requirements, so more people could enter,' Mr Zhang explain.

'And it didn't need much publicity, people would just come and see it. '

Around 50 contestants participated in the latest contest in Shenyang.

Mr Zhang said each candidate was required to have 'a natural bum' without having any buttock augmentation.



The winner of the Chinese 'Miss BumBum' contest in Shenyang (pictured, left and right) was awarded 5,000 yuan (£568)



A seven-member jury judged the contestants by the 'roundness, curviness and firmness' of their bums in Shenyang


'With the development of the times, men are looking for more visual stimulation,' said Mr Zhang who works for the organiser

A seven-member jury judged the contestants by the 'roundness, curviness and firmness' of their bums.

'But of course if you look pretty, that would also help,' Mr Zhang said, adding that contestants could choose to compete with or without a facial mask.

The regional Chinese 'Miss BumBum' contests were held in Beijing on June 18 and Shenyang on June 24 and more competitions would be staged in Xi'an, Wuhan and Shenzhen.

Compared to Brazil where the champion last year walked away with an £18,000 modelling contract, the prize of Saipu's competition was relatively small.


The final competition of China's 'Miss BumBum' is set to have the top six contestants from each of the five cities


Mr Zang said the company is planning to host the final competition at the Bird Nest, the Chinese national stadium in Beijing

The winner of the regional contest in Beijing and Shenyang was each awarded 5,000 yuan (£568) in cash.

But at the same time, they were given the opportunity to showcase their proud bodies at the Chinese national stadium, a great honour considered by the country's people.

Mr Zang said the company was planning to host the final competition at the Bird Nest in Beijing, the grand stadium which China built to host the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The final competition of China's 'Miss BumBum' is set to have the top six contestants from each of the five cities and is scheduled to take place on December 24.

China has come a long way, baby.

[GeneChing]

There are several embedded instagram pics that I didn't cut&paste. They are worth a click. Date is gorgeous.

Miss World Japan: The great-times-20-granddaughter of samurai lord One-Eyed Dragon
Casey Baseel 3 days ago



Direct descendant of Date Masamune becomes first Japanese entrant to win talent portion with her beautiful opera vocals.

Recently, Miss Universe Japan turned heads by cosplaying as Sailor Moon. It turns out, though, that fellow beauty pageant contestant Miss World Japan also has a connection to a famous icon of Japanese culture, and one who’s an actual historical figure.



Tokyo native Kanako Date has a name that might sound familiar to Japanese history buffs, because one of her ancestors is Date Masamune, lord of the Date samurai clan during Japan’s feudal Sengoku era. Nicknamed “One-Eyed Dragon” after losing an eye to smallpox as a child, Masamune ruled the area near present-day Sendai, in Miyagi Prefecture, until his death in 1636.

▼ Date Masamune


While they’re obviously many generations removed from each other, there’s not much lateral space between Kanako and her famous ancestor on the Date family tree. She’s a direct descendant of Masamune, and is in fact his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter, with the two of them spanning 21 generations.

Given her aristocratic samurai lineage, it’s not so surprising that Date looks regal dressed in traditional Japanese attire or armed with traditional Japanese weaponry. The 22-year-old lists Japanese dance, archery, and playing the koto (a stringed Japanese instrument) among her hobbies as well.

However, Date’s interests and ambitions go beyond the borders of her homeland. She speaks multiple languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, and Korean, and also has studied abroad in China. Currently a fourth-year law student at Japan’s prestigious Keio University, she hopes to work for an international organization in the future, and has also been involved in charity activities with the Red Cross and World Vision.

Her cultural interests have an international element to themselves as well, as Date is also an amazingly talented opera singer, as you can hear for yourself in the video below.

It’s not just her online followers who’re impressed with her vocals, either. During the talent portion of this year’s Miss World finals, currently taking place on Hainan Island in China, Date elected to sing the aria “Vissi d’arte” from Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca, and her performance wowed the judges so much that she was awarded first place in the talent portion, a feat no other Japanese contestant has achieved since the pageant’s first iteration in 1951.



