Miss Indonesia Meets Miss Netherlands

Finally, I saw a picture of the two ladies competing at Miss Universe 2009 who share the same heritage - Misses Netherlands and Indonesia.

Miss Netherlands Avalon-Chanel Weyzig is half-Indonesian courtesy of her mother. Miss Indonesia Zivanna Letisha Siregar was so happy when she met her. This is what Avalon have posted in her tweeter account.

Avalon said "Miss Indonesia was very happy to meet me, and I was happy to meet her because of my Indonesian roots. She was very friendly."

This reminds me about the three beauty queens with Filipino roots during the Miss Universe 2007 in Mexico - Miss Norway Kirby Ann Basken, Miss Germany Angelina Glass and Miss Philippines Anna Teresa Licaros.

I remember watching a video of them being interviewed by a Filipino broadcast journalist.

Miss Indonesia Zivanna Letisha Siregar in a two-piece swimsuit

It's good to see Miss Indonesia Universe Zivanna Letisha Siregar in a two-piece swimsuit. Since 2005, Indonesian girls to any international beauty pageants always have chosen the "more conservative" one-piece swimwear than the "more revealing" two-piece. Indonesian girls wearing swimsuits can face public ridicule and government restrictions. This is in fact the reason why Indonesia, the biggest Muslim nation in the world, did not actively participate in beauty pageants in the past.

In 1996, Alya Rohali was forced to withdraw from Miss Universe when she was shown wearing the bikini. The following year, Indonesia stopped sending their girls to Miss U until 2004.

In 2005, when largest archipelago in the world resumed joining Miss U, the Indonesians publicly denounced Artika Sari Devi and warned her the consequences if she was seen parading in a swimsuit. That was one of the most anticipated events during the Miss U pageant in Thailand. But Artika was so brave that she defied all odds and went on to become the only Asian at the Final Top 15.

After the pageant, many feared for her life if she would return back home. But she came home safely.

I guess, the legacy of Artika paved the way for the Indonesian to accept or embrace swimsuit competitions in beauty pageants. Since then, Indonesia regularly participated at the Miss Universe pageant.

Going back to Zivanna, she has one of the freshest faces among all the ladies competing in Bahamas for the 58th edition of the pageant. She is one of Asia's front-runners in the beauty department. So, if she duplicates Artika's fate in 2005, it won't be a surprise.

You can check Zivann's long gown and national costume here.

Last year, at the 2008 Miss Universe in Vietnam, Putri Raemawasti was the first one to wear the two-piece.

Who has the Best Headshot Among the candidates of Miss Universe 2009?

 

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I've been talking about Miss Earth new website yesterday and surprisingly, Miss Universe also updated theirs by uploading the headshots of each candidates to the 2009 Miss Universe in Bahamas. So, who do you think has the Best Headshot?

But I noticed some honest mistakes which include:

1. Miss Singapore Rachel Kum has the picture of Miss Philippines Pamela Bianca Manalo.

2. Miss Philippines named has been mispelled. Instead of PAMELA Bianca Manalo, what was written is PANELA Bianca Manalo.

Most of the ladies are beautiful in pictures. Most of them are photogenic. The question is, will there be a Miss Photogenic award this year after it was skipped last year?

Miss Indonesia Zivanna Letisha Sirigar is stunning in her headshot. She's a revelation. And I also noticed her big facial similarity with Miss Philippines Pamela Bianca Manalo.

Miss Korea Na Ri is not really that bad. She looks so sensual and sophisticated in the picture.

Miss Netherlands Avalon Chanel Weyzig is like a goddess. I love her almond-like skin colour.

Miss Paraguay Mareike Baumgarten Oroa's headshot should be changed. She doesn't look good in her picture. While most of the candidates have photoshopped pictures, Mareike's picture was not.

Miss Egypt Elham Wagdi is absolutely stunning.

These are only few of my comments. I try to post more next time.

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