Under the Microscope: Ariella Arida

Is FIFTY really equal to GOLD?Let me take you on a series of reviews as to the more or less, controversial outcome of the Binibining Pilipinas: Gold Edition.First in my 6 part series, Ariella Arida. Let’s put her, under our microscopes, shall we?

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: ARA ARIDA

Contextualization:

Ara Arida will be sent to the Miss Universe Pageant of this same year, slated to be sometime between September to November. So it is a must, thusly, to put into context the lady upon whom our hopes and dreams rest.

What is Ms. Universe, in the first place?

Ms. Universe is an old pageant which has always been ranked as the best in the world, in terms of production and more importantly, following. Prior to the drought which begun circa 2000, the Philippines had always been a powerhouse in this pageant. We have 2 crowns and a bunch of finalists to boast of. In more recent times, we have a 3-peat in placing in the top 5 of the pageant. Venus, with here ridonkulus (yes, im using this word – thanks Ted Mosby! J) body, Shamcey, with that megawatt smile and Janine with her stomp, reinstated the Pearl Archipelago into the Miss Universe hall of fame.

It’s safe to say we have sash powers now. And although this is no assurance, in fact, it’s scary even, we have a fighting chance in landing that elusive number one spot.

But mentioning the three girls, it does raise the question why we weren’t able to nab the crown.

Let’s review the queens we’ve had lately.

DAYANA – she started the high fashion trend that is steam rolling the pageant world. She isn’t your typical doll, in fact, she beat out Taliana who is just that. Why did she win then? Fierce is the word. Trump has realized he couldn’t use those sunshiny girls as much as he would want. Those charity balls and gala events only happen once or twice a month – not really reeking in the greens. What is more lucrative is the modelling scene, and Dayana fit the bill perfectly.

STEFANIA and XIMENA – These two girls are just plain and simple – gorgeous. Also very model-esque but more importantly, they have perfect faces. Ximena in particular has a face that sent the pageant world into a frenzy. Stefania has so much youth and vibrancy. Both girls are just beautiful.

LEILA – this girl is fresh – personified. No wonder why she beat out Oleysa and Shamcey! She has such a cover girl image that is just magnetic.

OLIVIA – The lady with the perfect face. Another straight forward beauty. Olivia blew away the competition with her relaxed wit. Her smile and huge eyes are big pluses too.

Let’s now take ARA and see if she matches the apparent requirements of being a Ms. Universe.

 

FACE:

The bad: I’m not that big a fan of her eye-bags. But that’s easy to conceal. The smile is at times cold. I feel like she just overdoes the whole fierce thing. She tends to give off a very cold persona. The face isn’t your typical beauty. The nose needs a little work.

The good: Those eyes! Those huge seductive eyes are her major selling points. She can just stare at you and you’d melt. In general, her face has some symmetry. Her neck is gorgeous. There’s something about the shape of her face that is to me very appealing.

BODY:

The bad: Her curves aren’t very obvious. When she does her poses, her muscles tense too much and they’d seem bulging. This is something she has to work on.

The good: Right now, she doesn’t have obvious body fat. She is quite toned. She’s not short, but not tall either. Just the right Miss Universe height.

PERSONALITY:

I have friends in the pageant circuit who know her. They were pretty excited when she won, and they were sending her love. Apparently, she’s a really nice girl. Some would say, quite fun to be with. She seems to me very determined too.

WIT:

The bad: She gets nervous easy. And it really shows.

The good: She still spews very sane remarks even when she’s nervous.

WALK:

YES. YES. YES. I love her walk! Perfection!

To me, Ms. Ara is a shoo-in in the top15. But she needs a lot of work with her packaging, projection, confidence to really get to the crown.

I’m giving Ara, right now with what she has, a 85% chance at nabbing the crown.

Under the Microscope: The Binibini

Let’s ask ourselves the question – what is a BINIBINI?

And by “binibini” I mean getting into that elusive club of five, four of which entitles you to represent the country in international pageants.

Taken from the most recent editions of the pageant, I dare to give you these criteria on being a BINIBINI.