Due to the multi-day nature of the pageant, an overall winner won’t be chosen from among the 118 contestants until December 8, but regardless of how that turns out, Date’s unprecedented talent portion win is something to be proud of.

Sources: IT Media, PR Times, Miss World Japan
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: Miss World Japan, Wikipedia/Panoramio upload bot, PR Times

One-Eyed Dragon? srsly?

[GeneChing]

Dios mio, Espana.

DECEMBER 05, 2018
First transgender Miss Universe contestant poised to win over rest of biologically female contestants
Somehow it doesn't seem very fair, does it?


Angela Ponce, 2018 Miss Universe Spain, is favored to win the Miss Universe pageant on Dec. 16 in Bangkok, Thailand. (JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images)
SARAH TAYLOR

Angela Ponce, the winner of the 2018 Miss Universe Spain pageant, is now the "clear favorite" to win the Miss Universe pageant, according to some bookmakers.

What are the details?

Ponce, 26, who is the first transgender contestant in the Miss Universe pageant, is poised to win by a large margin, according to reports in The Blast and the Daily Mail. Ponce was born a male, but underwent gender reassignment surgery.

Ponce says that if she wins, she intends to make the message known to President Donald Trump in particular, and the world at large.

"As the competition nears, online bookies are taking action, and Ponce has grown to become the clear favorite with current odds of +600," The Blast reported on Tuesday. "The folks at MyBookie.ag compiled their list of where all the countries currently stand. To put it in perspective, the Miss USA Sarah Rose Summers has odds of +2,000 if she wins the whole competition."

The 2018 Miss Universe pageant will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 16, in Bangkok, Thailand.

In a recent interview with Time, Ponce said that if a transgender contestant won the competition, it would sent a message of inclusivity that would resonate around the world as a "win for human rights."

"More than a message to [Trump], it would be a win for human rights," Ponce said. "Trans women have been persecuted and erased for so long. If they give me the crown, it would show trans women are just as much women as cis women."

Anything else?

In 2012, the pageant announced that it would permit transgender women to compete after Canadian transgender model, Jenna Talackova, filed a lawsuit.

Talackova, a former finalist, was initially disqualified from competing because she is a transgender woman.

The contest, at the time, was run by Trump's New York City-based organization, and had stipulated that contestants must be natural-born women.

In a 2012 statement, GLAAD spokesperson Herndon Graddick said, "The Miss Universe Organization and Mr. Trump made it clear to GLAAD that they were open to making a policy change to include women who are transgender."

"We appreciate that he and his team responded swiftly and appropriately," the statement added. "The Miss Universe Organization today follows institutions that have taken a stand against discrimination of transgender women including the Olympics, NCAA, the Girl Scouts of America and The CW's 'America's Next Top Model.' "

Editorial update: This post has been updated to reflect a new headline. The first iteration of the article's headline posited Talackova as the "first transgender Miss America contestant." Talackova is the "first transgender Miss Universe contestant."

[GeneChing]

Photograph of Miss India finalists stirs debate over country's obsession with fair skin
Published 31st May 2019


Credit: Debajyoti Chakraborty/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photograph of Miss India finalists stirs debate over country's obsession with fair skin

Written by
Tara John, CNN
Swati Gupta, CNN

What began as an innocent collage of this year's Miss India finalists has evolved into a heated social media debate about India's obsession with fair skin.
The image, published in the Times of India newspaper, had 30 head-shots of glossy-haired finalists who all appeared to share the same fair skin tone.
In a country with 1.3 billion people, hundreds of languages and myriad ethnic groups, Twitter users suggested that beauty pageant organizers were only choosing contestants that perpetuate Eurocentric beauty ideals.
"They all have the same hair, and the SAME SKIN COLOUR, and I'm going to hazard a guess that their heights and vital stats will also be similar," another Twitter user Prasanna Ratanjankar wrote.

View image on Twitter

labellagorda
@labellagorda
Miss India contestants. They all have the same hair, and the SAME SKIN COLOUR, and I'm going to hazard a guess that their heights and vital stats will also be similar. So much for India being a 'diverse' country.

