Justine Willoughby - A true fashion, beauty gem

Former Pulse model Justine Willoughby at the recent supermodel reunion at Pulse's Caribbean Fashion model search held at the Hilton Kingston hotel. - Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer

"When a (wo)man faces destiny, destiny ends and (wo)man comes into (her)his own" - Malraux

Undeniably fated to tread this path, Pulse supermodel Justine Willoughby is testament to the French cultural icon André Malraux's thoughts on embracing one's destiny. The daughter of former Jamaican beauty queen Virginia Lacroix and media personality Neville Willoughby, it was clear that Justine would end up with impeccable credentials in both departments; brains and beauty.

Subscribing to the preordained, Justine entered the Pulse Model Search in 1988 but failed to make the impact for which she was hoping. Not to be discouraged, the tenacious teen took another shot at it in 1989 and was placed second.

This subsequent tryout proved to be the charm, and fashion magnate Kingsley Cooper prepared the world to receive the 18-year-old doe-eyed beauty.

Travels

After the pageant, Justine was signed to New York's Click Modelling Agency and then moved to Wilhelmina Models while completing a variety of assignments that took her to Paris, London and even Morocco. "I got a great assignment for the French magazine Madame Figaro in Morocco. I travelled there for the shoot via Paris and it was a great experience, like being in a glamorous film. I was somewhat nervous, but overall, I enjoyed the experience."

Her engaging eyes and thick mane, coupled with her island girl flavour, gave her a distinctive edge in the highly competitive arena. "Many photographers and clients were very intrigued to hear that I am Jamaican. A lot of people in the industry had travelled to Jamaica on shoots and had loved the island and its people," said the bronzed beauty. Several editorials and campaigns later, including work for magazines like French Marie Claire, Seventeen, and John Frieda, Justine wanted to explore other facets of her destiny.

In 1995, the 23-year-old model entered the Miss Jamaica Universe Pageant. She brought home her family's third Miss Jamaica Universe crown (both mother and aunt had won). Donating a portion of her prize money to the Maxfield Park Children's Home, Justine undertook additional community development projects and contributed significantly to the Miss Jamaica Universe Children's Fund, fulfilling her role as a truly outstanding ambassador for Jamaica. After the pageant ended, the 5'9" beauty headed to the Miss Universe Pageant in Namibia where she was well received. On her return, she flew to Martinique to participate in the Miss Caribe pageant where her gorgeous face, matching effervescence and intelligence ensured her a spot in the top three. The runway soon beckoned once more, and she headed off to New York where she had a very successful season doing several major editorials and catalogues.

Over the years, Justine has enjoyed success with a wide variety of modelling assignments which have taken her to several parts of the globe, including France, England, America, Germany, Holland and South Africa. For her, this turned out to be a truly enriching experience and the most rewarding aspect of the job. "I had always been interested in fashion and modelling as a teenager and I was keen to pursue a career in modelling. This has given me the opportunity to see the world, meet interesting people and experience different cultures," Justine admitted.

Gave up the limelight

Though attracted to the lure of the jet-set life, Justine eventually gave up the limelight of the runway to return home. Since retiring from active modelling, Justine followed other passions and pursued a B.A. in French and philosophy (Hons) from the University of the West Indies. She now works as a journalist in the television and print media, as well as on public relations projects.

Now a full-fledged member of the media fraternity, Justine reflects on her career which was quite different from what modelling is today: "There is competition coming from personalities outside of the mainstream modelling industry. Actresses and music superstars such as Scarlett Johansson, Halle Berry and Beyoncé are constantly on the major magazine covers and many designer and beauty campaigns."

However, she asserts that keeping a positive outlook in an industry that is described by many as fickle, cut-throat and aggressive is mandatory. "Realise that even though you might not get the job, it is not because of your lack of beauty, but rather a specific look that the client wants. All models should have a professional attitude; be on time, courteous and aware of what the client expects."

Source: Jamaica Gleaner News

Company busy selecting beauties for int’l pageants

Miss Hai Duong Tran Thi Huong Giang

VietNamNet Bridge – As the season of international beauty contests is approaching, Elite Vietnam, the only agency authorised to select candidates, is burning the candle at both ends to come up with names to represent the country.

