Beauty standards seem to be changing in international pageants.
But Miss Venezuela 2015 Mariam Habach does not seem to be happy about this.
The beauty queen recently made headlines when she alleged during a live stream interview that she did not make it into the Top 16 of the Miss Universe 2016 pageant because judges favored Siera Bearchell of Canada, whom she called a "fat placer."
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) decided to ask actress-beauty queen Winwyn Marquez for her thoughts on the issue in an exclusive interview via Zoom last Monday, July 13.
Although she is not fully aware of it, the Reina Hispanoamericana 2017 winner is glad that the idea of beauty in pageants has been evolving.
She said, "Siyempre, hindi mo mako-control kung ano iyong sasabihin ng iba. Ang sad lang na ganun din iyong naisip niya.
"Ang pageant naman ngayon, iba na, e. Hindi na talaga siya kung gaano ka katangkad, gaano ka kapayat."
Winwyn continued, "People are smart now. They want depth sa isang babae, iyong alam iyong nangyayari, current events.
"Gusto nila iyong makaka-share kung ano iyong maitutulong nila sa environment or sa society, di ba?
"I think people are smart now so even if someone will body-shame a candidate, the viewers or iyong mga nagsu-support sa candidate, will always stay by their side no matter how they look like.
"I'm happy din na nag-evolve din ang pageant fans, nag-evolve din dun iyong mga nanonood.
"So kung may ganoong sinabi ang isang candidate, hayaan na lang natin. Hayaan na lang natin."
The Miss Universe 2016 pageant was held in the Philippines in January 2017, where Pia Wurtzbach crowned her successor Iris Mittenaere of France.
Philippine bet Maxine Medina placed in the Top 6.
EVOLVING BEAUTY STANDARDS
A lean body has always been a standard among aspiring beauty queens.
For Winwyn, having a fit body gives an added boost of confidence as you go into the pageant, but it's not an assurance that you will win the crown and the title.
"Ako kasi, personally, like iyong attitude ko, siyempre gusto ko na prepared ako, nagwo-workout ako kung hangaang saan kaya ng katawan ko.
"Pero it doesn't mean na if you have the slimmest and pinaka-toned na body, e, ikaw na iyong mananalo."
Winwyn reiterated that no one can control what a woman can do with her own body, especially when she feels confident about how she looks.
"Hindi mo puwedeng pilitin ang isang candidate na magpapayat kung ayaw niya magpapayat. Or hindi mo mapipilit na, 'Kailangan ganito iyong magiging itsura mo agad.'
"It depends on the candidate what she wants to do with her body. Kasi puwedeng proud na siya, e, so bakit mo pa pipilitin kung kailangan pang magbago, di ba?
"She's proud of how she looks. Like, I'm proud of how I look. Iyon talaga iyong what should really matter.
"And depende na lang din sa judge iyon kung makikita nila iyon."
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