1,490
12:30 AM - May 27, 2019
900 people are talking about this
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While the contestants' skin tone looks particularly light and appearance especially uniform in the collage that caused a stir online, other photographs and videos of the contestants reveal them to be not as fair-skinned as the Times of India's image. The Times of India and Femina, the organization that hosts the pageant, have the same parent company -- Bennett, Coleman & Co.
The controversy around the Times of India's photograph, however, highlighted a sensitive issue in India, where Miss India is a huge cultural event.
The competition helped to launch the careers of actress Priyanka Chopra and Bollywood icon Aishwarya Rai, and has become a beacon of national pride when winners go on to bring home international titles, such as Miss World.
The winner of Miss India titles are typically "groomed for the global beauty stage," said Radhika Parameswaran, a professor at Indiana University's Media School. "There is a perception they have to emulate Western beauty standards to win."
The organizers of Miss India declined to comment.
The fact that India has won the Miss World contest six times could have convinced pageant organizers to stick to a type, says Kavitha Emmanuel, founder of the Indian NGO Women of Worth, which campaigns for gender equality and against the bias toward lighter skin.
The infatuation with fairness now goes much deeper than pageants. "It is a toxic belief that has become part of our culture," Emmanuel explained.
Parameswaran is currently researching the backlash against colorism, a term that means "a form of skin color stratification and skin color discrimination that assigns lighter-skinned individuals and particularly women greater worth and value." It's an issue, she said, that is very much alive in India.
"Colorism and racism are Siamese twins and cannot be separated," she added.
National obsession
The obsession with fairness can begin before a baby is even born in some parts of India, with some pregnant Indian women drinking saffron-infused milk to make their infant's skin fairer. Others avoid iron supplements in the misplaced belief it will make their unborn child darker. These practices, however, have become far less common in areas where wealth and education levels have improved.
"We still have matrimonial adverts in newspaper which say, 'wanted: fair, slim brides,'" Emmanuel said.
Escape the corset: How South Koreans are pushing back against beauty standards
It is a problem that primarily affects women, as men's financial worth is generally deemed more important than their beauty. "Women's bodies are their currency," Parameswaran said.
Cosmetic brands globally have profited from the insecurity, cashing in on a multi-million dollar industry of creams, skin bleaches and invasive procedures that promise to lighten skin. The demand for whiteners is projected to reach $31 billion by 2024, up from $18 billion in 2017, especially in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, according to market intelligence firm Global Industry Analysts. Routine skin whitener use ranges from 25% in Mali to 77% in Nigeria, and it's 40% in China, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Korea, according to the World Health Organization.
"Very little of the world is untouched by colorism," Parameswaran said.
A 2017 study found that more than half of 1,992 men and women surveyed about product use in India had tried skin whiteners and close to half (44.6%) felt the need to try such products due to media such as TV and advertisements.


Priyanka Chopra won Miss World when she was 18 years old. Credit: HUGO PHILPOTT/AFP/Getty Images

The country's enduring legacy of caste is often credited as a root cause of the problem, with those from the lower caste group, known as the Dalits, being associated with darker skin, Parameswaran said.
"That is because caste is an occupational-based hierarchy with the lowest of the caste being assigned the tasks of manual labor," she added, which is often outdoor work. The Dalits are discriminated against as being "unclean," are considered untouchable by the higher castes, which are associated with fairness.
There are also regional differences, especially between North and South India, at play as well.
Both Parameswaran and Emmanuel said the obsession with fair skin could lead to a range of socio-economic problems, including low self-worth and mental health issues, as well as have an impact on job and marriage prospects.
"A small survey we did found children are affected the most," Emmanuel said, adding that some three-year-olds were being told they were "not fair enough" at school.
Paradigm shift needed


The demand for whiteners is climbing and is projected to be worth more than $30 billion in the next five years. Credit: SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images

