Much has been said about the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant, especially the answer of our representative, Venus Raj. She did not win the crown—in fact she placed 4th Runner-Up—bringing back the glory to the Philippines after more than a decade of drought from the prestigious pageant since Miriam Quiambao in 1999.
Spell Fierce… V-E-N-U-S…R-A-J
One can’t deny that Venus was a force to be reckoned with in the Miss Universe pageant. Millions of people petitioned her reinstatement after being dethroned just weeks after she was crowned Bb. Pilipinas Universe. BPCI took notice, gave her another chance, and it was fate that brought her back in the game.
Countries found her a threat. It was because of this that it wasn’t really a surprise that reports circulated that certain delegates maltreated her. She was, after all, in the words of Tyra Banks (an expression she is famous for), FIERCE. She placed a solid third in the Semifinal swimsuit competition and a good fifth in the evening gown competition.
Even despite the criticism on her evening gown for being too long and somewhat dowdy, she still managed to wear the dress with much bravura that the dress started to look really beautiful. She was like a goddess walking to us mere mortals. She lived by her name.
Was there a “major major” mistake?
Much has been said about Venus’s answer that sealed her fate as fourth runner-up. Many in the United States criticized her for such an over-confident answer that she seemed to project an impression that she is perfect.
Filipinos, on the other hand, crucified her for the way she answered the question. Pinoys started to act all perfect that they could have answered the question in better English than what Venus did.
Venus WAS able to answer the question. She was sincere in answering. She was just not lucky to win the crown. What happened was a case of diction slips. Diction is defined as the person’s choice of words. It was obvious that Venus was trying to directly translate a Filipino thought to English. That was where she seemed to struggle.
True, pundits claim that the question Venus had to answer was one common question in interviews. But those were closed-door interviews where an applicant is given time to think. Pageants are totally different. Once you’re on stage with the klieg lights and thousands of people watching you live and a judge asks you a question you have to answer in a span of 20-30 seconds, it’s a totally different ballgame.
Moving On
Venus now joins a group of celebrities who have made memorable lines. The “major major” fame that she is having is something that goes beyond Miss Universe. In fact, she is more famous than Jimena Navarrete, the actual winner.
But now that the pageant is done and Venus is back in the Philippines, one cannot help but think…interviews HAVE been our problem since time memorial. Even if you review Gloria Diaz’s answer and Margie Moran’s answer in the respective years when they won their Miss Universe crown, their answers were not strong enough and once couldn’t help but say that luck was on their side. Charlene fumbled on the “Super Girl” answer she gave in the 1994 Miss Universe Pageant. Miriam Quiambao was worse because she choked while giving her final answer in 1999.
The Philippines continues to send delegates that are normally on one side of the pole. We either send a fierce looking candidate in Miss Universe with a so-so personality and mediocre communication skills, or someone who is so-so in the looks department but claim to be fierce in interviews. We can’t seem to have the total package.
Is there something wrong? Could be. Maybe if the preparations were longer we could cover every aspect of training. Another thing that BPCI should consider is how the delegates are trained in communication and personality. If it’s not an option for them to answer in the vernacular, then have the girls trained by good communication coaches who are not too academic. Why not ask communication trainers in call centers? They can better train our candidates because call center agents that they train are normally honed and molded to have the gab and the attitude and personality…something that our girls lack.
So for the meantime, let’s be happy with Venus’s placement. Philippine Pageant Tribune is proud of Venus and is thankful for her wonderful representation of the Philippines.
