BEING hip, urban, relevant and real are qualities that 20-year-old Kiran Jassal hopes will help her shine at the 65th Miss Universe pageant finals this Jan 30 in Manila.
Born and raised in the suburbs of Subang Jaya, Selangor, Kiran recently completed her GCE A-Levels at Kolej Tuanku Jaafar and deferred her plans to study dentistry at the International Medical University (IMU) to join the pageant.
Question: What is the essence of being a woman?
Answer: Someone who is able to provide trust, acceptance, appreciation, approval, admiration and encouragement to whomever they meet. They nourish and empower selflessly. That’s the essence of a woman.
Q: What do you think is the most pressing issue facing women today and how do you think it can be resolved?
A:The most pressing issue that women face today is sexual harassment. Although women are constant victims of selfish, chauvinistic predators, society often blames them by claiming they provoke men either by their dressing or simply by being too polite or pretty.
These men need to be prosecuted and used as an example that what they’ve done is wrong and will not be tolerated under any circumstance.
This is to create awareness through social media and education in school for the younger generation.
Q: In many parts of the world and even in Malaysia, obstacles exist that impede women from achieving their career goals. What needs to be done?
A:The employment sector is predominantly controlled and monopolised by males.
Even though many women have made it to the upper echelon of the corporate and public sectors, their success is a far cry from their male counterparts.
Men must appreciate and acknowledge that women are just as capable and competent in all aspects of employment as them.
So, fair and just implementation of gender streaming, as well as the acknowledgement of women’s equal status and rights should be emphasised time and time again so that it becomes an esteemed norm of society at large.
Q: Do you feel that beauty pageant contestants are misunderstood by the public?
A: I do not feel that beauty pageant contestants are misunderstood by the public.
In fact, these contestants are able to enhance their personality and grow with greater confidence.
Contestants today are capable in terms of education, financially allowing them to make prudent and sound decisions that chart their future careers and the organisations they represent.
Q: How do beauty pageants help women and what is their relevance to society today?
A:Personally, beauty pageants are similar to a sport.
They serve as an inspiration to women and girls to be confident and proud of their bodies, regardless of colour, shape and size.
It teaches us to celebrate our imperfections while appreciating the diversity of cultures and intellect each girl brings to the table.
Beauty pageants, like Miss Universe, provide a voice and chance to its contestants to champion social and health causes they believe in.
Furthermore, pageants have also given nations an opportunity to pride themselves with a new accolade and bring recognition to the country.
Q: What do you think can be your greatest contributions to society and what skills do you possess that can help society?
A: I hope to empower other women and the younger generation as I continue with my social and charity work through my persistence and determination.
Dreams do come true with hard work, and I want to get that message across to as many people as I can.
Q: As Miss Malaysia, what did some of your public duties last year include? What is the most challenging thing about humanitarian work that people don’t appreciate?
A:One of the causes I advocate is oral hygiene and I am collaborating with Mydentist Malaysia to reach out to underprivileged children in Malaysia to raise awareness regarding the importance of oral healthcare, while maintaining a light and fun atmosphere to remove the fear of dentists.
I have had the privilege of working together with Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF) to advocate the practices of MAF.
Besides that, I was involved in Project 57 to raise awareness and spread the message of unity in diversity.
I think the most challenging thing about humanitarian work is that the change doesn’t come overnight. It takes a long time and hard work, so people tend to give up when they do not see results.
However, for me, even if I manage to make the slightest difference or make someone smile, it means a lot and it is rewarding because I know I’m a step closer to my dreams.
Q: Name one influential person you met during your reign as Miss Malaysia Universe and what did you learn from him/her?
A: I have had the privilege to meet so many influential people during my reign as Miss Universe Malaysia.
However, the one person I strongly look up to is Thanuja Ananthan, Miss Malaysia/World 2009.
This is because, although it’s been years since she had competed in Miss World, she still embodies all the characteristics of a beauty queen and is actively involved in charity causes she believes in.
She’s down-to-earth, humble and has the biggest heart!
Q: When Trump purchased the beauty pageant in 1997 he told Howard Stern that he was going ‘to get the bathing suits to be smaller and the heels to be higher’. If you could change a feature of the beauty pageant today, what would it be?
A: I wouldn’t change any component of the pageant because each segment poses a different challenge to the table. It’s when a delegate excels in all rounds that she truly deserves the title as prestigious as Miss Universe.
However, I would like change the public misconception of beauty pageants, that they degrade and objectify women.
Q: What do you think is more important: beauty, intelligence or a winning personality? How would you rank them in order of importance with regard to the opportunities it provided you in your career?
A:All three are equally important and complement one another at all times. None of the three elements can stand alone or have more importance over the other.
The three in combination radiates the inner beauty of a person and contributes to success.
In my opinion, it is my ability and capability that supersedes all else.
Q: How do you bounce back from failure?
A:Gracefully accepting failure and analysing the causes that contribute to it is equally important.
Failures are imperfections that daunt our lives relentlessly and navigating through them carefully will always keep us ahead. Only when we understand our mistakes, will we be propelled forward.
Q: Some beauty queens overseas have fallen from grace and this has been carried in the media. If your credibility is compromised how would you resolve the situation?
A: Social acceptance is very much shaped by credibility. Media today is a powerful tool that influences the perception of acceptance in shaping the mainstream values or norms of the society that we live in.
So, it is always important to be mindful of our personal endeavours and the perception that surrounds it. I would apologise for it on social media and make the necessary amendments to avoid the situation from recurring.