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I surprised myself when I decided to join a beauty pageant at 48 years old.
In no way am I — a 150cm-tall housewife who was then a pre-school teacher — built like a model. “Are you sure you can make it? You’re so short,” was the main ‘negative’ comment I received.
I’ve always been petite but that has never put me down.
The pageant was a personal challenge and so, even with naysayers, I went for it and have never regretted those 10 weeks of my life.
Myself during the pageant Gala Night in 2019.
Thinking back, it was more of a beauty boot camp.
Training to wear five-inch heels while dancing, and sharing a room with multiple other grown women during an overseas trip were some of the most memorable moments for me.
The experience opened my eyes to the pageant world beyond the hairspray and makeup.
I first saw the banner promoting the beauty pageant in 2019.
It had the blown-up image of a woman all glammed up, confidently gazing into the camera with a shimmering crown on her perfectly styled hair.
She had a lot of makeup on — which was the opposite of my preferred casual style — but of course, expected of a pageant contestant.
In large font, was the title ‘Mrs Singapore’. “I’m a ‘Mrs’!” I thought.
I was also two years away from turning 50, and felt like I wanted to do something new for myself while I still had the energy.
There was no big, deep reason why I sent in my application — I did it simply because I wanted to.
As an older woman who raised two children during most of her 20s and 30s, I’ve realised how important it is to indulge in some of my fancies.
Myself at 36 years old with my two daughters.
At the time, my daughters were already 16 and 24, and so I thought: “What’s stopping me from doing what I really want?”
Fast forward to audition day and there I was, in a room with the other future contestants.
The audition was what you’d expect of a beauty pageant.
They took our height and weight and made us walk in front of a panel of judges. The entire process took no more than an hour.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but it comforted me to see the variety of women present.
There were the tall ones, but I also saw others like me — some of whom were even smaller.
As the competition was for married women who were slightly older, I also noticed completely natural signs of aging in these women’s faces and bodies.
Maybe our skin is not as tight or we may have crow’s feet around our eyes — but we’re all here on a journey to celebrate ourselves.
A week or so later, I got a call confirming my spot and so, began my ‘Classic Mrs Singapore’ journey.
Out of the 24 contestants, 14 of us were above 40 years old with the oldest being in her 60s.
My husband, whom I had been married to for 25 years at the time, was all for my decision to join the pageant.
So were my two daughters, and even — to my surprise — my then 63-year-old older brother.
“That’s my little sister! She can speak so well,” I heard him boast to his friends after my first public appearance as a pageant contestant at Our Tampines Hub.
Walking at one of the live events during the 10-week programme.
The event was a day before a live cooking competition between us contestants and our partners.
It was thus a special memory shared with my husband, where we prepared his signature home-cooked pasta and my stuffed Portobello mushrooms.
We’ve cooked these dishes for our children countless times in our years together, and they’ve become a staple in our household.
Although we didn’t win, it was still an experience I cherish. Plus, I got to keep the cooker we used during the competition. Score!
As the 10 weeks leading up to finals wore on, the pageant became a whole family affair.
My daughters showed their support by coming down for events and my niece, who was in her thirties, kindly found sponsors for my make-up artist and promotional banners.
I could not have done this without them.
One of the highlights of the pageant experience was our three-day, two-night trip to a hillside resort in Malaysia.
I was excited because this was where we’d have the outdoor photoshoot in our gorgeous kaftans.
Well, that, and the fact that it was my first time travelling overseas without my family.
I wasn’t too nervous because by the time the trip rolled around, I’d made a few close girlfriends — having spent almost every other day with them doing workshops and media visits for the past few weeks.
Strangers turned life-long friends from the pageant experience.
These relationships made the trip “epic” (to use a young person’s term), but looking back, there were some tense moments.
Squabbles over who was taking too long to get ready and the like.
After all, what would you expect when several grown women are expected to share a room, much less, a toilet?
But for me, the pros of the trip definitely outweighed the cons.
It was the “girl’s trip” I never had in my 20s and we had amazing photos as proof of it all, to boot.
To cut the story short, no, I did not win the 2019 title of Classic Mrs Singapore.
Honestly, I was just glad to have just made it through the night of the grand finals, where the whole experience of performing in towering heels left my feet numb.
The Contestant of the Year award though, went to me. The award recognises the finalist for their commitment and good character.
It also acknowledges the person who has progressed well throughout the journey.
One of the photos from my first-ever professional photoshoot.
I was elated because throughout the 10 weeks, I had always shown up and given my 100% to the pageant’s activities.
Winning the pageant was never the end goal, but it felt good to have my efforts rewarded.
After my first makeover in the pageant, I could barely recognise myself in the photo shoot.
I was then told by the managing director of the ERM Group — the one overseeing the pageant from start to finish — Angela Tay: “You can look like this every day, it’s whether you want to or not.”
This was an uplifting moment for me.
The pageant had also gifted me with friends I would keep for a lifetime.
Six years later, a group of us still gather once every few months where we talk for hours about motherhood and family issues.
Though we don’t meet often, we have truly become friends.
So I encourage anyone who wants to join a pageant to do so — don’t fear judgment, or think that you’re not good-looking enough.
Anyone can join a beauty pageant, it’s all up to you.
Also read: Manhunt S’pore 2024 unveils finalists, contestants include lawyer, gym owner & music DJ
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Featured image courtesy of the writer.
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