BEAUTY is in the eye of the beholder, but of course we all had our own picks for Miss Universe 2007.
The beauty pageant is over and we’d like to extend our congratulations again to Miss Japan Riyo Mori. Here’s a pic courtesy of Agence France-Presse.
But if you could be one of the judges, who would you have crowned Miss Universe 2007? Who impressed you most among the contestants? And why do you believe your pick should have won? This is all just for fun, OK?
In my case, apart from our own Anna Theresa Licaros, my pick was actually Miss Korea Honey Lee, heh 
Ah, well.
June 12th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
KURARA CHIBANA is the winner of many people’s hearts in 2006 and still is today…
There are so many people who still can’t get over her loss last year (Just do a Google Blog search on Kurara Chibana and read the comments on related Youtube videos).
Although Miss Japan wins this year, I can’t help but consider this 50% of success was influenced by Kurara Chibana’s near-winning in 2006. If not for the publicity which Kurara had generated (with her personality and great intellect) without any recent major predecessor or influences since 2003’s Miss Japan who also made into the Top 5, I think Riyo Mori wouldn’t have the benefit of having the judges’ and audiences’ predisposed attention this year.
I mean it’s all about karma and sub-conscious factors, which perhaps can be defined along the line of “subliminal influences” and “rippling effects”. Because people are still so charmed by Kurara Chibana’s endearing personality, linguistic and intellectual abilities from last year that they would naturally take a great interest in this year’s Miss Japan, and see if the standard is still there or even better.
Although I am not in a position to comment about who is better, I could probably and boldly concur that Kurara Chibana is an embodiment of what a 21st century Asian female should be - Western and Asian knowledge, Asian women’s strong and independent personality, great sense of style and beauty, and not forgetting a burning passion in one’s life.
After all, how many Miss Universes could we remember for their great personalities and beauty even years after they have won and passed on the crown? I don’t think there’s many to count on fingers.
For a 1st Runner Up like Kurara Chibana who is still unforgotten in some audiences’ minds and still greatly appreciated a year after, I guess this could probably be seen as the next highest level a Miss Universe finalist can go.
Because after the one year Miss Universe reign, what the ladies have got left are their personalities and individual qualities to help them in their future careers and lives, not the 250K crown or sash. More so, if we are more interested in a Miss Universe Runner-up instead of the actual winner, can we still say Kurara Chibana has lost?
From an alternative point of view, perhaps by not winning the title has made Kurara truly and even more unforgettable in the audiences’ hearts. Although it is still early to say, but thoughout the next decade or so, when people mention Miss Japan or Miss Universe 2006, I’m pretty sure Kurara’s name will pop up followed by praises and appreciative comments.
I’m not a Japanese. I’m not speaking for Japan.
I’m just speaking from a human’s point of view.
If years after 2006, we could still recall that charming and passionate Kurara Chibana in our hearts, perhaps that’s the kind of quality a Miss Universe titleholder should have. For Kurara to have embodied that quality, she not only has already surpassed the status of a Miss Universe winner but has also gone the way of truly being a gorgeous legend in people’s hearts.
Yours truly,
C’est Moi.
June 9th, 2007 at 8:01 am
oh and also, she’s a professional skier and one other sport
also, she plays violin, piano, and flut in addition to that korean folk instrument
and she does dance too
June 9th, 2007 at 7:57 am
miss korea should have won all the way. for those people who are saying japan had more personality and that it showed through.. well all i have to say is that miss japan brought with her to the miss universe pageant a personal instructor, telling her how to move, how to smile, how to act each and every bit of the way. i know that miss universe is choreographed but only to an extent. miss japan had an instructor controlling most of whatever personality she showed in the pageant.
niss korea deserved to win, despite the crappy interview (which the translator did botch more than they should have)
miss universe is not just based on looks (no doubt honey lee is gorgeous) but also on the person.. because miss universe has to carry the title miss universe to every charity event, every volunteer activity… etc.
miss honey lee is more qualified than riyo because
1) she is more gorgeous
is a black belt in karate
2) she is definitely more smarter, a graduate with honors from the best university in korea and a current grad student
3) works as an ambassador for korea, representing korean culture
4) is a musical prodigy, won a prestigious music award for playing a folk korean instrument
5) has released 4 professional CDs
6) sponsors a child
7) works for the UN (or her aspiration is to work for the UN, i forget which)
9) is extremely dedicated to missionary work
10) is just overall sweet
Japan on the other hand
1) gave a better interview
2) better body (afterall she was a model and a dancer)
3) is a dancer
4) had personal instructor choreographing each of her moves (something korea didn’t have)
June 6th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Your speculations are all wrong! Wala naman kayo dun sa venue. Nagmamarunong. The Latinas did not stand a chance, as this contest is already sick of them. The contest was ready for an Asian after the strong showing of Japan last year. Nagkataon Japan this year took the ripe opportunity by sending a smart and fun and charismatic girl. And she was also looker in a non typical way! Korea was typical pretty, boring, and short, and subservient. The judges got it right, they’re not idiots.
June 6th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
To those who say Miss Philippines had a “weak” presentation, you obviously didn’t see her preliminary interview on the Miss U site. She was very charming, and her answers weren’t the usual “manufactured” answers that we see all the time in beauty pageants. I believe that Miss Philippines had a place in the Top 15, but since Donald Trump and the Miss U Org chooses 5 of the Top 15 (which explains why Ukraine, Denmark and Slovenia unexpectedly qualified), Theresa Licaros may have been left out. Still, she is a beautiful, intelligent woman who thoroughly deserved to be there.
And to those who say we shouldn’t send UP students to the Miss U pageant (and who accuse judges of being biased in choosing UP students to represent us), you’re being hypocritical. You yourselves are being biased. These women don’t win merely because they’re from UP — it’s because they stand out and make the most of the education they get. And because they’re intelligent, they make for good representatives of the Philippines. Kayo rin naman ang unang magrereklamo kung magpapadala tayo ng brainless na contestant eh. So stop complaining.