The new Miss Universe Philippines has been crowned. Across localities and organizations, pageant season has been brewing as coronations draw near. As a pageant enthusiast, I have always been critical, though entertained, by what pageants are and what they could be. I could not help but ask if pageants are still relevant today. Well, I think they are, but only if they are used to transform, not conform.
Last April 14, the Binibining Pilipinas 2026 candidates paid a courtesy visit to the Manila Bulletin main office in Intramuros, where they shared their thoughts on why pageants remain relevant. As expected, most spoke about pageants as more than a beauty competition. For them, pageants are platforms for advocacies and for reaching a wider audience.
The answers sounded ‘pageant patty,’ lines that are pleasant to hear but are overused. Come to think of it, no candidate would condemn a space where they are competing to win. They protect their reputation and the organization. After all, how can they be blamed when pageants and fandoms expect curated answers? They have a point, but it is worth exploring further, especially in how these platforms actually sustain advocacy in practice.
Pageants have long been part of our culture. Early candidates were usually beautiful, well-spoken, and charismatic. In recent times, standards have intensified. Height, body proportions, and eloquence have all been raised. In this sense, pageants can empower women by giving them visibility and space for personal development. More importantly, they can serve as entry points for advocacies that reach wider audiences, if used intentionally.
From a feminist perspective, pageants can allow women to have a voice. Without a doubt, many women have changed their lives and influenced others through these platforms. Women carry causes beyond the stage and into public engagement. In this way, pageants open broader conversations about discrimination and gender equality.
Take our timeless queens like Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray. They showed how a title can be used to amplify causes that matter, even after their reign, through their advocacies. They have worked in the modeling industry, but their visibility remained relevant in our society.
On the other side of pageantry, beyond the spotlight, candidates also face its darker realities. There are issues of mismanagement, harassment, and objectification. Many still argue that pageants perpetuate superficial standards for women, shaping what beauty should look like and how femininity should be expressed. Such arguments show how pageants may sometimes be a hindrance to women celebrating their femininity, stories, and advocacies.
I have always believed that beauty is subjective. Yet, it is ironic that we celebrate women in these events, while subjecting them to objective scoring by panels that are not always qualified. Can you imagine a judge evaluating a beauty queen, when that same judge would not even qualify under the very scoring system they use? Funny, in a way, but also revealing of the system’s flaws, which I think should push us toward resistance. A resistance that redefines how beauty is measured and valued.
The toxicity among fans makes it worse. Fandom clashes and harsh objectification can affect the mental health of candidates. Many pageant fans cling to stereotypes about what makes a queen “fit” for each pageant system.
For instance, in Miss International, there is a notion that a candidate must be fair-skinned and demure. In Miss World, stereotypes often favor certain regional beauty standards. Even in local pageants, height requirements continue to limit many dreams. While women are free to pursue these paths, such stereotypes are not healthy; they often make women subjects of scrutiny, misogyny, and exclusivity, which I think weakens the very idea of pageants as inclusive advocacy platforms. If so, aren't we meant to advocate for body positivity, friendship, and representation?
In a time when the country—the world rather, faces uncertainty, pageants must be more than just a spectacle. With global unrest, economic strain, elections, and shifting moral compasses, women in gowns and high heels should redefine what their titles stand for. A beauty queen should not speak or act only when it is convenient. She should engage with the masses and truly challenge those in power.
Fortunately, some women are already doing this. Take Miss Philippines Earth 2025 Joy Barcoma, also known as the ’jusa,’ who has extended her reach beyond pageantry. As a broadcasting graduate, she now works in media and government, not merely as a visual figure but as a spokesperson engaging with sociopolitical issues once uncommon for beauty queens. This strengthens the advocacy role of pageant winners.
When the country’s most prestigious pageant crowned its new queen, Bea Millan-Windorski, an activist, reactions were also mixed. Many raised their eyebrows at the idea of beauty queens joining protests or speaking outside the usual ‘script.’ Such women are often labeled as ‘opportunists’ or inauthentic.
But is it not promising to see women use these platforms to act on their advocacies? I believe it is, because their visibility is turned into actions. It is time to transform beauty into a force for change. Wherein we should use beauty, not be used by it. Pageants must move beyond curated answers and safe personas. Queens should be able to speak boldly, even when it is uncomfortable, to remain relevant today.
Beauty pageants will always be a spectacle. Beauty attracts, personality sustains, and story inspires. Yet as we navigate crises like walking on a narrow beam in high heels, it becomes more meaningful to look beyond surface entertainment toward substance that creates real change in both personal and community life. These are the times when society needs public figures to take space and use their influence amid current events.
As pageants and beauty queens step up, we should also step up as pageant-loving Filipinos. We must be as critical in choosing, questioning, and supporting queens as we are with our politicians. Because the real step up is not in a chosen few, but in how a country rises together.
Written by Rin Yuchengco (Bb. B), Insight PH
Rin Yuchengco (Bb. B), Insight PH is a dedicated campus journalist and contributor. Their insightful writing sparks meaningful conversations and keeps the community informed.
