I’ve been meaning to blog about this for a few days but I am lazy and self-centred. So. Finally I have a means for dating the years that pass by my blog: Miss International Queen. Last year’s winner, Mimi Marks you are all familiar with as she has consistently been the highest search query here for ages.
This year the winner is Miss Mexico, Erika Andrews, beating favourite Miss Philippines Patricia Montrecarlo to the prize.
Of course I think this is cool and always love the tranny beauty pageants across Asia, but as usual I am going to pause for a moment amidst all the fake boobs and ballgowns to slag off several newspapers, including Pattaya Daily News, which comes from the same city as the contest and should bloody well know better than to call anyone in the contest ‘he’ or ‘mr’. But extra bile and a spit in your face goes to SBS World News anchor and ‘out-and-proud’ fag Anton Enus who has no fucking excuse for the lazy and useless piece of fluffy-kittens-after-the-car-bombs end of news item on this where he referred to the contestants as transvestites. For fucks sake Anton you lame asshole get it together.
Anyway, a big CHAMPAGNE!!! and $10,000 of poor behaviour awaits Miss Mexico.
Pattaya, Thailand. It could have been a Japanese samurai, an Italian gladiator or an Egyptian pharaoh — but they were no match for Mexico’s Erica Andrews, the world’s new transsexual beauty queen.
Andrews was named Miss International Queen 2006 here late Saturday night, besting 23 of the world’s most beautiful transsexuals who had come from as far as Egypt and Australia to vie for the diamante crown.
Her slinky low-cut red gown and resemblance to a 1920s starlet finally carried the day, putting her past runners-up Patricia Montrecarlo of the Philippines and Thailand’s Ratravee Jiraprapakul.
“This is the most wonderful feeling,” gushed the 38-year-old from atop her throne after receiving $10,000 and the title.
Moment of pride for mercurial Mexican transsexual
Pattaya, Thailand. It could have been a Japanese samurai, an Italian gladiator or an Egyptian pharaoh — but they were no match for Mexico’s Erica Andrews, the world’s new transsexual beauty queen.
Andrews was named Miss International Queen 2006 here late Saturday night, besting 23 of the world’s most beautiful transsexuals who had come from as far as Egypt and Australia to vie for the diamante crown.
Her slinky low-cut red gown and resemblance to a 1920s starlet finally carried the day, putting her past runners-up Patricia Montrecarlo of the Philippines and Thailand’s Ratravee Jiraprapakul.
“This is the most wonderful feeling,” gushed the 38-year-old from atop her throne after receiving $10,000 and the title.
In a nation obsessed with beauty pageants and famous for its sexual tolerance, the seven million baht ($189,000) contest is taken every bit as seriously as any traditional competition.
The night was filled with all the trappings of a conventional beauty pageant, with swimsuit and evening-wear rounds letting the ‘girls’ show off their long legs, slim bodies and ample chests.
“It’s a unique event. No one does it in the world except us,” said chairwoman Alisa Phanthusak. “It gets bigger and bigger each year.”
The evening began with rousing renditions of “Queen of the Night” and “New York, New York” by last year’s winner, Mimi Marx of the United States, resplendent in a red, white and blue sequined headdress.
Andrews was outshone in the national costume round, competing with a sexy pharaoh, samurai and gladiator before top prize in the category was given to “Miss Maria” in a traditional Korean hanbok.
The crowd, comprised mostly Thais and the odd bemused tourist, went wild for local hero Ratravee as well as statuesque Domanique Shappelle of the United States, and some seemed disappointed when Andrews snagged the crown.
“When we have a beauty contest in Thailand, we take it seriously,” said Dr Seree Wongmontha, a well-known talk-show host and one of this year’s judges.
Tiffany’s Show Pattaya, which organises the event and claims to be the world’s largest transsexual cabaret, said more than 25 million television viewers in Thailand, out of a population of 65 million people, were expected to watch.
“Beauty contests are really popular here because beauty matters. Surface impressions count for much more than they do in the West,” said Philip Cornwel-Smith, author of Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture.
He also said that as Buddhists, Thais were accepting because of their belief that transsexuals were adulterers in their past lives, and that everyone has been or will be an adulterer in another life.
“It is accepted in a very deep way,” he said.
“Miss International Queen is not only a great event but a unique opportunity to create awareness for the transgender population,” said Sutham Phanthusak, managing director of Tiffany’s Show Pattaya.
The newly-crowned Andrews praised the tolerance that Thais have for transsexuals, which she said is not seen in her home country and other places in the West.
“I feel like I am at home. I feel so welcome here,” she said.
“It can’t get any better than this.”