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The MAJOR MAJOR trend in Facebook statuses is Venus Raj's now-a-mega-hit Miss Universe 2010 answer to the brains and wits test by William Baldwin: "What is the biggest mistake that you’ve ever made in your life and what did you do to make it right?"
Facebook posts range from fellow Filipinos tearing their hair and their clothes over Ms. Raj's off the mark reply to spectators who are more sympathetic of Ms. Raj's human error.
I just watched the 46 second video of the Q&A and I have to admit that I quite cringed...
It is not without shame that I reacted that way because after all, if anyone one of us was Venus Raj, it wouldn't be easy being up there in front of the Universe, being weighed for beauty and wits.
In fact, it's an irony that i had laughed, having joined local beauty contests myself.
Last week, a friend of mine invited me to anchor the local pageant which I had joined lifetimes ago, and because I had a flu attack, I declined.
Over the week as Venus Raj's answer has been talked about in grocery aisles where acquaintances meet, or used as a humorous reference to whatnot ("I'm having a MAJOR MAJOR headache!"), I thought about how I was supposed to be part of our city's beauty contest once again.
I recoil at the thought of how women (myself in the past, included) subject ourselves to judgment over a short period of time (some, merely hours), to be placed in the annals of local history, booboo's, "wits" and all.
Although beauty contests will be here to stay, unless some MAJOR MAJOR universal paradigm shift deems it irrelevant, I do, though, advocate guidance to beauty contestants that though preparation for the big night is good, winning is not everything, and life in the limelight (win or lose) has its price. It is good to remind contenders that there are more things in life that matter than glitz and glamor, fame and glory.
I hope that Ms. Venus Raj will use this paradoxical fame to her advantage and learn how to laugh at her faux pas. Laughing at one's own chagrin can be disarming. She has lots of chances to show the world and herself that she is more than the seemingly shallow seconds-long answer she made.
My male cousin was still proud of Ms. Raj, despite her embarrassing response. And in turn, I'm proud that my cousin saw past that. Indeed, Venus Raj's beauty is a true representation of our beautiful islands, tall, strong, dark-skinned, and beautiful. And if she hasn't had any "MAJOR, MAJOR problems in her 22 years of existence," - now she does, and I'm sending her all the light and love in hopes that she can do something good about it!
Go, go, go Venus Raj!!!
