Critical Beauty

My friend Boogie Rivera, a Filipino designer based in New York City, advised me that he is designing the gowns for Miss Universe Seychelles 2022 Gabriella Gonthier and Miss Universe Mauritius 2022 Alexandrine Belle-Etoile. It just so happens that both queens are staying with Boogie in his NYC apartment before they leave for Los Angeles in a couple of days for more fittings, so Boogie asked if I would be interested in interviewing them. I did not hesitate!Thank you, Boogie, for facilitating the interviews.  

  This is an excerpt of the live group chat I had with my guests (Peter Sereno, Noemi Melendez, Braian Peralta) on December 23, 2022 at 9:00 PM EST. In this segment, we share our thoughts on the new Miss Universe sash.

This is an excerpt of the live group chat I had with my guests (Peter Sereno, Noemi Melendez, Braian Peralta) on December 23, 2022 at 9:00 PM EST. In this segment, we share our thoughts on the new Miss Universe crown and we also reveal our respective all-time favorite crown.

  I had so much fun at my virtual Christmas party last night with my cool pals Peter Sereno of  The Pageant Institute  and Miss International Cuba director Noemi Melendez and with my new pal Braian Peralta who runs his own pageant vlog on YouTube, Mathwiz07. We talked about so many things related to pageants. We share our thoughts on the changes in Miss Universe (ownership, crown, sash), on Miss International (the production, the confusing judging criteria, the new crown, the winner, and the email sent to directors that angered them). And since it’s Christmas week, we also shared our feelings on Christmas and what our favorite Christmas traditions are.

Mothers and married women currently can't compete for Miss America, and Grace Stanke, who was crowned the new winner on Thursday, doesn't believe those rules should change.  Stanke represented Wisconsin during the pageant, which took place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. While speaking with Insider on Friday, Stanke said she believes the Miss America winner shouldn't be married or have children because it's a demanding role.    "It is Miss America and we are aged 18 to 26, and it's described in the contract right now that you have to be unmarried," Stanke told Insider. "We spend a lot of time on the road." She added: "The position of Miss America is an incredibly demanding one, requiring an average of 20,000 miles of travel monthly and visiting cities across the country for no more than 48 hours at a time."  "It's a very rigorous position, and I'm excited to be in the role and excited to step into it,&q

  Congratulations to Jasmin Selberg , 22, of Germany who was crowned Miss International 2022 at Tokyo Dome City Hall in Tokyo, Japan just moments ago. She is the third German to win the crown after Ingrid Fifi Finger in 1965 and Iris Klein in 1989. Selberg competed in Miss Supranational 2022 where she was unplaced. She also competed in Miss Globe 2021 where she won the Miss Social Media award. First Runner-Up: Stephany Amado - Cabo Verde Second Runner-Up: Tatiana Calmell - Peru Third Runner-Up: Natalia Lopez - Colombia Fourth Runner-Up: Celinee Santos - Dominican Republic Top 8: Jamaica, Canada, Spain Top 15: Philippines, Northern Marianas, Costa Rica, Finland, France, New Zealand,  United Kingdom Photos courtesy of Miss International Facebook Page

    On this vlog, I reveal my top 15 favorites for Miss International 2022 pageant which will take place in Tokyo, Japan on December 13.

  The 71st edition of Miss Universe competition will be streamed live via Roku channel, an streaming service, according to an article published by Variety Magazine yesterday. The other take-aways include: - Steve Harvey will not return as host. Instead, a female host will replace him. - A streaming service like Roku will cut down on commercials that usually pollute mainstream television. Instead of commercials, behind-the-scenes footage will be shown - MUO CEO Amy Emmerich says that the voting process will be transparent, but the scores will not be posted during the telecast to prevent “aggressive” viewers from harassing and bullying the selection committee - The swimsuit competition stays because the pageant not only highlights the power of voice but also the power of the body - Emmerich foresees accepting plus-size women in the future because she believes in body positivity - The delegates from Russia and the Ukraine are allowed to compete despite the ongoing war between the two coun