Filipinas continue to dominate the world of pageantry.
Past and present pageant victories such as the recent win of Filipino-Australian Catriona Gray, who bagged the 2018 Miss Universe crown, have inspired many young girls to try and follow the same path.
In Australia, there is a growing number of young Filipinas who go through stringent pageant training in order to compete for a beauty title.
Speaking to, the young ladies from Melbourne-based Andrea House of Beauty explained why they compete.
Image courtesy of Andrea House of Beauty. Source: Supplied- Andrea House of Beauty
More than just the crown
For Filipinas participating in the upcoming Miss Teen Globe Australia 2019 and Mutya ng Pilipinas 2019 pageants, joining beauty contests gives them the opportunity to work with a cause that is personally significant to them.
"I think it’s kind of a platform as well. Even without the pageant, you can voice out your opinion but with the pageant, it is with a bigger audience like people will hear you more," contestant Alyssa Hernandez says.
Contestant Nicola Miranda believes that her advocacy on alleviating poverty will be addressed by joining a beauty pageant.
"For me, it’s more about focusing on poverty mainly because that’s a bigger cause on a global scale just having that platform to elaborate more into the world I guess like starting on a smaller scale and expanding more," Ms Miranda says.
For aspirant Kreisha Mae Agpasa, pursuing the crown and the sash is not the main goal. Gaining experience and self-confidence are more important benefits.
"I think for me self-confidence was always lacking when I grew up. I was a very shy kid. Training to be a beauty queen allows me to let other people know that even if you’re shy as a kid you can do anything that you put your heart and mind to. It's not about the title but [i'm doing it] mainly for the experience," the 19-year-old candidate says.
For the youngest contender, 14-year-old Regina Cortes, an interest in modelling developed at a young age, and it was her mum's unrealised beauty queen dream that drove her to the world of pageantry.
“I’m hoping [to be a beauty queen but it did not happen]. We always [practice] the catwalk and poses at home," Mrs Cortez said.
"I saw [her] potential, so I said why not."
Not all beauty queens share the same story, though. For other ladies who participated in past pageants, joining was a means to survive poverty in the Philippines.
Miss Teen Globe International candidates during their presentation. Source: Andrea Jaca Smith
For Miss Transsexual Australia 2016 and veteran pageant contestant turned beauty coach Andrea Jaca Smith, it was a way to earn money and support herself financially.
"I [joined] about 100 beauty pageants," she says
"I started when I was 18 years old. [Although] I’m doing behind the scenes now training other beauty queen aspirants, I’m not closing the door [on joining pageants]," says Ms Smith who is now an in-house pageant guru of The Face Australia.
Contrary to what other people think, Ms Smith adds that the world of pageantry is not as glamorous as it seems.
Andrea Jaca Smiths transformation. Source: Andrea Jaca Smith instagram
Behind the glitz and glamour, there is an exceptional commitment to go through an arduous journey-even if it will cost them their time, money, and energy.
Beauty queens are not born, they are made
So how rigorous exactly is the training?
According to Ms Smith, the ladies go through long months or even years of tutorials on the catwalk, personality development, grooming or wardrobe choice, hair and makeup, diet planning and Q&A before they are sent out to compete for a beauty pageant.
The bigger the pageant, the more strenuous the routine is.
“Mainly I teach them catwalk projection, facial expression, personality development, grooming, and makeup tutorial-the complete package on how to project on stage and behind the scenes," she says.
"For girls that I train for international [competitions], I really recommend that [they] stick to a certain diet."
While stage projection is a major part of the competition, it is equally important for candidates to be articulate during the question and answer portion.
Ms Smith follows all the Miss Universe competitions in the past and she says candidates must keep themselves informed about the current issues so they can answer questions confidently.
"[The competition] is not all about the physical appearance, organisers and judges are looking for someone who [could speak on behalf of a certain organisation [as ambassadors],” adds Ms Smith.
The beauty coach believes that anyone can be a beauty queen as long as they work hard for it and believe in what they stand for.
While pageants are a stepping stone to advance advocacies and careers, only time will tell what their destiny holds but for now, the ladies are just enjoying the limelight.
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