Duong Ky Anh, Editor-in-Chief of Tien Phong (Vanguard Newspaper), has served as a juryman for Miss Viet Nam for the last 20 years. Cam Giang talks with him about his new book and his journey to find the next beauty queen.
Inner Sanctum: What urged you to write your latest book, Miss Viet Nam – behind the stage?
I intended to write the book a long time ago, so I’ve been keeping all kinds of materials since my first days of working as a jury member. With this book, I want to help Vietnamese girls understand and participate in Miss Viet Nam, a significant and interesting cultural activity. I expect that the book could orient their concept of aesthetics in their unceasing efforts to make themselves more beautiful. Today, many girls accept that they must pay any cost to have a good-looking appearance. But the real beauty should come from their souls, their minds and their personalities, or there would be tragedy. In my book, the cases of several beauty contest competitors serve as clear examples.
Inner Sanctum: Nowadays, along with more and more beauty contests being organised, numerous girls are dubbed "beauties". However, in the final page of the book, you write, "Beauty is rare, and beauty often comes under suspicion..." Can you clarify your point of view?
The beauties I mention here are the comprehensive ones, beautiful from the inside out. Usually, there are only one or two in a sea of people, and it’s tremendously difficult to find them.
However, when these girls attend a beauty contest, they are met with suspicion by outsiders and face the question: what is your motivation? In fact, the top-priority reason for most beauty contests is to honour beauty itself, and all the girls who decide to attend such contests are looking for a chance to shine, to be discovered. It’s unnecessary to turn it into a subject of strict judgement, isn’t it?
Inner Sanctum: Through your book, readers can get an honest insight into your feelings as a jury member, and also as a man who has to work frequently with beautiful girls. Has your heart ever been stirred by one of the contestants, and if yes, what did you do about it?
Honestly, during my time as a juror, there was more than one moment when I felt my heart becoming excited. However, the only way to respond to such feelings was to overcome them and respect what I already had. The fights with myself were sometimes extremely fierce, particularly when I went abroad with some beauty queens to attend international events (laughs).
Take, for example, the time I went to the US with Miss Viet Nam 1994, Nguyen Thu Thuy. We had to remember all the time to keep a far-enough distance. Let’s imagine if something had happened; I would have been no longer who I was, and she would have no longer been Thu Thuy, a representative of the beauty of Viet Nam.
Inner Sanctum: The concept of beauty always changes over time. Comparing the first contest when you served as a jury member to the most recent time, how have the standards of beauty changed?
The first change that can easily be recognised is the height of the beauty queens. Previously, a Viet Nam beauty contest required an average height of only 1.59m. But now, it is 1.8m. Another change is the educational background of the contestants. In the past, the highest qualification found among the beauty queens was a bachelor’s degree. Now, it’s a Master’s degree.
Inner Sanctum: If the concept of beauty changes over time, do you think it’s necessary to frequently bring new blood onto the jury board?
I think what a jury board needs is both experience and new perspectives, so it’s not necessary to have all young people working as jury members. It’s correct that the way younger people see something as beautiful is different from their elders. But to discover the greatest beauty from among 100 contestants is not an easy task, and requires the eyes of professionals, those who are often more experienced or older.
Inner Sanctum: Might it be the case, however, that if a more seasoned juror doesn’t keep up to date with the present concepts of beauty, then he will lag behind? After 20 years of working as a jury member, have you experienced any changes in the way you judge beauty?
Yes, I have. In fact, what I regard most highly is the charm within beauty. At any time, charm remains an irresistible attraction, an inevitable part of beauty. However, what is charming changes along with time. Previously, naive, kind, gentle and even obedient-looking girls were often highly regarded. But now, I prefer those appearing keen, intelligent, knowledgeable and generous. Life has changed, and the exemplary women of this time should have suitable characters to react to new aspects of society.
Inner Sanctum: Can you reveal something about the upcoming Miss Viet Nam 2008, in which you will be a member of the organising board as well as a juryman for the 10th time?
This year, Miss Viet Nam will be organised on a larger scale, with more contestants and an alternative crown worth US$15,000 for the winner. In addition of the titles featured in former contests, this year there will be a "Miss Earth" title to promote an eco-friendly lifestyle, which will be required from the future Miss Viet Nam.
Inner Sanctum: Miss Universe is going to be held in Viet Nam this year. Do you have any remarks on the weaknesses of Vietnamese contestants in comparison with their foreign competitors in previous international beauty contests?
Regarding their physical appearance, the Vietnamese girls were not less attractive than those from other countries. However, regarding their ability to use English, their bearing as well as their interview skills, they had trouble competing with their counterparts.
This is understandable, as the exposure of most Vietnamese people to the behavioural conventions of these media spectacles remains low. Added to that, a large number of Vietnamese girls are still influenced by the values of a conservative lifestyle, the culture of a time that didn’t encourage people to open up their lives and affirm themselves.
I think only when they overcome such weaknesses can Vietnamese girls gain higher positions in international beauty contests. — VNS
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn
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