1. Before picking favourites, ask if a particular girl is stunning. IS SHE STUNNING? Does she have a presence that drops your jaws? It isn’t about plain beauty, but it’s the totality of her bearing, charm and ability to command attention to her even when not trying. Take a look at Shamcey and Venus, in their respective pageant nights, they were clear standouts who just draws your attention.
2.  A binibini has to have a certain attitude. IS SHE A ‘rampadora’? Being stunning is not enough, especially if there are 20 others who meet her level, aesthetically. But a true binibini won’t just stand in a corner. She causes a scene. She gives an extra wink. She tosses her head and giggles a little. She makes the show about her. She makes herself seem important. She is the main event. Venus Raj, Krista Kleiner and Nicole Schmidt are the best examples for this criterion!
3.  The two other criteria are important on stage. But how about before the curtains rise? IS SHE LIKEABLE? Organizers – it is all about them. If they don’t like you because you’re too much of a primadonna, then be ready to wear the worst sponsored outfits, and not be invited to marketing affairs. Exposure to media, which in turn will help you make a name and will help you get noticed by the judges, prior to the event, is dependent on whether or not, press and organizers like having you around them. Shamcey, Janine, Diane Necio, Ali Forbes, Czarina – all women who are known to be sweet and easy to deal with.
4.  Wit! It isn’t about having the best answers, but it’s about having them delivered in a confident, couldn’t-care-less way, which shows confidence and intelligence. BPCI isn’t strict on this criterion (i.e Janina San Miguel) but lately, they’ve been keen on sending confident speakers. Shamcey, Janine, Nicole, Czarina, Krista had really amazing answers and they bagged crowns.

Apparently, ARA and BEA for me got all four in the bag. MUTYA clearly didn’t have no.4, CINDY wasn’t no.2 enough and PIA well that styling really made her look boring. I love our set of winners this year and I will give each, my fullest support.

Gearing Up for Ms. Philippines Earth 2012: An Analysis

To understand Miss Earth Philippines, you have to understand the force behind it – Carousel Productions.

The thing is, this team isn’t like other pageant organizers. If you look at the past winners of both Miss Earth Philippines and Miss Earth, you’d notice that most of the work the winners have is actually after the pageant itself. Basically, the point is, Carousel Prod., actually sticks to its advocacies and does use its queens as much as they could to forward their vision. Take Miss Earth 2011, Olga of Ecuador. She’s considered the “Busiest Queen” of 2011. So were Larissa and Nicole before her.

This adherence to their advocacy has a multitude of implications to the pageant itself. And so many goddesses were dropped because of this.

Criteria (based on past competitions and winners)

1.       Smart/Witty – compare Ms. Tanzania 2008 to eventual winner, Karla Henry. Consider also, Jennifer Pazmino to Nicole Faria of 2010. There is also the inclusion of Bokang Montjane in 2007. And Athena Imperial’s triumph in the national pageant in 2011. Since of course, they need a functional ambassador, they’d really need someone who has something between their ears. Other examples: Jessika Trisko, Dania Mendez and Winfred Omakwe

2.       Sweet and Pleasant – This is a major result of how Carousel works. Of course they’d want a queen who is easier to deal with, than a crazy primadonna.  This is considered to be why a lot of Goddesses lose out in the completion. The organizers always weed out the bitches. Take Sarka, Ms Czech Rep. 2011, the heavy favorite for the crown. And the inclusion of the plain Ms. Taiwan. The thing with this is it’s not about being nice to get in, but about not being a bitch so you can stay in. Other Examples: Alexandra Braun, Pricilla Mereiles, Karla Henry, Nicole Faria, Olga Alava.

3.       Presentation over Body – Take how Sandra Seifert won most major awards even though Misses Brazil and Venezuela were superior physically. It’s not about the machine, it’s how it’s driven. Jessica Trisko wasn’t even beautiful, but her ramp was. Hill Hernandez of Chile was only “okay” compared to the Ms. India that time. But the way they presented themselves won over their lack in the body department.

These considered, you go on look and read about the MPE candidates for 2012 and see if any fit the 

bill.

My Front-runner so far is Ms. Negros Oriental – Glenna Duch.

Who’s yours?