Kebaya in the spotlight, beauty pageant and the advantages

Dear lovely readers,

With the mushrooming of beauty pageants in Malaysia an almost monthly occurrence, what’s going to differentiate the Miss Malaysia Kebaya 2013 from the rest?

The Miss Malaysia Kebaya (MMK) 2013 pageant was being held for the second time this year and surprise surprise, it actually stood out head and shoulders above other more established beauty pageants in Malaysia. Why? Firstly, the Miss Malaysia Kebaya pageant was a groundbreaking beauty pageant created and organized by Smart Network Marketing to promote tourism, cultural diversity, our common heritage and also harmony among all races and cultures in Malaysia. With that, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture has in turn played a key and proactive role in raising the awareness and prestige of this pageant. In return MMK provided the platform to elevate our beautiful and stunning national heritage costume, the Kebaya on the international level.

So, we are talking about beauty pageant. A Kebaya oriented beauty pageant to be exact. For the person whose only exposure to beauty pageants is from what they see on television, it’s difficult to understand why anyone would choose to do a beauty pageant. After all, showcasing the benefits of doing a beauty pageant wouldn’t get the ratings that the drama does. But there are definite benefits or else pageantry wouldn’t be a multi-billion dollar industry.

Of the many benefits to participating in a pageant, these are the top five reasons.

1. Recognition.

People feel valued and appreciated when they receive recognition for their hard work. Some pageant systems offer cash prizes along with on-stage recognition for optional areas of participation such as talent, speech, commercials, modeling, community service, scholastic, letters of recommendation, career achievement and creative arts through scrapbooking, ad pages and decorating contests .

2. Personal Development.

The more a person recognizes and understands their strengths, values, likes, dislikes, beliefs, and personality style, the greater fulfillment and satisfaction they’ll experience from their life. The greatest self discovery and personal growth can come from working with an expert pageant coach who understands in depth how to use pageantry as a tool to develop the excellence within you.

3. Communication Skills.

The ability of articulate ones thoughts into written and spoken words is priceless. We live in an age where masses consider quality communicate as texting or posting an update on Face book. The skill of having a meaningful face to face conversation with another human being is being greatly diminished by technology. As an expert pageant coach and judge, I regularly encounter contestants with poor writing and verbal communication skills. This is very apparent in the paperwork that is submitted. By developing your communication skills, the relationships in your life will also develop in a life giving way.

4. Confidence.

The ability to face ones fears and take action anyway develops great confidence. It’s common knowledge that speaking in front of a crowd is the number one fear of people. Well, in pageantry there’s plenty of opportunity to get in front of large groups of people on a regular basis and develop a comfort level with being on stage. Through the interviewing process and introducing yourself to many people, your speaking skills will blossom in this arena.

5. Handling Stress, Pressure and Disappointment.

These reactions are a part of life. Your attitude and thoughts around these reactions can either move you forward towards fulfillment or break you down. Stress, pressure and disappointment don’t have to be viewed as negative things. In fact, they can be powerful motivators to accelerate you to the next level. It all depends on how you look at them. In pageantry, you will experience these to the fullest extent, and with guidance, you can learn how to flip them to work to your advantage.

Recognition, personal development, communication skills, confidence and handling the stress, pressure and disappointments in life are the benefits you’ll take with you from doing pageants. And if you really enjoy modeling, hair, makeup and fashion, oh the fun you will have learning these life lessons.

Miss Malaysia Kebaya 2013 finalists - you girls rocked the stage!

Enjoy these pictures!

Much love!