Model Miss Universe
From the mouths of babes, Miss Universe quote of the day…
“We should be teaching young girls to take up space. Nothing is quite as important as taking up space in society and cementing yourself.” – Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi (South Africa)
The moment that everyone was waiting for, the final question that would decide the winner of Miss Universe 2000… (Spoiler alert – it was not me)
Question: “Right now, there is a protest going on outside calling the Miss Universe Pageant disrespectful of women. Convince them they are wrong.”
Miss India, Lara Dutta, nailed the response and deservedly won the competition.
Answer: “I think pageants like the Miss Universe pageant give us young women a platform to foray into the fields that we want to and forge ahead, be it entrepreneurship, be it the armed force, be it politics. It gives us a platform to voice our choices and opinions and makes us the strong, independent women that we are today.”
The pageant, run by CBS and Donald Trump before his presidential aspirations, foraged the world for 79 deserving delegates to compete in numerous areas, including intelligence, poise, beauty, and communication skills.
There was no time for stage fright, with an estimated audience of half a billion watching the telecast live from Cyprus. Some fun-loving Mexicans with sombreros, flags, and chants added noise and atmosphere. The stakes were high. The winner received cash and prizes of $US 300,000.
The delegates didn’t leave empty-handed, though. There were dresses by Roberto Cavalli, shoes by Stuart Weitzman, Clairol gift bags, swimwear, and custom-made Calvin Klein sunglasses. Calvin’s measurements decreed that I have a strangely shaped head – thanks, Calvin! It was not quite an Oscar’s gift bag, but still pretty damn good.
The best gift I had was having my parents come to Cyprus to watch the show, I know – cheesy but true.
A pretty impressive cast came together to bring the night to life. The personality of Sinbad almost filled the entire arena. He hosted the night aided by co-hosts Julie Moran from Entertainment Tonight and Ali Landry, a former Miss USA. At one point in rehearsals, Sinbad admitted that he thought we would be stuck-up bitches.
Performers at the telecast included Montel Jordan, US singer of ‘This is how we do it,’ Dave Coz, US jazz legend responsible for the theme of General Hospital, and Elvis Crespo, a famous Latino singer. After hearing the performances numerous times in rehearsals, I could almost sing along to all the songs, even if I had no idea what some of the Spanish lyrics meant.
The hours for rehearsals were long, and the conduct required was stricter than a Catholic school. Each girl signed a contract. Whereby they agreed not to drink or participate in any activities unsupervised by a chaperone.
The Coronation Ball was held the night after the telecast. At this point, the contracts concluded. The girls were allowed to go about their business without chaperones. Needless to say, many of us were dancing on tables at the local nightclub into the wee hours.
The level of security was more intense than a G20 summit. The Lobby and pool of the Hilton were no-go zones unless supervised. Three coaches, led by a police convoy, were packed with girls singing to pass the time. Unfortunately, Celine Dion was the popular choice at the time, and after three weeks, my ears nearly bled.
Media cased the lobby every day, where I had interviews with Danish, Puerto Rican, and Bahamas television and newspapers. To be fair, I quite enjoyed feeling like a celebrity for a month. When I got home, I found it unusual not to wake up to a news camera in my face.
There were tears, tantrums, fights, scandals, foul play, missing suitcases, and a wedding. I know that sounds like the really long title of a movie.
A significant hiccup included a girl rumoured to be suffering from bulimia. It is sad to think that someone might be driven to that in this environment. Two pairs of shoes were sliced before the presentation show. Of course, there were also conspiracy theories – were the top ten chosen on television ratings?
The public’s opinion on Internet sites was brutal, referring to one girl’s hair as pubic hair. Stories spread that one girl slapped another, which never happened. It was our first real taste of tabloid chaos pre-social media.
The big question – why did I have 78 clip-on koalas stuffed into my suitcase? Each country gives gifts to the other delegates. Thankfully I wasn’t stopped by customs!
One gift recipient, a fuller figured girl, who had been the recipient of some cruel taunts from another gift giver, stood her ground and gave the gift back. Apparently, you can look a gift horse in the mouth. There were cheers all round.
The wedding was a peculiar surprise. During one dress rehearsal, a man from the production team and one of the chaperones were married. That is one way to take advantage of a great set design.
Running since 1952, the pageant has not gone off without a hitch. Its history involves numerous scandals. The first winner, Miss Finland, gave up her title before the year ended to get married. This was not the last time delegates would be disqualified due to marriage or pregnancy. In 1979 the Australian stage collapsed, injuring many of the girls.
As a US competition, it is no surprise that Miss USA has won the most titles – eight, with Venezuela coming in a close second, claiming seven wins.
We received catwalk lessons from J. Alexander of America’s Next Top Model fame, who has taught the likes of Christy Thurlington and Naomi Campbell. He slipped into a very short dress and high heels effortlessly for the lesson. His instruction was made all the more comical by his supermodel impressions, such as the Giselle pony strut. The walking style of different regions around the world was also a highlight.
The Dress Rehearsals entailed the choreographers replicating receiving awards. Due to the policy which precluded any girl from practicing winning prizes, an extravagant shaved-headed Thomas would collect all of the prizes, including best hair. It certainly added a lighter tone to proceedings.
I walked away from the competition knowing that Australia is mainly associated with dangerous snakes, spiders, and BBQ’d prawns/shrimps. The best part was meeting and becoming friends with the girls, like my roomie, Miss Ireland, Louise, a straight shooter who spoke up when there was any bullying. We became competition sisters during our month together. Miss Aruba rightfully went on to win Miss Congeniality.
Miss Jamaica was a doctor. Miss Japan was studying architecture. Miss Aruba had an International Business Degree, spoke five languages fluently, and was a UN ambassador for HIV/AIDS. Other girls were studying Civil Engineering, Finance, Law, Dentistry, and Marine Biology.
This extraordinary select group of girls was well chosen as representatives for their countries. The experience at Miss Universe was eye-opening, exciting, and an incredible example of the amazing women in our world.