Within this landscape, there are voices pushing for change. Emmanuel founded the Dark is Beautiful campaign, which includes advocacy programs to address color bias and has been endorsed by Bollywood actor Nandita Das.
In a series of posts in 2017, another Bollywood star, Abhay Deol, called out his fellow actors for endorsing skin-whitening brands. Since then, a number of Instagram influencers and brands have jumped on the inclusivity bandwagon.
"There is no one face that represents India," Anushka Kelkar, the 22-year-old photographer behind the Instagram account browngirlgazin, which won plaudits for its honest portrayal of Indian women from different backgrounds.
"I have friends from Kashmir who are asked if they are Indian and friends from Kerala who have been asked if they are African. People look different and it is time we started embracing that," she said.
But the fact there is a conversation about color bias in India means things are moving forward, Kelkar added.
Still, Emmanuel and Parameswaran said they believe the country is a long way off real change. "We need a paradigm shift in the way we think about what people look like," Emmanuel said.
"Indians have not only misrepresented what Indians should look like to themselves, they have misinterpreted Indians to the rest of the world," Emmanuel added. "We have not represented our country well."

CNN's Marian Liu and Tanzina Vega contributed to this report.

THREADS
Beauty Pageants
yellow face/white washing.

[GeneChing]

Biochemist crowned 2019 Miss Virginia after performing science experiment as talent



Amber Sutton
Jun. 28, 2019 12:11PM EST
This year's Miss Virginia was crowned recently after breaking from tradition and performing a science experiment during the talent portion of the competition.

Miss Dominion Camille Schrier, 23, was named Miss Virginia 2019 on June 22 after a week-long competition. She won more than $21,000 of $75,000 in scholarships.

Schrier is a Virginia Tech biochemist and systems biologist as well as a Doctor of Pharmacy student at Virginia Commonwealth University, and chose to use her knowledge of science during the competition so she performed the "catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide" as her onstage talent.

"Now was the time for me to create a mind shift about the concept of talent by bringing my passion for STEM to the stage," said Schrier in a press release. "To me, talent is not a passion alone, but also a skill which is perfected over years of learning."

Schrier was selected from among 24 women by a panel of five judges who scored candidates in the areas of personal and onstage interviews, talent, evening gown and social impact initiative.

As Miss Virginia, Schrier will travel the state promoting her social impact initiative, Mind Your Meds, which aims to help educate and spread awareness about prescription drug safety. She will also go on to compete in the Miss America competition.

You can find out more on the Miss Virginia website.


John Herzog Photography


Rick Myers Photography

Rick Myers Photography


Miss Virginia


Miss Virginia

I poked around to see an action video but could only find these same still shots.

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

MY TURN
'I'm Nevada's First Transgender Beauty Pageant Winner'
KATALUNA ENRIQUEZ
ON 3/26/21 AT 6:13 AM EDT

In the Philippines, where I was born, pageantry is huge. But I was never really exposed to it until after I moved to America when I was 10. I recall watching Miss Universe and hearing the story of a contestant from the Philippines. She had grown up in poverty and her family couldn't always afford food. I had thought that pageantry was objectifying women, but that particular contestant inspired me to look beyond the superficial layer of beauty and into contestants' personal stories and what they advocate for.

In 2016, I competed in my first pageant; an international transgender pageant called Queen of the Universe. I didn't know a lot about pageantry at the time and I was amazed with the production, costumes, and dresses that the girls wore. One contestant was wearing a costume that was must have been more than 15ft tall. I was just wearing pieces I had put together as I didn't yet know how to sew properly, so when I got on stage my top was falling off and I was having to hold it up. It was embarrassing and afterwards I remember thinking that perhaps pageantry wasn't for me.

Then I learned that I had been just a few points away from making it into the competition's top ten. That gave me a bit of a push and over the next few years I began competing more and improving.

Trans pageants tend to really focus on glamour and in my experience they are a little more competitive. I understand, because we're in a community that is small, often targeted with hate and there aren't as many opportunities. Cisgender pageants have been a little intimidating for me. I was scared when I first decided to participate in cisgender pageants, because I knew I was different and would most likely be the only trans person competing. It would be new territory where I did not know anyone and I was conscious that I would compare myself to the other women and question whether I was enough.

My first experience of a cisgender pageant was exciting but unfortunately, it was also humiliating. I have always been open about who I am as a person and always disclose that I am trans. It's a choice that I made because I don't want anyone saying I am a liar. And more importantly, it's my way to embrace myself.

