There’s undeniably a certain appeal about the Miss Universe pageant: 80 gorgeous women sashaying centerstage in their tight bikinis as they sway their narrow waists from left to right while putting one long leg in front of another, as they display their aligned teeth and big, flowy hair for a picture-perfect pose — all without tripping on their 5-inch heels.
But while it’s easy to be mesmerized by the glamor of the world’s most prestigious pageant, and be charmed by its promise of goodwill — these women, are after all, gearing up to be beautiful ambassadors of world peace and charity –, spectators are blind to the pressures these beauty queen aspirants face and even succumb to in order to win the coveted crown. To whittle down one’s waist to Barbie-like proportions and perfect a queenly catwalk, and be expected to give a memorable answer that’s one for the books (and said in straight, flawless English, no less) is, in fact, a tall order.
The point is, it takes hard work to be a Miss Universe, and so we take different, unique, beautiful girls from all sorts of places around the world, each with their own distinct cultures and backgrounds, and we expect them to all fit a singular beauty standard that we’re supposed to accept as universal. How are we supposed to celebrate the beauty of diversity when we demand them to look the same?
Miss Canada Siera Bearchell, then, is a welcome defiance in the face of the restrictive beauty ideals that has long ruled beauty pageants and the media, and her body-positive message rings loud and clear in an arena as big as Miss Universe.
Miss Canada rises to the occasion and shows that there could be an entirely different side to Miss Universe, one that is not obsessed with body measurements, but one that places true value on the things that truly matter: carrying love for one’s self and having the capacity to share it to the world.
Title or not, Siera’s message is a statement truly worthy of a queen.
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