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What I am doing here?
Miss Earth 2011 was just concluded and unfortunately, many beauty watchers are not happy with the results. It is not so much about the winner but it is more about the overall results, the beauties that made it to the semifinals, and well, Miss Philippines making it to the Top 4.
Critics were already aghast from the start with India and Czech Republic being left out while Philippines is in. Miss India Hasleen Kaur already complained privately prior the finals that she was not favored and nobody knows what happened with Miss Czech Republic Sarka Cojocarova which by the way won the Best in Swimsuit award. To add insult to the injury, local girl Athena Imperial cleared all the hurdles of the competition with relative ease.
After Miss Ecuador Olga Alava was crowned, criticisms, left and right flew all over the place. The harsh criticisms were directed to Miss Philippines Athena Imperial who many think, including majority of Filipinos, does not deserve to be in the Top 4 let alone in the Top 16.
Miss Earth and its panel of judges may have its reasons why Philippines ended up as the second runner-up but the pageant should be careful with its public image. The year 2011 is not a good year for local girls. Miss Brazil at Miss Universe also landed as 2nd runner-up and she received her share of criticism albeit muted thanks to her brilliant final question. Miss World didn’t receive much flak for having Miss England in the Top 7. What Miss Earth should realize is that these pageants have long history and therefore are all established. These pageants can afford to crown Miss Gibraltar (MW 2009) or allow Miss Vietnam in the semis (MU 2008) and walk away without having to worry about its reputation. Meanwhile, Miss Earth is still at its infancy.
I think someone is missing
There is no doubt that having Miss Philippines at the Top 4 is difficult to explain and sell to the public. Unfortunately for Miss Earth, the local girl came from a country whose beauty pageant critics are loud and harsh. Whoever came up with the grand plan to put the local girl in the Top 4 must have in mind the successes of Philippines in other Big 4 pageants. With 3rd runner-up at Miss Universe, Top 15 at Miss International, and 1st runner-up at Miss World, someone might have thought that it is wrong not to ride on with the publicity that these performances have generated. The biggest problem of Miss Earth however is that they’ve got the wrong girl and it has exchanged its reputation in the process.
Miss Earth was actually thought to have matured after Miss Philippines in last year’s competition did not make it to the semis. But the dilemma brought about by the placement of Athena at Top 4 will now again put question mark on the pageant. With calls of boycott and some major beauty pageant related websites reluctant to cover the pageant, there is no doubt however that Miss Earth could survive and prove its critics wrong. The pageant already survived the critics of 2007 and 2008.
What should console the fans is that the winner, Miss Ecuador Olga Alava, truly deserves her title. Miss Earth should be more about the Miss Earth winner anyway and not about the second runner-up. But while negative criticisms will simply fade away, it is a warning to Miss Earth that you can’t just shove anything into the public's throat and hope that they will just digest it quietly.
- [full] Photos from Finale Night: Miss Earth 2011, including Swimsuit walkthroughs and Evening Gown
- Video: Newly crowned Miss Earth 2011, Olga Alava talks to Missosology
More Coverage about Miss Earth on Missosology :
- Miss Earth 2011 Post Pageant Party
- Photos: Miss Earth People's Choice Trophy Hand Over
- Olga Alava, Ecuador wins Miss Earth 2011
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