I applied to this particular pageant three years in a row before receiving a response. Perhaps they hadn't paid attention to my fourth application, because their first email said that they had looked at my social media and discovered that I am trans. They told me that they needed documents providing proof that I am a woman. That was perfectly fine and I had everything ready, but after I submitted court documents and my name and gender change certificates I was told I needed to provide further proof that I was female. Essentially I was being asked to go to a doctor and get a letter to show that I am a woman.

I decided not to let that stop me, and I was hoping the competition itself would be different. But when it came to assigning roommates, I was told by the organizers that I wasn't going to be sharing a room with anyone. I tried to see it as a positive: I had more space and I didn't have to worry about anyone else. But when I got to my room I cried. I felt like they didn't want me there.

During the competition I would also hear contestants saying they didn't think I should be there, which was hurtful. But some of the girls became good friends and we are still close now. I didn't place at all in that pageant which was surprising to me because I was fairly seasoned at that point and believed that I could easily secure a spot, at least as a semi-finalist.


Kataluna Enriquez at her personal interview at Miss Silver State USA.
KATALUNA ENRIQUEZ
I've now competed in seven or eight pageants in total and I went to Miss Silver State USA in Nevada this year with the intention of competing for myself and focusing on overcoming my insecurities. I wanted to overcome my fears of rejection, having to second guess myself and changing who I am for other people.

Like most pageants, Miss Silver State USA has a personal interview, an evening gown round, a swimsuit round and an on stage Q&A session. In my personal interview I was asked what my goal was as a trans woman competing in a cisgender pageant. I told them that oftentimes people think that my experience is different to a cisgender woman, and in some ways it is, but it's also very similar. As a trans woman I have experienced abuse, discrimination and inequality because of my gender.

Typically we think pageantry is for women who are slim, tall and have nice teeth, but I'm not just a body, I am also a person who struggles with mental health and I am a survivor; I grew up in poverty and have had to forge my own path. A lot of women share the same stories and I think we need to highlight that rather than focusing solely on beauty.

I wasn't expecting to win but I was also too busy trying to calm my nerves to be fully aware of what was happening. So, when my name was called as the winner I was really surprised and didn't know how to react. It was overwhelming but I was really happy.

I wasn't aware at the time that I was the first transgender woman to win a beauty pageant in Nevada, but it's amazing. I'm now an automatic entry for Miss Nevada which is in June and my goal is to then go on to Miss USA. I think it's about time we see a trans person on the Miss USA stage and I'd like to make that history.

I've had a mixture of reactions to my success. My friends and people from the LGBTQ+ community are always supportive, but I've had a lot of messages saying that I'm a man, or I'm not a real woman because I don't get periods and I can't give birth. I've been told that I'm a sin and I'm taking something away from little girls. People have their opinions and when it comes to people calling me a man, it doesn't hurt me. I've heard that so many times.

There was a point in my life where I would cry myself to sleep hoping that I wouldn't wake up. I don't know what happened, but one day I just decided I wasn't going to listen and instead, I was going to pay attention to what makes me happy.

I have always wanted to become the person I needed when I was younger, when I knew I was different but I didn't know what or who I was. I was very feminine but I didn't know anyone who was trans, even when I moved to America and saw TV shows where they would present trans people.


Kataluna Enriquez (center) after winning Miss Silver State USA 2021.
COURTESY OF KATALUNA ENRIQUEZ/MISS SILVER STATE USA

After I won Miss Silver State USA one contestant messaged me to say she was really happy that I had won. She told me that she had been feeling insecure at the competition because she is a person who identifies as pansexual. I was so glad that I had been able to give her some light and positive energy.

It's so important because even now, people are still hurting or afraid to be their true selves, and I understand why they are afraid. That's why we need to continue having discussions and sharing our stories and our authentic selves.

I just want to continue having conversations, sharing my story and advocating for mental health awareness, representation, inclusivity and diversity.


Kataluna Enriquez is the winner of Miss Silver State USA 2021 and will be competing in Miss Nevada in June 2021. You can follow her on Instagram @mskataluna and follow her fashion line @katalunakouture.

All views expressed in this article are the author's own.

As told to Jenny Haward.

This thread has gone a lot of different directions, hasn't it?