It has been a tough year for pageantry fans and beauty queens. Hopefuls have been forced to adapt and rise to challenges such as virtual pre-pageant contests, as in the case of Miss Philippines Earth, and cancellations of pageants such as Miss International 2020.
Apart from that, there have been controversies that arose in the past few months concerning pageants. In June, Binibining Pilipinas 2008 winner Janina San Miguel revealed that she gave up the title due to social isolation, sexual proposals and harassment. The same month, trans beauty queen Kevin Balot said in an online show that having trans women in traditional beauty pageants is “asking too much.”
Despite all the TV specials on it, pageantry still has an air of mystery. If you’ve been waiting for a deeper look into its glamorous world, Miss Universe Philippines (MUP) is launching an eight-episode series featuring 50 aspiring candidates that could be the answer to your prayers. This is the first year of this stand-alone pageant for the Philippines’ official delegate to Miss Universe. The Binibining Pilipinas has been sending the country’s bet since 1964 so it’s a pretty big change.
“Ring Light,” premiering on Sept. 27, will give you a peek at the rigorous training and challenges the contestants go through. The behind-the-scenes activities like tutoring sessions from renowned make-up artists and learning how to take a good photo are reasons to watch for anyone wanting some insider deets.
MUP national director and Miss Universe 2011 third runner-up Shamcey Supsup-Lee shares that the organization is excited to launch the first-ever fundraising online pageant series. “With this online series, we hope to inspire our viewers to find their own light and empowerment and show that beauty is not only skin deep,” she says.
You can stream “Ring Light” on Empire’s website for a one-time fee of P299. If you want to avail it at a discounted price, early-bird subscribers can get it for P249 from July 22 to Aug. 31, 2020.
Watch the teaser trailer for the show below.
Photo screengrab from the “Ring Light” teaser trailer
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