Miss Earth 2017, one of the biggest international pageants recently held a preliminary Competition known as “Beauty of Figure and Form” pre-judging round, Missosology reported. The event was heavily criticized for being “inappropriate.”

The candidates of Miss Earth 2017 walked in white two-piece bikinis during the event but their faces were covered by a white veil. The competition was held at Century Park Hotel in Manila, Philippines on October 18. The hotel is one of the official partners of the pageant.

“Beauty of Figure and Form” was a competition first introduced in Miss Philippines-Earth 2017 earlier this year.

It was one of the rounds in the entire pageant that include “Poise and Beauty of Face” and “Intelligence Competition.”

When it was first organized, this particular format was criticized for “objectifying” the women, PEP.ph reported. However, the people behind Miss Earth released a statement saying that the said round was intended “to promote strict impartiality during pre-judging.”

Moreover, the organizers added that veils that the ladies wore “served a double purpose” through fairly basing the judgment on the body figures and focus on this portion. It was formatted that way “to introduce the girls with dramatic flair.”

Criticisms

Fashion specialist Voltaire Tayag once shared his insights about this saying that the black veil “sends the wrong message about women.” He added, “It disregarded the women’s confidence and their personalities.”

Because their faces were covered in veils, the candidates were not able to “interact with the audience and the camera” which were two vital aspects on where “a woman’s strength lies.” Tayag further said that women should be “proud” of their entire body, the entertainment news website also reported.

Long gown competition

Meanwhile, a Preliminary evening gown competition was held with the second group of the delegates participating in this round. Peru’s representative Karen Rojas was declared the winner and bagged a gold medal. Rojas is now leading the medal tally after previously winning a silver medal during the swimsuit round.

Costa Rica’s Fernanda Rodriguez and Karen Ibasco from the Philippines tied for the second place. Eucharia Akani from Nigeria bagged a bronze medal in the long gown competition.

Recent activities

Over 80 delegates are competing for the coveted title of Miss Earth 2017. The coronation night will be held at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on November 4.

The ladies were treated to casual dining experiences at Empacho in Quezon City on October 17 and at Cable Car in Ortigas City on October 20. They also made guest appearances in some of the shows of TV5, one of the leading media networks in the country.
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