Host: What is your favorite color?
Contestant: Fyoo shuh.
Host: How do you spell fuchsia?
Contestant: Actually, my favorite color is red.
R-I-D, red.
It’s a popular college joke at the boys’ dorm in the
70s flashing back to me as I hit the buttons on my keyboard which, no doubt, a
kind of humor that would get on women’s nerves today.
On a higher note, our Pinay trio below put on the quick-witted
answers that did the trick and made their mark in beauty pageant Q & A
history.
Host: We have been videotaping all over this
country and if there’s one thing that I have learned, you guys have a bunch of
islands here. How many islands are in the Philippines?
Charlene Gonzales: High tide or low tide?
Host: What’s the difference between being Miss
Universe and being a Filipina?
Margie Moran: Being Miss Universe is like having a
birthstone, you may lose it. Being a Filipina is like having a birthmark, it’s
forever.
Host: One of your proudest achievements was
standing up to one of your professors back in college. Now, what have you stood
up for recently?
Miriam Quiambao: When I fell on the stage last Friday.
I believe that I had stood up for all the women who had fallen whether on- or off-stage.
I believe that through this example of mine, I have shown courage and strength in
being a woman, of being who I am. And I hope to be a good example to the rest
of the women in the world.
“The most beautiful things in the world, cannot be
seen or touched, they are felt with the heart,” said Antoine de Saint-Exupery author
of The Little Prince. Poet Khalil Gibran chimed in with his prose, “Beauty
is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.”
In the dazzling realm of beauty pageants, where dreams
are achieved and destinies are shaped, the Q & A rounds stand as significant
milestones that serve as a platform for contestants to showcase their poise,
personality, and most notably, intelligence. Judges carefully weigh up their
responses, seeking insight into the contestants’ personalities and ability to
think on their feet. A single well-crafted question, unveiling a contestant’s
depth and eloquence and captivating the hearts of both the judges and the
audience, could have the power to alter her fate.
Imagine the weight of a moment -- the butterfly effect
that can unfold on a stage. (“Butterfly Effect” was coined by mathematician and
meteorologist Edward Lorenz who discovered that even small changes in initial
conditions could lead to significant differences in the outcome of a dynamic
system. The term serves as a metaphor to illustrate how a small, seemingly
insignificant action can have far-reaching and unexpected consequences.)
It is within the precise seconds of answering the crucial question that a contestant’s journey to crowning can be propelled or compromised.
Lately, over our dinner table, this question popped
up: "What really wins to you? Is it love or character?" It’s a Q & A question
in the recent Binibining Pilipinas 2023. After taking in the question, I
figured out I had trouble reacting to the question myself. Not hard, but I thought
it was a faulty question. My AI-powered co-pilot got along with my knee-jerk
reaction:
“This question was improper because it implied that
love and character are opposed or incompatible, rather than complementary and
interdependent.”
Here’s the contestant’s answer to the question:
“As the youngest member of the family, I have very
loving parents. My siblings ate and kuyas, (have) instilled the body of love in
me. I was told that the world would hurt me, but I learned that (in) all
aspects of life, we have to choose love. And I have learned that all my love
will always be bigger than all things even if the world is hurting me. So, I
will choose love. Thank you.”
My co-pilot weighed in:
“The question forced the candidate to choose between
two important values that are not mutually exclusive. It limited her ability to
express her perspective and experience on love and character making her appear as
a stereotype with her answer.”
A cache of quick fixes is at the contestant’s disposal
when faced with such a faulty-question dilemma. One, rephrase the question: “So
you are asking me how I balance love and character in my life?” Two, reframe
the question: “Rather than choosing between love and character, let me tell you
how they both inspire me.” Three, redirect the question: “I think this is a
great opportunity to thank my family who taught me everything about love and
character.”
Caveat. Be mindful not to turn a quick fix into a mix-up
like this Q & A episode:
Judge Rita Gomez: Here’s your question, hija: Are you
still a virgin?
Maria Isabel Lopez: If I say I still am, can I bring
home the crown tonight?
Gomez: Good answer!
Lopez: What about you Ma’am, are you still a virgin?
Gomez: Hija, I have 5 children with 5 different
fathers, and what do you call that, Immaculate Conception?
Sad to say, not all questions are created equal, and
not uncommon in past beauty pageants marred by flawed questions carrying either
biases, limitations, or lack of clarity, presenting a challenge for
contestants.
In Miss USA 2015, this question was asked: “If you
were given 30 seconds to deliver a message to global terrorists, what would you
say?” First, it was improper because it flew in the face of the beauty pageant’s
goal – to celebrate women’s achievements and empowerment. Second, it was
unrealistic and insensitive to expect a contestant to address such a complex
and serious issue in such a short time.
In Miss Universe 2011, this question was asked: “If
you could change one of your physical characteristics, which one would it be?” First,
it was improper because it shot down the essence of self-love and acceptance
that beauty pageants are supposed to promote. Second, it was offensive and disrespectful
to ask a contestant to criticize her appearance in front of millions of
viewers.
In Miss Universe 2015, this question was asked: "Why do you think women should be allowed to serve in the army?" It was criticized for being sexist and outdated, as it implied that women should not be allowed to serve in the army by default.
Not only will the flawed question place the contestant
at a disadvantage, but also skew the judges’ evaluation, leading to their biased
judgment and the contestant’s diminished winning chance despite her potential
and other noteworthy qualities.
Just as a butterfly flaps its wings and sets off a chain
of events, so too one flawed question can trigger a series of consequences
whose impact stretches out beyond the stage – missed opportunities for personal
growth, scholarships, and advocacy platforms. The repercussions reverberate, stirring
the trajectory of a contestant’s life farther than the pageant itself.
Tainted by flawed questions, those past beauty
pageants spelled out a wide room for improvement. Like a butterfly, it is time for
our country’s beauty pageant cognoscenti to spread their wings and embrace a
future where the beauty pageant stage transforms into a platform of equality,
respect, and genuine celebration of talent and character.
To lighten up a bit, let me wrap up this article with
another popular college joke in the 70s (my apologies to our smart Pinays).
Host: What do you think of violence in Mindanao?
Contestant: Instead of violin, let me tell you how
playing the guitar has inspired me.
That’s Exhibit A for a quick fix – how to reframe a complex question.
Content put together in collaboration with ChatGPT
Head collage photos courtesy of ABS-CBN News, The Manila
Times, & Wiki
Video Clips courtesy of YouTube
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