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Lebanon has been abuzz since the crowning of its beauty queen, Yasmina Zaytoun, as the first runner-up in the Miss World competition; a crowning that goes beyond just a position. Indeed, she was also crowned Miss Asia, surpassing her competitors, including Miss India.
Much ink has been spilled on this subject in recent days, given that it is the first time Lebanon has ranked so high in this competition; despite Valérie Abou Chacra’s participation in the finals in 2015, alongside four other finalists, and the presence of several other Lebanese candidates in previous finals, such as Joëlle Behlok, Marie-José Honein and Annabella Hilal.
Some made the mistake of comparing her to Georgina Rizk, who won the title of Miss Universe, not Miss World, in 1971. Although both competitions are of equal importance, being the largest beauty pageants in the world.
In this context, it is more than normal for criticisms to arise. Some wonder what benefit Lebanon derived from this title or on what basis our candidate was selected; some even allege political motives. And thus, the conspiracy theory emerges!
But beyond that, we can only appreciate this event for different reasons.
Firstly, it strengthens Lebanon’s global presence in a competition followed by millions of people, akin to the World Cup final. The people will not benefit from the victories of the national football or basketball team, except for pride. And it is this pride that we felt when seeing a Lebanese candidate, endowed with great culture, attract general attention with her performance.
Second, Lebanon is a very small country. Consequently, foreigners have often misplaced it on the map or heard about it in contexts of war and disaster. This is one of the rare times it manages to stand out through a positive event.
Thirdly, beauty pageants experienced a similar collapse to that of various entertainment sectors with each crisis comeback. The competition was suspended for four years and was also suspended this year. As such, Yasmina Zaytoun had the opportunity to compete for the title of Miss World. Other countries do not experience these postponements constantly, and Lebanon’s presence is important as it puts the country’s name on the world map.
Finally, and most importantly, the event resembles what we want to see in Lebanon: joy and a culture of life that we constantly talk about. This can happen in beauty pageants, at the Oscars, in sports competitions, or in any recognition of a global personality at an event. All of this shows that we export positivity that we are proud of. Indeed, it reflects what we want for Lebanon, namely that it is present in the world in a positive way, in contexts that resemble its openness and strengthen its presence with developed countries that offer the best.
Congratulations to Yasmina! Pay no attention to derogatory comments, you have excelled, and the world recognizes that.
