Phương NguyễnOn the evening of August 3, the finale of the Miss Grand Vietnam 2024 contest ended, but the controversy surrounding the selection of the beauty queen continued to stir up heated debates on social media.
It is worth noting that Vo Le Que Anh is not the first beauty queen to be embroiled in controversy shortly after being crowned.
Runner-up Thuy Van previously served as a judge for the Miss Vietnam pageant (Photo: Provided by the individual).
Before that, Thuy Tien was also suspected of buying the title of Miss International Peace 2021. In 2019, right after winning Miss World Vietnam 2019 - Luong Thuy Linh - was also rumored to have acquaintances on the judging panel...
Most recently, after the conclusion of the Mr World Vietnam 2024 final, Prince Pham Tuan Ngoc also faced speculation of being "cleared the way" to the throne...
Although the controversies were later addressed by the organizers and the contestants themselves explained, the storms did not stop. These rumors have become factors that make beauty pageants increasingly "lose points" in the eyes of the audience.
So, do beauty pageants really show favoritism to family or acquaintances in the competitions?
Beauty contests: Is there favoritism for acquaintances?
Addressing the above question to a reporter from Dan Tri, Second Runner-up of Miss Vietnam 2008 Nguyen Thuy Van bluntly stated that she has served as a judge in two Miss Vietnam pageants and has never shown favoritism to acquaintances.
In fact, any attempt to influence through acquaintances is frowned upon by the judging panel.
According to Thuy Van, during judging sessions, the head of the judging panel and the head of the organizing committee were very strict: No one is given priority because the reputation of the competition must be the top priority.
Even when she accidentally walked out to the elevator, the contestants asked to take photos with her, but the organizers reminded her that it is not appropriate to create a psychological bias for the contestants that a particular judge is close to or taking photos with another contestant.
The beauty queen recounted: "I remember in a recent judging session, Mr. Son - Editor-in-Chief of Tien Phong newspaper, who was the head of the organizing committee, shared a case: A contestant's family asked someone with social influence to make a call... for favoritism.
Mr. Son explicitly stated at the judging session: "According to us, should we eliminate this contestant from the top? Because I am very afraid that people will think that relationships may affect the competition".
Everyone said: What matters most is the quality of the contestant? Because we - the judging panel - look at the ability, the radiance... of the contestants, without allowing external factors to interfere."
According to Thuy Van, this story shows that the judging panel and the organizing committee need to be impartial. "I want the audience to trust the judging panel because everything is carefully considered by us in making decisions," she said.
Having served as a judge for the Mrs Earth Vietnam 2024 contest, artist Do Ky shared that the judging panel is meticulous in selecting the most beautiful contestant to crown.
"When judging, the judges have to secretly score and not ask for opinions, only after the secretary consolidates the scores do we know how many points the contestant received. Recently, when I scored, I found the scores were very consistent with the other judges.
We do not show favoritism to contestants. In fact, many people emphasize that this contestant is competing, and that contestant is giving up, but I think that the competition is just an entertainment event, no different from this theater performing a new play, or that theater staging a work. The reality is, only the big competitions attract a large number of contestants, while other beauty contests have fewer registrations," he said.
Artist Do Ky stated that it is a common belief that beauty queens represent all Vietnamese women, but in reality, they do not. They only represent the beautiful women who participate in the competition because there are many women who are more beautiful and talented but do not participate, so what about them?
A judge who has judged beauty pageants, requesting anonymity, straightforwardly stated: "Some beauty pageants nowadays are a form of 'fundraising' from companies, sponsors."
This individual believes that beauty pageants are a game for those with money. Some organizers call it an entry fee to participate in the competition, with the amount ranging from 20 - 50 million VND. Furthermore, advancing to later rounds will require higher fees. If they want to win titles, they may have to spend even more money.
"Who benefits from these competitions? Surely the organizers do, but this phenomenon is just a stain on the pot. Let's not allow people to say: "Beauty pageants are events for those who like money, like cosmetics, not competitions for beauty, intelligence". Reputable agencies should organize a beauty pageant every 2 years," this individual expressed.
Duong Xuan Nam - the "father" of the Miss Vietnam pageant, said he finds it funny when some beauty pageants require contestants to pay money to participate.
"These competitions go against the original purpose of the Miss Vietnam pageant in the early years: To honor the beauty of Vietnamese women, create an attractive cultural festival, and allow girls from the border areas and islands to participate.
If contestants have to pay to participate, then I think it is not right. In the past, we had to spend money to organize to help contestants with accommodation, transportation, and the contestants did not have to pay anything. All of our assessments are fair and not related to the costs of participation," Duong Xuan Nam shared.
Poet Dương Kỳ Anh - the "father" of the Miss Vietnam pageant (Photo: Provided by the individual).
Is the judging criteria stringent and fair?
Speaking about the controversies that often arise in beauty contests due to the selection of beauty queens, Nguyen Thuy Van believes that it is understandable because the audience is extremely interested in prestigious competitions and are increasingly critical in their choices.
According to the beauty queen, everyone has different opinions and views on beauty, but the audience only sees the contestants on stage, while the judging panel are the ones who accompany them throughout the competition.
"Whoever makes an effort, shows dedication, shines, and truly has a strong foundation, a beautiful soul, rich emotions... we can fully assess and evaluate them.
Each competition has its own criteria to suit the name of the competition. We should also respect the criteria of the competitions and the judging panel.
In the end, the reputation of the competition and the prestige of each decision maker are crucial. Judges should not jeopardize these factors because of personal relationships or favoritism," Thuy Van expressed.
Numerologist Tham Hoang Diep, who has judged many Miss Vietnam, Miss Universe Vietnam contests, confirmed that she has many years of experience serving as a judge in these competitions. Each time she judges, fairness in selection is her top priority.
"When judging, I and the judging panel have a rule that all specific information about the contestants must not be disclosed," the Ph.D. asserted.
Having experience sitting on the judging panel of many beauty pageants, a reputable beauty queen (who requested anonymity) shared that from the start, there are many criteria for selecting a contestant.
For example: Family background, education, personal life, and even things that many people overlook such as how the contestants interact with ordinary people around them, their ability to socialize and energy to connect with others...
"In front of the judging panel, of course, the contestants always present themselves as good, but it may be different with people like hotel staff or other staff. And the judging panel will also take note of these details," the beauty queen said.
She also added that the contestant management team is the "eyes and ears" of the judging panel, and they also provide feedback to the judges.
"The final night leans more towards the performance. In fact, judging a beauty pageant involves assessing a whole process, and that process comes from very small things.
These things are not reflected in one night of the final competition but are shown throughout the entire process. Therefore, sometimes the results are not as people see them on the stage," she shared.
