So went our prediction that it itself went into a "drought." Marisol Gonzales Casas, Miss Universe-Mexico 2003 was chosen as our official bet thinking it will be time again for good ‘ol Mexico to shine. Mexico may be the giant among the Spanish speaking nations and perhaps maybe the most powerful. It may be the source of telenovelas that enchanted not only the region but other countries in different continents as well. But why is it that when it comes to beauty pageants, this country is barely able to exercise its inherent might?
Consider Miss Universe 2003. The host of the pageant is Panama, a small Central American nation who could look up to Mexican entertainment industry for inspiration. If Mexico is so influential in the region, why can't it sway Panama to give its delegate at least something to relish on? Why did Panama prefer to award the crown to a relatively less famous and way too small neighbor?
Of course, this isn’t how Miss Universe works. It boils down on how a delegate performed but this story, in case of a tight contest, is similar as how a delegate romps onstage or how she answers the questions with wit. Miss Mexico is 2003 has already been in our top five list ever since her photos circulated on the web. We thought she could resurrect the lost hope of Mexicans for another crown. We thought she could exert the influence of her mother country to push her up to the title. We thought she has all the qualities that the judges are looking for.
Perplexingly, what we think fell tragically short to reality. But we did predict the eventual Miss Universe Amelia Vega to end up as first runner-up! And as an added bonus we had 67% hit percentage- a far cry from 40% hit last year. In retrospect, we did fairly well in predictions although we admit that while we pursue a supposedly scientific approach, our guesses are just good as anyone else’s. In 1999, our bet Miss Venezuela Carolina Indrigao settled for a top five finish. In 2000, Miss Aruba Tamaryn Chacoli is nowhere near the top ten. Not even Miss Philippines Nina Ricci Alagao, our first runner-up bet. It marked one our lowest turnout rates although we were saved by our Miss World predictions where we accurately placed Miss India Priyanka Chopra on the top. The year 2001 is a bit better but failing to see the potentials of Misses Nigeria Agbani Darego and Greece’s Evelina Panpantonou frustrated us.
As our club will get into full swing next year, our predictions will be more open to diverse opinions. In the case of Mexico, it is pretty obvious that we were swayed by hype and possibilities but it isn’t that she doesn’t have the qualities we adore.
She’s thin and statuesque. Strong beautiful Latina eyes make her a standout. "But she is way too thin," laments a pageant fan. That factor stands as a very probable reason why she wasn’t able to get the nod of the judges. "Being thin is great but with jutting ribs, it becomes a turn-off," notes one pageant critic.
Pictures of her was said to be deceiving but she is in her own merits beautiful. "When you look at her prints, she can deceive your eyes making us believe that she is tall," says a pageant observer. "But at 1.7 meters, she would be simply overwhelmed by those who stand at 1.8 meters and above." Not that height is the key in winning but it is one of the factors. When a delegate stands a little bit shorter, she will simply be sidelined.
In the swimsuit preliminaries, Marisol moved in a relatively reserved manner. Confidence is the key in everything and while Marisol attempted to show that, the effort is half-hearted as she repressed some hesitance and nervousness. For her Latina qualities to show up, vivacious and resplendent moves are the necessities.
On the gown competition, her pale carnation frock is basically okay but being okay is not the key in winning. "You need to stand-out always," says a beauty pageant expert. The design of her gown is too unadorned and only her dramatic appearance plus the cloth in her front connecting to the left wrist adds the excitement.
The major barrier of Mexico’s en route to Miss Universe coup this year was Marisol’s rather reserved stance. Who says that interview segments in Miss Universe doesn’t complement the overall-scores of a contestant? Many past delegates did everything from trying hard to be funny to singing their own praises just to get the nods of the judges. In Marisol’s interview video captures, we saw an outwardly shy girl who gives run-of-the-mill answers. Do the butterflies in her stomach triggered those shilly-shallying and jitters, and worried the judges?
Mexico is definitely without luck these days. After Lupita Jones, this country experienced seemingly unbelievable misses. When Guadalajara hosted the event in 1993, the host delegate was left in cold much to the disappointment of the crowd who booed all through the night. In 1994, Faviola Perez Rovirosa was a frontrunner and favorite in the pre-finals only to end up with nothing. A glimmer of hope came in 1999 when Silvia Salgado became one of the semi-finalists. In 2000, the most terrible disappointment equaled 1993 incident. Letecia Murray Acedo who underwent exclusive and rigorous training under Lupita Jones, was touted as one of the best delegates and became the eventual winner of the National Costume Award along with the Miss Clairol Style Award, didn’t make it to the top ten.
Panama as a host should have been a good time for Mexico to win. With a Latin America country as a host, a Latin beauty usually becomes a hot item (No wonder, whether by design or chance, the United States sent a Latina delegate Susie Castillo). Mexico, as the prominent amongst the Latin American countries, stands with a good chance. But the psychology and human development student with brown eyes and hair dashed the hopes of a very expectant nation. But as luck would have it, the time for them to win is yet to come.