"Besides Miss International and Miss Asia, we will also select candidates for Miss World, Miss Earth, Miss International Tourism, etc,” said Thuy Nga, Elite Vietnam’s CEO. The names of the Vietnamese representatives for the upcoming Miss International, Miss Asia and Miss Young International 2007 have all been announced.

They are Pham Thi Thuy Duong, Tran Thi Huong Giang, and Nguyen Ai Chau, respectively. But the ticket to the most anticipated beauty pageant in the world, Miss World, is yet to have an owner.

We haven’t decided upon the candidate for Miss World 2007 yet, said Thuy Nga, who lately has been bombarded by questions regarding which one of numerous eligible candidates, including Miss Vietnam Global 2007, as well as the first and second runners-up in the same contest, will have that privilege.

According to Elite Vietnam, the selection process isn’t at all easy, since the decision doesn’t just depend on the agency itself, but also on lots of paperwork. “Sometimes the company wants to choose a particular girl but due to procedure-related difficulties, it has to select somebody else,” said an insider.

But when candidates have been selected, Elite Vietnam says it never puts pressure on them. “Instead, we only encourage them to do their best. And I often tell the girls that since they are good enough to be selected, they should believe in themselves,” said Thuy Nga.

The three beauties heading for Miss International, Miss Asia and Miss Young International are quite confident. Miss Hai Duong Tran Thi Huong Giang, who will take part in Miss Asia 2007, for instance, said, “I think at any beauty contest, our candidates have a right to be confident and hopeful.

With my knowledge of English, I can talk with foreign friends and introduce the Vietnamese country and people to them.” Miss Asia 2007 will take place from September 30 to October 28 in Hong Kong; Miss Young International 2007, from October 9-29 in Taiwan; and Miss International, also from September 30 to October 28 in Tokyo and Beijing.

Source: Vietnam Net Bridge

Winners Cite Broken Promises in Pageants

Ashley Wood, Miss South Carolina 2004, attends the Wharton School. She has not been able to collect her pageant scholarships. (Jessica Kourkounis for The New York Times)

By JENNIFER 8. LEE

When Ashley Wood was crowned Miss South Carolina in 2004, she thought her title came not only with a tiara and a shot at Miss America, but also a $20,000 state scholarship and $5,000 national pageant scholarship.

Ms. Wood said Miss America scholarship winners “encounter one obstacle after another.”

This fall, Ms. Wood entered the Wharton School, the business-studies arm of the University of Pennsylvania. But she has yet to receive any of that scholarship money, having been locked in a dispute with the Miss South Carolina pageant for more than two years.

“You are talking about an organization that is promoting itself as the largest scholarship provider for women in the world,” Ms. Wood, 26, said of the Miss America Organization. “When contestants try to collect their funds, they encounter one obstacle after another.”

Ms. Wood said she was told that she would not get the $20,000 for winning the Miss South Carolina pageant in part because her two local pageants had not paid her $950 that she had won from them (Ms. Wood said that after she enrolled in classes, one group reneged on payment and the other dodged her when she tried to collect). In turn, because she did not receive the state money, the national pageant sent her a letter in June saying she was ineligible for the $5,000 from it, even though the deadline to use her national scholarship had not passed. “It’s like a game of gotcha,” she said. “What is very clear to me is that the goal is to not give out the scholarships if at all possible.”

Ms. Wood’s is among the most prominent disputes in recent years involving the pageant system, which endures — albeit diminished — since network television dropped the Miss America Pageant in 2004. But there have long been complaints that the 1,200 local and 52 state pageants run under the aegis of the national pageant often do not distribute scholarships to winners. The contestants say their difficulties collecting their money surprise them, given that the Miss America system promotes itself as a scholarship pageant rather than a beauty pageant, unlike its main rival, the Miss USA contest.

Interviews with contestants across the country describe a Miss America system in which local pageant directors do not return telephone calls and e-mail messages for months, local competitions close down before scholarships are distributed, and the fine print in contracts creates hurdles. Local winners across the country have threatened legal action, and some have taken it.

Pageant organizers at each level of the Miss America system say that such problems are the exception and that they occur because contestants miss deadlines or do not dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s to get paid.

In a statement, the Miss America Organization, based in Linwood, N.J., said: “While it is unimaginable that scholarships, which are the heart and soul of Miss America, could or would be wrongly withheld from pageant participants, we are looking into these allegations. We have definitive procedures in place to vet disputes and guarantee state organizations stand behind their scholarship agreements with the Miss America Organization and those to whom scholarships are promised.”

