Choekyapy, a monk, and Sonam Choedon, Miss Tibet 2008
Even a beauty contest in Tibet is a political issue.
Some of you may disagree with me on this one, but I think beauty contests are important, especially for minorities. People always talk about image. Well, this promotes image, doesn’t it?
Plus, this isn’t just a beauty contest; it’s a knowledge contest too:
The heavily made-up contestants wear elaborate gold jewelry and floor-length chubas, traditional Tibetan robes. The pageants include yoga competitions and questions about Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan history. The toughest part is the swimsuit round — in addition to enduring the gawking men, the contestants must weather the mountain chill.
Richard Gere and lots of the other liberals who supposedly care about Tibet laugh it off (though in all fairness Gere would probably suffer the “rice chasah” charge if he did anything else), but don’t people need to feel beautiful? I’m neutral on the China-Tibet issue, but the director of the pageant has the right idea when it comes to people and empowerment:
“At the heart of the contest is Tibetan pride since it asserts Tibet as a nation,” Wangyal said. He got the idea, he said, “by thinking how great it would be to have a Miss Tibet on stage with a Miss China. Plus, it’s empowering for young Tibetan women to build confidence. It opens our society up to the world.”
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