Hi guys. How have you been?
Today is the fifth day of the enhanced community quarantine in the Philippines which means all of us are forced to stay in our homes nowadays. Now don’t feel too bad about it because it is actually for our own safety and our own good. I have been reading a lot of articles online and the people from Italy are saying that we should be wise and we should learn from their mistakes. Apparently, they did not take the call to social distancing very seriously on the onset. That is why the COVID- 19 virus spread so rapidly in their country.
Now you know the saying it it’s better to be safe than sorry? It applies perfectly in our situation today. So stay at home, stay safe. After all, we can do a lot of things at home. People have been creative with the way they have been spending their time in this quarantine period. I have been scanning over social media and there has been a surge of different online challenges these past few days. There’s the Tiktok Challenge, slumbook challenges, workout challenges, read-a-book challenge, post-an-old-photo challenge etc. All of these are guaranteed to make us entertained amidst this global pandemic scare happening right now.
But what about the plight of the pageantry world in this trying time? It’s really sad how pageantry has become suddenly irrelevant in this time of COVID-19. All pageant organizations were forced to cancel their pre-pageant activities and postpone their finals date at the last minute. Pageant fans went from crazy excitement to human survival mode in just a snap of the finger. Everyone is just in a state of panic for fear of the unknown about when this whole thing will end. As one of the pageant admins on our Facebook page, I suddenly question myself whether I should still continue posting updates about the pageant world or not in deference, of course, to what is happening in the world right now.
But I realize I am in this unique position to still continue to inform and entertain. And I should take advantage of it. While everyone is doing these crazy and funny Tiktok challenges online to keep its sanity intact, I keep watching old and past Miss Universe videos on Youtube on my end. I must have watched Catriona Gray’s crowning moment a thousand times already (both pre-COVID and present) and suddenly came across with Natalie Glebova’s crowning moment in Miss Universe 2005 which I stumbled upon on Miss Universe’s official Facebook page.
Both girls, no doubt, looked gorgeous but got crowned at the different era. The former won after surviving many rounds of interview portions while the latter only had to ace her one and only Q&A of the night to win. Catriona came and won in a time where advocacies in the pageantry is already a must-have staple for every candidate as how bread and rice are to humankind. Contrast that to Natalie’s time where how you only have to be drop-dead gorgeous from head to toe in order to win.
In the middle of this whole COVID-19 global mess we are in right now, I suddenly thought of these advocacies continually jeered for being unnecessary fillers in a three hour finals telecast. Pageant fans would always say it’s irrelevant and unnecessary as it’s a beauty pageant first and foremost. Nobody cares what they would say about it because it is phony or artificial as these candidates tend to only create these advocacies out of thin air as a requirement in joining pageantry nowadays.
But everything for me is changing right now, at least from my perspective. As we are all tucked in our respective homes now, I suddenly see the relevance of these pageant advocacies. We are all rendered immobile and powerless and we have no choice but to follow what our government imposes us to do. Consequently, we turn to social media to keep us all informed and updated about this pandemic. But with the proliferation of negativity and fake news online, we developed mental anxiety about this whole thing. Will we really see the end of it? What if this persists until June?
I am suddenly reminded of Riyo Mori’s answer in her final question which is to always remain calm and positive. As I distance myself from social media temporarily, I begin to question my mental health as I am beginning to think develop negative thoughts regarding my surrounding. Then I think of Kylie Versoza’s mental awareness campaign during her time and how it is so important to know its symptoms on the onset especially at this trying time. Pre-COVID time, pageant fans quickly jeer when these number of candidates year in and out advocate for this tried and gasgas advocacy. Now I am grappling with more information about it online as I deal with my own mental anxiety.
As I read up more news about this virus, I learn that the old or the elderly gets to be the most affected due to its low immune system. Then I remember Gazini Ganados again as she championed for the the elderly care during her time in Miss Universe last year. Pageant fans were quickly mocking her advocacy as they claim it it is purely padded and out of touch with the American audience but with everything’s that’s going on right now, she was right after all. If you check out the Internet right now, many Italian citizens are calling out help for their elderly as the latter will no longer be prioritized in being treated in their hospital facilities over there.
As of this writing, there have been 217 COVID-19 cases reported in our country. We don’t know if the toll will keep on rising until next month. Both our officials and analysts say the figure isn’t an accurate number as it’s only 10% to 30% accurate given the unavailability of testing kits in our country. The testing kits from China and South Korea are reportedly arriving until next month. Then I suddenly remember both Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray’s HIV awareness campaign where its important for people to get tested to know about their status. The HIV cases in our country have significantly increased but with two recent Miss Universe winners from the Philippines on the frontline, there still remains stigma attached to it. People are still scared to get tested. Will the entire Filipino race need a full-blown COVID-19 case scenario only to realize the potential pandemic HIV could lead us to in the near future as well?
The good thing is that we have capable and hardworking local government units responding to this crisis with their heart and soul. Young local community leaders have been impressing us with the way they have been handling the situation in their respective communities. For sure, they would not have been responding this well if it were not for the good education provided for them during their formative years. Which, to be honest, really reminds me of Catriona Gray’s championing free access to education among young underprivileged children. A local city mayor grew up poor and an orphan in Tondo and it is really awe-inspiring how he is leading his community with wisdom and compassion in this crisis.
To be honest, I also find the same paranoia about Samantha Bernardo’s malaria prevention advocacy as well. There isn’t much information available about this sickness as well and I am glad she is trying her best to shed light about it. Now, I want to access more information about it (given we also live in a tropical country) as who knows we might be having this kind of outbreak in the near future. More than looking at Samantha as a good dancer and gymnast, maybe it’s about time we should take her more seriously.
Or what about Maria Isabela Galeria’s current crusade on having access on universal healthcare among everyone. As a registered nurse, she could really use this time to talk about the benefits of having one in our nation.
I am really beginning to see the wisdom of these advocacies in the pageant world. Whether it was created artificial or from the sincerity of their hearts, we should always strive to take time to read up on what they have been advocating for. These pageants have been using advocacies to stay afloat and relevant in this trying time. I finally get why it’s important for them to get viewers who could identify with their contestants and rally behind them. I now get why glitz and glam has been toned down in favor of more speech and interview segments. I also now get why Miss World chooses not to mount a grand and spectacular coronation night annually in favor of holding more Beauty With A Purpose projects which could impact children suffering from hunger worldwide. There is really something we can learn from these contestants more than just seeing them as Barbie dolls on stage on live television.
So next time we complain why Miss Universe has replaced its Final look segment with a Final Statement one, think of this trying time we are all grappling with right now. Believe it or not, beauty pageants have already started evolving and reinventing and should our mindsets be. There is now a power to inform and empower a community with compassion. Just like how a town hall meeting or election caucus looks like – except that the participants are dressed to the nines.
So in case someone says pageants are no longer relevant nowadays. Maybe I should think twice again.
IMG or Miss Universe was just probably thinking ahead of its time. i was just too busy knitpicking something else.
heyadamgenato 