Why we must hail Paulina Vega, the new Miss Universe
In the question round at the Miss Universe 2014 night, on January 25, 2015, Miss Colombia Paulina Vega was aglow with pride at being able to represent her country. She said that Colombia “has been a role model for the rest of the world,” and went on to add, “We are persevering people; despite all the obstacles, we keep fighting for what we want to achieve. After years of difficulty, we are leading in several areas on the world stage now.”
For the average Indian, a Miss World or a Miss Universe title is inconsequential till an Indian clinches it. Overnight, the entire country is abuzz with how beautiful a certain contestant is, and her biography does the rounds, no matter where in India your gaze falls on. The moment of the crowning is one that goes down in the annals of Indian history as a memorable one. And once the hullabaloo dies down, we get back to bashing the commodification of women’s bodies, criticising the winners left-right-and-centre, and don’t much spare a thought about anything else. Especially, in the years that India has not been able to win any of the crowns on the world stage. A not-so-curious case of sour grapes, maybe, that we the mobile vulgus are accused of.
If one focuses on the Miss Universe title, one can see that more often than not, the crown has stayed in the continents of America, in general, and the Latin American countries, in particular. The results have almost always taken us back to the bloody histories of the Latin American countries, what with coups, guerrillas and a deep civil unrest down there. Colombia, the country this year’s Miss Universe belongs to, for example, has had a history of outlawed groups and guerrillas controlling major parts of the nation. The country, which till 2011 was known as the world’s topmost producer of cocaine, lost that nefarious title, thanks to the strengthening and education of its society. So, when a Miss Universe emerges out of a country like Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia or Brazil, one cannot but give them their due. After all, in countries ravaged by civil disturbances, where even daily life might come across as a luxury for many, these women have done their bit to represent their country in front of the entire world – no matter how debated the stage might be.
Living in the shadow of a neighbour which is the world’s most powerful country might not exactly be the best of feelings, or so the numerous US-Latin American countries’ issues would say. In a country like Venezuela or Colombia, therefore, winning the Miss Universe title, for a certain contestant, might just be the realisation of the ultimate American Dream. You get an undisclosed amount of salary, you get a mansion in New York, and you get a year-long scholarship from the New York Film Academy. Many inhabitants of the Latin American countries raise their children – daughters – with the grooming and the mentality required to participate in beauty pageants all over the world. And Miss Universe is the highest rung of that ladder.
While the criticism of beauty pageants rages on, unabatedly, there are things to be happy about, too. The Miss World pageant, for example, hosted its last swimwear round this year. The decades-long protests against the body-over-brains outlook of the crown have finally been laid to rest, with the organisation’s declaration that there won’t be any swimsuit round from the next Miss World. The Miss Universe pageant still carries on with the round, though.
Donald Trump’s 600-million strong audience base watches the ceremony every year, from every corner of the world. What had begun in 1952 as a local "bathing beauty" competition, organised by a Californian swimwear company, is – if the Miss Universe website is to be believed – much more than just a beauty contest today. The pageant now has contestants who “compete with hope of advancing their careers, personal and humanitarian goals and... seek to improve the lives of others”.
And as far as we the Indians are concerned, the country’s loss this year, too, will pass over without much ado. Because, to be honest, how many of us had even heard of Noyonita Lodh before last night, when we saw her not even being able to make it to the final ten? Do any of us remember any of the Indian Miss Universe contestants after Lara Dutta, who won the 2000 title? I doubt.
Even if we do condemn these pageants which place more importance on a woman’s beauty than anything else, ostensibly, let’s not demonise the contestants altogether. More so, when an Indian doesn’t end up winning anything.