We're all a little pageant crazy and that's OK

It’s been three days since Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach, a.k.a. Miss Universe 2015, a.k.a. Queen P, bagged the third Miss Universe crown for the Philippines, ending what is now referred to as the 42-year drought of Miss Universe titles and making good on her promise to avenge the country after Manny Pacquiao’s defeat at the fists of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. earlier this year. Given that three days is a pretty long time nowadays, when memes are churned out relentlessly mere minutes after a newsworthy event, I think I’ve had ample time to process what went down and think about them clearly and objectively.

Oh who am I kidding. I still talk about the pageant every chance I get, and I’m still hungrily scooping up every related tidbit I see and dispense it to others.

I’m nowhere near as passionate about beauty pageants as gay Filipinos are purported to be, but I think I’m more of a beauty pageant nerd than a lot of people I know. Waking up early to watch Miss Universe was practically a family ritual when I was growing up (As a kid, my favorite Miss Philippines was Geraldine “Pebbles” Asis. Anybody know what she’s up to these days?).

I enjoyed the hell out of Miss Universe 1994 when it was held here and could tell you so many details about the pre-pageant events (Anybody remember the hoopla about Miss Israel’s terno?). These days, I tend to post one Facebook update after another to share my insights and chat with a like-minded friend while watching a competition.

So yeah, you could say my enjoyment of pageants is several steps above “mild interest,” a fact that surprises people who know me. I’m very much aware that pageants are problematic, that they encourage women to compete based on looks, and that they imply that there is a standard of beauty that should be adhered to. I recognize the irony that an event that focuses on women are still largely determined by men, whether it’s the judges or the trainers, a seemingly large chunk of which are gay men, who may have an ingrained idea of how women should look, walk, and dress. 

Watching Miss Universe was somewhat discouraging for a few years as we (yes, we, because one Filipino represents everyone, dammit) failed to land even in the semifinals until 1999 when Miriam Quiambao became the first runner-up. After that, we enjoyed a string of Miss Photogenic awards, which were largely determined through online voting and which we most likely won because there is no one like Filipinos for banding together and ensuring online victories.

And then in 2010, Venus Raj glided across the stage in a queenly manner and sparked amusement with her use of “major, major” in her response to the Q&A. Her performance landed her a fifth place finish (fourth runner-up), but it was the highest the country has ever placed in Miss Universe in a while. Shamcey Supsup did her one better the following year, becoming the third runner-up, and Janine Tugonon got the closest to the crown the next year as the first runner-up. Ariella Arida took the third runner-up award a year later, and Mary Jean Lastimosa landed in the top 10 the next year.

It was a string of near-hits, so understandably, pageant fans were left wondering if Our Year would ever come and what it would take to win. Getting so close to the crown was a satisfactory feat; actually winning it would be a total triumph, especially for a country that ardently values beauty pageants and enjoys every bit of international renown that it can get.

So it’s not unsurprising that people are going crazy over Pia Wurtzbach’s victory.

Full disclosure: I didn’t get to watch the pageant live (See? Not 100% crazy about pageants), and I merely received updates via Facebook. Hearing that she looked gorgeous in her evening gown and delivered spot-on responses during the Q&As was a relief and even generated approving comments from the people I was with at the time, who aren’t big pageant fans but were still interested to know that Pia had a strong chance of winning. She is Miss Philippines after all.

And that’s really why her victory is celebrated. It’s a thrill to finally win after so many close calls. Plus, the Philippines doesn’t have a ton of international clout, military might, and cultural influence, so people just overflow with nationalistic fervor when one of our own is recognized on the international stage.

We could sling mud at one another in defense of the presidential candidates we support, but we readily rally around a Filipino who is up against the world, and Miss Universe is just one of those things that make that happen.

And if you don’t believe that’s true, just check out how Filipinos have risen to her defense against bashers after the botched announcement during the pageant, and wait until the inevitable welcome-home motorcade and celebration for Pia when she gets back.

Lynn Lopez is an editor, a freelance writer, occasional illustrator, delinquent yogini, and full-time critic of many things.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of this website.