Beauty queen from Kedah sees her title as a responsibility
Published on: Monday, October 21, 2019
By: Ricardo Unto
Chew (left) is being crowned by Nahatai.
Kota Kinabalu: Twenty-two-year-old Charmaine Chew does not take her Miss International Malaysia 2019 crown lightly as “it is not merely a title.”“For me, it is a responsibility to live up to the examples of many young girls, and hopefully it can instil the values that they, too, can achieve their dreams,” she told Daily Express after her crowning ceremony, here, Saturday.
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“With hard work and determination, you can overcome anything, and that is the type of legacy that I want to leave behind in Miss International Malaysia.”
Earlier this month, Chew who hailed from Kedah was selected and announced as the country’s representative to the Miss International to be held in Tokyo, Japan, next month.
Little did she know that the announcement was very well received by pageant fans and her story was even highlighted in online portals.
Chew, who stands at 173 centimetres tall, has a successful modelling career, considering she is already the face of several well-known international brands.
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She joined her first beauty pageant when she was 20 and it gave her a glimpse of what the entertainment industry has to offer.
“Miss International is not my first pageant as I joined Miss Universe Malaysia in 2018…I was young, new and fresh in the industry.
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“I am still learning but I have grown so much in two years, in terms of mentally, and my maturity as well,” said the top 10 finalist of Miss Universe Malaysia 2018.
The Public Relations undergraduate said she is lucky to be in an environment where the other beauty queens support each other.
“To have this group of ‘sisters’ and to be able to share our experiences, resources and network…I am very lucky to have this group of people to help me with this pageant.”
In the 59th instalment of Miss International, Chew will compete against 82 other contestants from around the world.
Miss International is a Japanese-based international beauty pageant organised by the International Culture Association.
It is considered the fourth largest pageant in the world, in terms of having crowned national winners to participate in the international contest.
Along with Miss World, Miss Universe and Miss Earth, the pageant is one of the “Big Four” international beauty pageants.
Chew is confident that she can leverage her positive upbringing to try to bring the crown home.
“Since Miss International is all about cultural diversity and international understanding, I think, as a Malaysian who lives in a diverse country is my plus point.
“I have learned much about tolerance and sensitivity since I was young…to me, love has no colour.
“As such, I think it is very easy for me to embrace other cultures and sensitivity,” she said.
Miss International Malaysia national director Severinus Nain disclosed that Chew was selected from a list of suggestions by local pageant fans.
“She has the aura of a beauty queen and she fits the criteria that Miss International seeks, and most importantly, she is well-composed and independent.
“I do hear some negative feedback on my choice as I did not pick someone from my home state, Sabah.
“For me, why should we focus on which part of the country she comes from? By doing this, it proves that as a Sabahan, I can work with everyone regardless of race and religion.”Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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