The bold and the beautiful

For most beauty queens, physical appearance is probably the first priority. But for Sophida “Baimon” Siriwattanakul, who was recently crowned Miss Tiffany Universe, the real beauty comes from within.
If “Beauty Real”, the concept for this year’s Miss Tiffany Universe
 pageant, sounds like a tired old cliche, that’s probably because it is. Yet in an age where beauty can and often is customised, it’s hard to know what’s real anymore, and this goes for all beauty pageants regardless of gender. The only way to show your “real beauty”, according to Baimon, is to express your compassion and goodwill towards fellow members of
 society and, much more importantly, be sincere about it.
“In a beauty pageant as grand as this, everyone is beautiful so it’s difficult to decide on a winner,” Baimon told XP.
“The difference is the brain and the way you use it so that others can see and admire this genuine quality inside you.”
The 22-year-old winner, a public health graduate from Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya Rajabhat University, won the judges over not only with her looks but also her wit in the question and answer session. In the final question, where the three finalists were asked to define “the most difficult part of being a human”, Baimon answered that being true to oneself and being proud of who you are as a person could be a major ordeal, as so many people try to become someone else in order to be loved or accepted.
“I don’t know about other people, but it’s been the most difficult part for me,” Baimon said.
“Since I was very little, I knew I was different and growing up in a small provincial town, that kind of difference was not really welcomed. I was lucky that my parents accepted me for what I am and gave me their full support. I might not be able to be a monk to ensure my mother’s place in heaven in line with Thai beliefs, but I’m a good child and have never caused trouble. My father did not want to accept this at first, but I proved to him that whatever gender I took, I would always be good both to my family and to the wider public. And now I can say that he is proud of me.”
Social restrictions forced Baimon to act and live like a boy until just two years ago, when she was picked out by a beauty pageant scout to enter a provincial transgender competition.
“The transformation period from boy to woman was gruesome, especially because I was already in my 20s,” Baimon recalled. “Most transgenders start the change in their teens, so it becomes a natural progression for them. It took quite a heavy physical toll on me not least because of the number of pills and vitamins I had to swallow and the makeovers I needed. I wasn’t even ready for Miss Tiffany Universe but at the time, it was either giving this a chance or taking up a job offer at Tambon Health Promoting Hospital, which I really intended to. I never thought I would get into the final round let alone win the crown.
“Being crowned in a beauty pageant has been a dream for me since I was very little, and now I’ve finally realised it. I would like to say to anyone out there who is afraid to be who he or she really is to take a step forward. Accept, respect and love yourself. Do good things and soon people will love you the way you are. Also, to parents, whose kids are different, please support them. Being a homosexual or transgender is not wrong, it’s a choice. As long as you love them and support them, they will grow up to be good and make you proud.”
Baimon, who is the 18th Miss Tiffany Universe, takes home Bt120,000 in cash and other prizes worth more than Bt1 million. She will also represent Thailand at Miss International Queen, the world’s largest international transgender beauty pageant, which will take place in Pattaya in November this year. The pageant is organised by Tiffany’s Show, one of the largest transvestite cabaret shows in Southeast Asia.


Loveliness online
For more about the pageant, visit www.MissTiffanyUniverse.com