On Janine Tugonon's Becoming Ms Universe 2012's First Runner Up

I'm grateful to have seen the video above being broadcast live on TV with others including good friends last Wednesday December 19th. And we have been doing this group-event for a year or two now. I bravely predicted Janine Tugonon would win the top plum post of this beauty pageant. But I missed it by a point because the judges didn't agree with my prediction.

You could just imagine why viewers were disappointed, including those among friends who were with me viewing the proceedings, and who are among serious enthusiasts of international beauty pageants like this. I'm into it mainly because I like watching it with friends, or else, I won't watch it alone at home (I've got better things to do while at home where I make my business more profitable and make myself happy).

I've come to realized that some, including those among the judges, can't stand the truth when beauty is before them. Janine really performed and brought home the bacon, so to speak.  Proof of the observation that some people can't deal with the truth more honestly is how online viewers would go out of their way to disparage Janine Tugonon. You see the same behavior from people who destroy beautiful objects of art (be of religious topic, something cultural, books, or even cute animals), as they can't stand the sight of beauty before themselves. Have you seen how some people smirk and become nervous at the sight of something impossibly beautiful before them? That's something similar to what happened in the Ms. Universe 2012 pageant.

And I read Facebook remarks that Janine was well deserving of losing as she looks like a typical Filipina maid, and so that she should not be 'Ms. Universe 2012.' And we won't dwell anymore here about post-colonial thoughts that the judges couldn't stand having someone from a former US colony winning over the Mother country itself---silly thoughts to have here, actually. The world, since those years, have moved and continues to circle around the sun.

Look here, now. Standards of beauty and elegance are always changing and evolving. I'm just amazed that a number of those Latina beauties didn't make it to the top 5, considering that they've usually made it to the ranks in the past decades. Also, note that Ms. Angola, who's a stunningly beautiful, smart black lady, was Ms. Universe 2011---an idea that would have been unimaginable many decades ago to happen in beauty pageants like this one ---even one of my good friends that night still can't get over the idea that a black person would win this beauty contest as I heard him made silly remarks again (loud laughter!) about her looks.

My good American friend, who was born and raised here in the East Coast, was with us during the TV viewing event. He won't be watching this show alone by himself, except that he thought it could be fun watching it with others as he had nothing better to do and won't go to bed soon even if he had an early flight the next day. He said 'it's a mixed bag,' as he's biased (just like myself and anyone of us). He thought Janine really did well and she deserved to win as Ms. Universe 2012. And he even made remarks that run along the idea that the men (or straight men) among the judges might had been thinking about who among these women would they want to get to bed with---this is, of course, a tasteless remark. But I can imagine that it can really be among the thoughts of the (straight male) judges while in the process of judging the contestants. What are these beauty pageants all about but mainly to emphasize that physical traits of beauty reign supreme over something more subtle and beneath the skin? And the whole proceedings are mainly done repeatedly annually for marketing purposes with huge budgets---look at how happy Mr. Trump could be as some huge groups of people are talking about his franchise.

And actually, you have to recall that Janine did win. She's among the top 5 finalists, and she landed first runner-up. Not everybody among the rest of the contestants can be in her position, except Ms. USA. With that, it means she's among the most beauteous ladies from her ranks, and nobody can deny her (and her supporters) that, even the meanest critics among us. For that, I have to be grateful and I'm looking forward to more winnings for Philippine contestants (also from those in the USA, where I've been based for sometime now) in the years to come from seemingly petty, silly, stupid international beauty contests like this.