The Miss Philippines is clarifying that it has “nothing against swimsuits.” This is after the newly established pageant made a buzz online for removing the swimsuit competition from its roster of activities.
The pageant, launched under the Miss Universe Philippines organization, will crown the country’s representatives to Miss Charm and Miss Supranational.
Miss Supranational Philippines 2023 Pauline Amelinckx serves as the pageant’s inaugural queen.
In a social media post on August 28, The Miss Philippines announced that its participants will not compete in a swimsuit segment, a staple in many local and international pageants.
READ: No swimsuit competition’: New national pageant seeks ‘reinvention’ with ‘not the usual’ format
Instead, the contest will feature “Ted Talk-like speeches” and a “Red Carpet moment” for the “formal wear segment.
Local pageant enthusiasts praised this shift. However, others questioned the need for the change, as Miss Charm and Miss Supranational—the international pageants The Miss Philippines winners will compete in—still have swimsuit competitions.
In a follow-up post on August 30, The Miss Philippines explained their rationale for the change. “It’s not that we have anything against swimsuits,” it said.
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It clarified that the pageant will still hold “photoshoots at our world-famous beaches and resorts”—presumably with the pageant contestants donning swimsuits. But onstage, the organization said it wants to “shift the focus on things other than a woman’s vital statistics.”
It added, “The Miss Philippines is a platform for a woman’s voice to be heard, for her influence to be felt, and for her passion to promote Filipino culture and heritage be amplified.”
The Miss Philippines on August 31 also said that it is replacing the evening gown competition with a “major glam red carpet moment” where the candidates can choose to wear what they want “to show off their best version of formal wear”—“whether it’s an avant-garde tailored pantsuit or the most fabulous couture gown.“
“After all, in today’s red carpets across the world, from Cannes to the steps of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, women have the option of wearing more than the typical evening gown to show off their character and personality,” The Miss Philippines said in the post.
Like the swimsuit competition, the evening gown competition is also a beauty pageant staple.
The Miss Philippines is screening candidates on September 2 and 9 at the Estancia Mall in Pasig City. — Chuck Smith
