Miss World die hard fanatics has highjacked the conversation with regards to the results of Miss World 2012 by simply pointing out that those who questioned the results of the pageant were from nations that has territorial disputes with China. Now, let us be clear, there were no proofs whatsoever that the results of Miss World 2012 were in any way rigged or manipulated. But let us not deny that there was indeed a collective uproar with regards to the 2012 pageant. Now, some of the negative reactions have stepped over the line but it doesn’t mean that there are no valid concerns about what happened in 2012.
Let’s also be clear that Wenxia Yu deserved to be Miss World 2012. She is a beautiful, tall and sweet lady who worked hard during her reign. Furthermore, it is an established fact that Miss World was, and still is, a highly respected pageant. It is by far the oldest, largest and arguably the most prestigious of the Big4 Pageants. It’s advocacy is very much laudable. But the pageant has its own fair share of scandals and controversies no different from the scandals that we’ve seen in the other three major pageants.
Now, back to 2012, with all the drama and uproar, what were exactly the valid concerns of those who questioned the results? Here, Missosology gathered some valid concerns raised by the pageant analysts.
a.) The live scoreboard mess up! In an attempt to make the pageant transparent, Miss World broadcasted during the finals the results and progression of the contestants. But the scoring that was shown to the public contained errors, thus fueling more conspiracy theories that the whole pageant was rigged. Miss World clarified that the errors were due to the mishandling of the third party companies that was responsible for showing the scores to the live audience. Granted that Miss World was indeed clean with regard to this issue, the discrepancies between the shown scores and the actual ranking of the candidates did not put the pageant in a very good position, did it?
b.) There were signs that the communist government of China meddled in some ways. Like in 2010, when there were allegations that Norway’s chances in the pageant were ruined by the awarding of Nobel Prize to a Chinese dissident – which of course angered the Communist Party – the 2012 pageant was marred by the Tara Teng incident. Tara who is a Canadian of Chinese descent and was the Miss World Canada during the pageant, spoke openly about the human right abuses in China. There was clear attempt by the Chinese government to silence her and since the government has a grip on the country, there was probable cause to think that it meddled with the pageant in some ways.
c.) The first princess, Miss Wales Sophie Moulds, was too hot that it was improbable not to hand her the Miss World crown. The questions surrounding the victory of Wenxia Yu was not just about her and her nationality. It was also about the fact that the one who came in second to her was a winner of Beach Beauty, a finalist of Beauty with a Purpose Award, and with a body to die for and a face that could launch a thousand ships.
d.) Wenxia Yu’s victory triggered hometown decisions in Big4 pageants during 2012 with the exception of Miss Earth. For beauty analysts, 2012 was a curious year. Miss International crowned the local girl which also raised questions and solicited uproar. Miss Universe also crowed the hometown girl despite the first runner-up giving an obviously superior answer to the final question. It too, triggered controversy and online bashing. Analysts would look back at the year 2012 with raised eyebrows because clearly, it was a year when the host delegates simply took the crown.
e.) China is only doing well in its home turf. Take for example the years when China hosted Miss International and those years when it is not hosting it. On a similar case, China is surprisingly doing so well when it is bound to host Miss World and when it is hosting it. Doubts could be better handled if say, China is also doing well in other Big4 pageants especially those which are being held outside the country.
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