A letter from Ysabelle Tumaneng, Miss World Canada Finalist ‘20
Illustration by Katrina Abad.
The Philippines is known to be one of the top contenders for the most popular beauty pageants, more recently the Miss Universe Pageant. It may actually be considered an olympic sport since the whole country stops to watch. Growing up as a second generation Filipina-Canadian, I had felt the same sense of pride when Pia Wurtzbach won the Miss Universe title in 2015. Although I was never born in the Philippines, pageants have been so deeply rooted in my culture that it is still a recurring tradition that I personally practice today. From an outside perspective, I can see how much joy and happiness these pageants can give to the Filipino people. Beauty pageants are aspirational despite not everyone can be there in person to root for their beauty queen. Still, viewers can feel that they are a part of each lady’s journey as they start in the national pageant, Binibining Pilipinas.
In my opinion, these pageants may also give a sense of hope that the viewers themselves can achieve their goals too. They may see someone who resembles them—who grew up in the Philippines, who confronted adversity—and now becoming a national pride symbol. Pia Wurzbach is one great example. She competed in Binibining Pilipinas three times before she received the Miss Universe Philippines title in 2015, and then won the ultimate title later that year. Even though the Philippines has won many titles, the most notable wins are all that of beauty queens that are half Filipina. When Catriona Gray, who’s half Australian and half Filipino, won Miss Universe in 2018, I had a great discussion with my cousins about her arguable win.
My argument was that Catriona is not a full Filipino, nor is she born in the Philippines. “If she is Miss Universe, she represents the most beautiful Filipino woman in the entire universe. Catriona is not the epitome of a Filipino woman,” I said. Come to think of it though, I realize that Filipina women (full or mixed) do not have to fit a mould because I believe we are all unique. From its inception, the Philippines has become a melting pot full of influences from China, the US, and Spain. Some may argue, “Why not have a true full Filipina represent the Philippines in these pageants?” Some viewers, admittedly including myself from the past, who only see beauty queens like Catriona Gray who is’t a full Filipina sweep these pageants can feel inferior about this fact. Why do half Filipinas keep winning these pageants? I did some of my own deep reflections and thought, “Do we easily disregard all of her [Catriona] philanthropy work she has done in the Philippines?” Similarly to Catriona, I, too, want to know my own heritage, traditions, and culture, as it is a part of my identity, even if I am born outside of the Philippines.
I don’t think it’s right to discourage people who want to know and learn more from their culture. Instead, viewers of the beauty pageants should be more compassionate and open-minded to invite these contestants in with open arms and allow them to thrive in the beauty of our country. I guess with this sense of longing, I decided to take life into my own hands to try pageants for myself. Competing in pageants as a second generation Filipina-Canadian, I feel I need to prove myself not only for my family but also for my heritage. It’s a weird sense of nationalism that I adopted. The minute I told my family in the Philippines that I was competing for Miss World Canada, everyone sent me all the love and support. I never knew how much I could impact their lives. From then on I can understand why Filipina beauty queens work so hard; it’s because we want to make our family proud. We want to show how much hard work we have put in to represent our country to the best of our ability.
As I continue my own pageant journey, I have realized that beauty pageants aren’t only a part of my culture, it’s also about my own growth too. I'm at the point of my life as a 21-year-old where I am still in awe of how much I have accomplished, and beauty pageants have truly helped me achieve that. I am able to spread my advocacy about food allergy awareness in collaboration with Kiligraphy Co., creating a small project fundraiser to support research in food allergies (Oral Immunotherapy) and raise money towards the Children’s Wish Foundation which is the chosen charity of Miss World Canada.
More importantly, I have had the opportunity to give back to my local community. Beauty pageants in the Philippines are not only a thrill for the people but also for the woman that is competing. It takes courage, determination and poise to compete in various competitions against 20 to 40 other girls who are fighting for the same crown. Regardless of what happens in the future for pageants and the Philippines, I hope that I can pave the path for other Filipinas to try pageantry because it is truly an experience unlike any other.
Sincerely,
Miss Filipina, Ysabelle Tumaneng
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You can find more of Ysabelle on her Instagram @ysa.louise, and her links here.
