Contestants claim beauty pageants more than meets the eye<\/p>\n
By Mehru Jaffer<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): If some women want to become doctors and some
\nothers prefer to do little else but write, why should the
\nambition of those who lust after the title of the most beautiful
\nwoman in the universe be considered lesser?<\/p>\n
After all, beauty pageants are no longer mindless fun indulged
\nin by youngsters as they wait for a degree or a husband. Amid
\ncynical statements that such contests emphasize physical
\nappearance and are an insult to women, the beauty queens of today
\nsee pageants as a great gateway to lifelong careers. They are not
\nonly looking at jobs in the glamor world of films and fashion but
\nalso in media, management and medicine.<\/p>\n
Diane Patricia, 21, from Southeast Sulawesi, said she entered
\nthe Miss Indonesia contest, which was held on Saturday night in
\nJakarta, because she was impatient to broaden her knowledge about
\nthe world. She wants to meet all kinds of people from different
\nparts of the globe, and also from all over her own country.<\/p>\n
\"We know so little about ourselves, about our world,\" she
\nsaid. Her desire is in keeping with her subject of study,
\ninternational relations, and her ambition to become the first
\nwoman foreign minister of her country.<\/p>\n
The Miss Indonesia beauty contest attracted hundreds from all
\nover the country in the quest for \"Beauty, Brain and Behavior\",
\nand 30 women made it to the final.<\/p>\n
Pocut Iraita, also 21, from Aceh, said she participated in the
\ncontest because she wanted to use the opportunity to tell the
\naudience and the TV viewing public about her home province. She
\nwants to invite people to Aceh so that they can see for
\nthemselves how kind and loving the people are, like people
\nanywhere in the world, despite the bloody unrest.<\/p>\n
\"It's all right if I do not win the contest. I am only 18
\nyears old. At least I have gained some experience and made new
\nfriends,\" smiled Nuzlia Nur'aini from Kupang who is a student of
\nEnglish literature.<\/p>\n
Windy Wulandari, 21, would like to use such occasions to
\nintroduce the wonderful culture and traditions of Jakarta to as
\nmany people as possible.<\/p>\n
\"I plan to take up a career in public relations after
\ngraduation and I will do anything that teaches me to be able to
\ncommunicate better with people,\" said the dimple-cheeked Windy.<\/p>\n
Although she said she would not like to appear in a swimsuit,
\nshe said it was all right if Miss Universe Lara Dutta felt
\ncomfortable doing it.<\/p>\n
Annisa Dwitia, 18, looks forward to a future as a fashion
\nmodel and feels participating in the beauty contest can help her
\nmake her dream come true.<\/p>\n
Mooryati Soedibyo, founder of jamu herbal potions and
\ntraditional cosmetics firm Mustika Ratu, added the emphasis was
\nno longer purely on physical assets. The objective of all beauty
\npageants is to become much more refined and sophisticated today,
\nshe added.<\/p>\n
\"The personality and intelligence of participants play a very
\nimportant role now. A beauty queen is not just a dumb blonde but
\ngoes on to play the role of the best goodwill ambassador of her
\ncountry,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Mooryati set up the Puteri Indonesia Foundation eight years
\nago with the intention of instilling better confidence among
\nyoung women here. This is the fifth beauty contest held by the
\nfoundation. Due to the economic crisis, the contest was shelved
\nafter 1996 when Alya Rohali, now a television actress, was the
\nwinner.<\/p>\n
\"Just look at Lara,\" Mooryati said. \"She is not just beautiful
\nbut has an inner smartness that is responsible for her radiant
\nlook. And her command of the English language makes her express
\nher very worldly wise views with so much spontaneity. She is a
\nreal role model for all young women looking forward to entering
\nthe world on their own.\"<\/p>\n
Her persuasive arguments are probably not enough to quiet the
\ncritics who say beauty pageants are demeaning because they
\nobjectify women. Women, they contend, should be judged by their
\nintelligence, not by a beautiful face or curvaceous body.<\/p>\n
Indonesia banned the participation of Indonesian women in Miss
\nUniverse in 1984, but Alya took part as an \"observer\" in 1996.
\nThe decision upset the then minister of women affairs, Mien
\nSugandhi, who said the contest contravened norms of Indonesian
\nsociety through the wearing of swimsuits. There is no swimsuit
\nsection in the local contest.<\/p>\n
Miss Universe organizers are quick to counter the accusation
\nthat the contest is merely a glorified cattle market. They say
\nthe contest has matured with the times, with winners such as last
\nyear's Mpule Kwelago of Botswana helping to highlight
\nhumanitarian issues (Kwelago traveled around the world as a
\nrepresentative of the charity AIDS Awareness).<\/p>\n
Lara swept the crown with her polished reply to the question
\nof what she would tell the contest's critics. For her year ahead,
\nshe said she was interested in working on population control in
\nher country of one billion people. An ardent documentary
\nfilmmaker, she is also toying with the idea of running for
\npolitical office.<\/p>\n
Indians have done well in international beauty pageants for
\nmany years. The first Indian to win the Miss World title in 1966
\nwas Reita Faria, a medical student. Indian beauties hit the
\ninternational headlines in 1994 when Sushmita Sen bagged the Miss
\nUniverse title and Aishwarya Rai walked away with the Miss World
\ncrown.<\/p>\n
Mooryati believed it was the solid educational background of
\nIndian women that helped them impress judges. \"They are not just
\nphysically beautiful but also smart,\" she said.<\/p>",
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