MISS EARTH PAGEANT - For Culture, for the Environment
A Worthy Cause with a Commercial Twist

by THU PHAM, staff writer

I have never been a huge fan of beauty pageants. What is with women parading around in skimpy swimsuits and nightgowns? It’s degrading to women worldwide. Women should be judged as human beings with intelligence, rather than mere objects of physical beauty. Upon hearing of the Miss Earth beauty pageant, I was skeptical. Another senseless beauty pageant—where is the good in that? But I learned that the Miss Earth beauty pageant went beyond the attractive women in the scanty outfits – the underlying concept of “Miss Earth” is to promote environmental protection.

In 2001, Carousel Production Inc. decided to create Miss Earth after realizing that beauty queens serve as great model citizen for the worldwide population. Miss Earth is another beauty pageant, yet it proudly promotes the idea of beauty for a cause, since its main goal is to promote environmental care and the protection of Mother Earth. Miss Earth is dedicated to this worthy cause; she is someone who will help save the earth. According to the theme song, she “spreads love and joy, fun and laughter”, bringing “miracles forever after”, she is “the woman of the earth”.

Every candidate and winner of Miss Earth pageant is required to actively promote environmental care and the protection of Mother Earth. To ensure that Miss Earth is assisting in the protection of the earth, Carousel Production Inc. created E-WATCH as an environmental project and campaign to keep track of the activities and projects for Miss Earth’s candidates and winners. Many activities include tree planting, visiting children’s hospitals, and understanding cultural heritage. E-WATCH brings definite plans for the direct action of Miss Earth to fulfill the pageant’s objective and to also encourage the public to take immediate action.

Although there are beauty requirements to enter the Miss Earth’s contest, it is also required for the Miss Earth’s candidates to have an extensive knowledge their own culture and homeland environment, which will be essential for preading understanding of cultural heritage and the links to the effect of environment destruction. Miss Earth’s candidates and winners have come from worldwide, from the Philippines, Vietnam, China, Brazil, Tahiti, and Paraguay. In October 2004, Carousel Production Inc. targeted over 70 countries worldwide to participate in Miss Earth beauty pageant. Even though Miss Earth is still fairly new in its construction, its widespread acknowledgment brings hope to the worthy cause. By spreading the understanding of environmental care and the much needed protection of Mother Earth, the world will hopefully face the oncoming problems of pollution and global warming and will decide to take action, even by doing something as simple as planting a tree.

In the near future, possibly 2006, other countries will be hosting Miss Earth pageant, which will hopefully bring further knowledge, understanding, and collaboration among countries in the world to end a worldwide problem.

Reference - http://www.missearth.tv/