Beauty of the beauty queen

I was really happy that Hen Nie won that award because I always loved and was impressed by the image of the brown-skinned beauty queen, carrying a basket on her back, hoeing and planting trees just like a real farmer. In the eyes of the public, Hen Nie is considered one of the "most beautiful" beauty queens ever.

I want to write about her even though, in recent years, beauty pageants in Vietnam have appeared so frequently that viewers feel “overfed” because they are so boring. The public cannot remember and know the names of the beauty queens.

I still remember one day in early 2018, H'Hen Nie was crowned Miss Universe Vietnam, to the confusion of many people. A series of comments such as: "I don't like her", "I don't see anything beautiful about her", "What kind of low-class beauty queen" appeared on social networks.

In early 2019, Hen Nie achieved the title of Top 5 Miss Universe 2018, and she surpassed 112 contestants of the biggest beauty contests to officially become the most beautiful Miss World 2018 voted by the beauty website Missosology.

Her beauty has been recognized by the world. Among the three criteria that the Missosology Organizing Committee used to vote, Hen Nie's global influence criterion scored the highest, 4,773 points (followed by 4,636 points for all performances and 4,318 points for timeless beauty and appeal).

Missosology announced the winner with her inspirational quote: "I am an ethnic minority girl, I should have gotten married at the age of 14 but I said "No". From zero, today I stand here, I did it, you can do it too".

She dared to say “No” and go against the old, outdated traditions where she was born and raised. She dared to start from zero to embark on life with strength, determination, confidence but full of humility, honesty and constant learning. That is her beauty!

Many people say that she is not like the pure beauty of Asia, not elegant, not bright, not white, not graceful, and is from a very poor family, an ethnic minority,... People also see her wearing a pink country-style shirt, riding a motorbike taxi, using 80,000 VND shoes bought at the market, squatting or sitting on the floor eating a simple meal with her family, smiling widely and squinting her eyes...

Since when has the concept of beauty always meant white skin, long hair, wearing designer dresses, expensive shoes, driving a shiny car, and eating in a luxurious manner? According to that concept, the beauty of a beauty queen comes entirely from the flashy, sparkling things on the outside.

But Hen Nie is completely different. She makes others see that she is as ordinary and simple as the majority of the population in this world, even the poorest people in the lowest class can see themselves in her. She does different things that few people in her situation can do.

Hen never hid her difficult background and poor parents, on the contrary, she had the utmost love and respect for her parents. She understood and sympathized with the lives of ethnic minorities where she lived. Hen did not hesitate to work as a maid to earn money, while at the same time studying hard to improve herself.

She is not shy or embarrassed when riding a broken-down motorbike, sitting on a tractor, taking a motorbike taxi, wearing slippers, sitting on the ground blowing fire, cooking rice with firewood. In the face of any criticism or ridicule, she puts herself in the speaker's position to understand them, sympathize with them, and sincerely justify them: "Everyone, don't talk about them, because it's just a joke" or "because Hen is really not good, not talented, Hen needs to try harder".

Hen Nie donated 100% of her prize money when she won the Miss crown to charity because she humbly believed that it was a lucky money that fell from the sky, not from her own hard work, and she always wanted to do something for her people. She is considered the Miss who has done the most charity work ever. “Beauty” is a noun, “pretty” is an adjective, but I think to judge whether a Miss is truly beautiful or not, it is mostly shown in her actions.

Many people say that H' Hen Nie's continuous success today is because she is very lucky. But we understand that luck does not come naturally, it is the sweet fruit created from a process of thinking and acting correctly. Luck also does not last forever, it only stays with you when you make constant efforts.

Hen Nie was born into a poor and backward ethnic minority, is that luck? She did not have a full education, almost got married at the age of 14, had to work as a maid to make a living, wore cheap clothes,… is all that luck? Did she suddenly become a beauty queen because of luck? No, her luck was created by herself, because she knew how to choose her way of looking, thinking, learning, behaving, and improving herself.

Her beauty comes from her culture, her behavior and her actions that can spread faith and hope in a world where billions of people are still facing hunger, thirst, illiteracy, bad customs and injustice. I hope H Hen Nie will always maintain the pure, rustic beauty of a country girl! Seeing her image, children will continue to dream, aspire, choose the path of learning and work hard to reap the sweet fruits later.

Beauty today is no longer limited to a few criteria of a certain competition or the viewpoint of a certain group of people. Modern beauty does not only focus on “good wood” or “good paint” but also “good wood and good paint”. Moreover, in a world where there are still many instabilities and inequalities, beauty with humanity and kindness is worthy of respect!

Do Hai