What makes a beauty queen?

Written by Natasha Muchura

Is it her grace? Her ability to make everyone around her feel at ease? Her undeniable beauty and respect for those around her? In this case it’s all of the above.

To every one else she’s Miss Malaysia Universe 2010. But to those who know her, she’s just Nadine or ‘Dine’ as she’s affectionately called by those closest to her.

Nadine was just another girl who chose to participate in the Miss Malaysia Universe competition, one of the most prestigious and glamorous events staged annually in the country, and didn’t really think anything of it when she signed up.

“I didn’t know exactly how I was supposed to act and what to expect. I just went in put on my biggest and brightest smile and hoped for the best”. And do her best is exactly what she did. Her passionate opinion on the empowerment of women and women’s rights gave her the edge in answering her final question in the competition. She bagged the winning title as Miss Malaysia Universe 2010 after answering the final question which was ‘Hip, Real, Urban and relevant. Which one are you and why?

“My response was relevant and I remember justifying this by saying; Relevance in today’s world is vital because I want to be able to guide young women in showing them how to be confident and not be afraid of their own opinions. No one should ever tell you what you’re worth and I want to let all girls know that their opinion really matters.”

Although modelling and beauty pageants are one in the same thing, the two are so different in their criteria, with beauty pageants looking not only for beautiful faces but charm, charisma and intelligence.

Having dabbled in modelling since joining Limkokwing, Nadine has always had a passion for fashion and everything the fashion industry has to offer.

“I remember the first time I ever modelled was in Limkokwing. I was given the opportunity to do something that most people only dream about“.

I remember the first time I ever modelled was in Limkokwing. I was given the opportunity to do something that most people only dream about.

Limkokwing University is known for it’s out of the box take on runway shows and the never boring shows.

“In Limkokwing modelling was and still is very edgy and doesn’t conform to the usual runway criteria. I had to adapt myself to fit into the beauty pageant criterion which was a welcome challenge for me“.

Winning an amount of RM50,000 along with a 1 year contract with Andrews Models amongst a vast amount of prizes, Nadine found that the competition has exposed her to the beautiful yet hectic life of beauty pageants.

“The competition was quite difficult in the sense that it wasn’t all about sitting around and looking pretty. We had challenges which put us up against each other which showed how much every single girl in the competition really wanted the title”.

In a twist to this year’s competition, the organisers introduced a new and never done before tradition. The beauties got a chance to hold the crown and experience what it would be like to actually win.

At that point Nadine thought to herself, “I really want this!”

No-one has ever been able to see the crown before competitions. This just reassured me that this title would mean so much to me if I won.

My parents raised me to be strong and be sure of myself. Even though we don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things they are extremely supportive of everything I do and I am so grateful to have them.

She credits her family and friends for supporting her throughout the many weeks she was in the competition. Her parents who were by her side throughout were just as ecstatic about her win as she was.

“My brother actually laughed at me when he heard I had joined the competition! My mom was ecstatic! She sent pictures out, emailed and texted my high school friends and I’m even getting calls from as far as India congratulating me! They’ve been extremely supportive. I can’t ask for anything more”.

Growing up in a mixed parentage household (her father is Indian while her mom is mixed Chinese and English) her early years as she recalls were difficult because of her being ‘different’ from the children around her.

“My parents are both from different races and growing up in mixed parentage was difficult. I found it hard to try and place myself in one category because I’m a blend of so many things but I feel that this made me stronger as an individual”.

“My parents raised me to be strong and be sure of myself. Even though we don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things they are extremely supportive of everything I do and I am so grateful to have them”.

So what is she doing at the moment?

“At the moment I have to prepare for Las Vegas so I’m taking care of my body and health and working on my body confidence and my eye-contact”.

“This is will be my first time travelling to the US! I’m so excited! One of my gowns is actually being made by Limkokwing Alumni and famous designer Jovian Mandagie. I’m so happy to be wearing one of his creations for the competition”.

Having experienced the many cultures found at Limkokwing, Nadine thanks the time spent with friends from as many as 150 countries at the University as this will allow her to interact with the many beauties at the competition in Las Vegas.

“Being at Limkokwing University, culture, religion and race don’t matter. People are so free to make friends with one another and express themselves. It’s a great opportunity to learn from so many different cultures. Studying and working here have taught me so much.”.

The competition has propelled Nadine into the hectic world of beauty pageants. But Nadine, who comes from Subang Jayais ready for the challenge and plans on helping those who are in need.

Be yourself. Always know your worth. Do not depend solely on others and know what you want in life.

“Being in this position now I feel that I can make much more of a difference. I’ve always been active in volunteering for charities and now would be a good chance for me to help non-profit government organisations. A lot of them are backing such good causes but their funding may not be enough to reach a broader audience and so my objective is to work with them and help out with gaining awareness about certain issues close to my heart”.

With the title Miss Malaysia Universe secured under her belt, Nadine has her eyes set on being a part of the Miss Malaysia Universe team and even has plans of setting up her own talent agency.

“I’ve always wanted to establish my own talent agency. There are so many gifted individuals out there who are yet to be discovered and I want to be the one to discover them. I’m hoping that 5 years from now I can accomplish this and give girls who dream about modelling, a chance to live their dream”.

So what advice does she have for aspiring models and colleagues? “Be yourself. Always know your worth. Do not depend solely on others and know what you want in life”.