The statement added, “The Miss America Organization is absolutely unaware of any young lady that has ever been denied payment of scholarships after properly following the application process.”

Gail M. Sanders, comptroller of the Miss South Carolina contest, declined to discuss Ms. Wood’s case but said, “To my knowledge there is not a single contestant in the state of South Carolina who has abided by the rules who has not been paid.”

Carrie Davis Cousar, Miss South Carolina 1992, sued the pageant and settled a short time later; the terms were not disclosed. Last year, the South Carolina secretary of state investigated the Miss South Carolina competition and fined it $2,000 in March for not having its financial papers in order.

Pageant organizers and contestants at the local and state levels describe a system plagued by weak oversight and run largely by 100,000 volunteers. The local competitions, franchised by the 52 state pageants, have no legal ties to the national organization, though they feed contestants into the national pageant, which moved to Las Vegas from Atlantic City last year and will be broadcast on the TLC cable channel in January. And the local pageants vary in how well they are administered, contestants and administrators say.

Safiya Songhai, Miss Five Boroughs of New York in 2004, said she struggled to get the $1,000 scholarship she won. “I had been warned by a girl who won before me that I’m not going to see that money,” said Ms. Songhai, who said that in contrast, she had no problem collecting $5,000 as a runner-up to Miss District of Columbia in 2001 and 2003.

She filed and won a case by default in small claims court in Manhattan after the director of the Miss Five Boroughs Scholarship Pageant failed to respond to messages left over five months. When she still had not received her scholarship, she took her story to a local television station. She was paid within two days of the broadcast of her account, she said. The organizer of the now-disbanded pageant did not return calls for comment.

“Basically, if I hadn’t gone after them, I wouldn’t have gotten my money,” Ms. Songhai said. “There is no real checks and balances to make sure the contestants get their money.” She said that competing in Miss Five Boroughs was fun, but added, “They are disorganized and they are bad with money management.”

Saidah Story won a $1,000 scholarship as Miss Inland Empire 2003 in California, but her mother, Renee Wickman, said the pageant director informed her that there would be no scholarship.

“Instead of the scholarship, she was like, ‘You can take these gowns,’ ” Ms. Wickman said. The pageant folded after that year. Bob Arnhym, president of the Miss California Pageant, said the Miss Inland Empire director moved to Canada because her mother had fallen ill, but had notified the state she had given Ms. Story “the full value of the scholarship.”

Despite contractual agreements, the state organizations say they have only limited enforcement of local scholarships.

“Is there something that the state can do? In short, the answer is really no,” said Paul Brown, executive director of Miss New York. “While we require that they maintain scholarship bank accounts while they are in existence, we have no control over what happens to that,” he said. “The only control that we have is over them maintaining a legal franchise.”

In theory, state pageants could take local pageants to court, but “that legal battle is prohibitive financially,” Mr. Brown said. “It’s not worth doing that for a scholarship which is $1,000.”

Still, state-level executives will step in at times. Sherry Rush, the executive director of the Miss Maryland competition, said the organization tried to help Ashley Windle, Miss Chesapeake Bay 2006, and Kristy Chance, Miss Prince George’s County 2004, after they were unable to collect scholarship money from their local pageants. They have yet to be paid, however.

Source: The New York Times

Babe hot on Hawko's heels

SHE may not be a household name just yet, but Blue Mountains babe Danielle Byrnes is about to follow in the high-heels of Jennifer Hawkins and Erin McNaught and hit the international pageant stage. / The Daily Telegraph

SHE may not be a household name just yet, but Blue Mountains babe Danielle Byrnes is about to follow in the high-heels of Jennifer Hawkins and Erin McNaught and hit the international pageant stage.

The Zoo Weekly regular jets to Japan next Saturday to represent her homeland in the Miss International contest.

With just 18 months modelling under her size 8 belt, the 20-year-old stunner is hoping the quest will provide a boost to her career locally.

The comp is widely regarded as the fourth largest beauty pageant in the world - one step below the Miss Universe comp which catapulted Hawkins to fame three years ago.

Could a stint on a travel show be next for the globetrotting up-and-comer?

Source: The Courier Mail

Ms. Earth '07 brings Bohol across world

As the province will host five of the 90 candidates of Miss Earth 2007, the affair would give a chance for Bohol eco-tourism be featured over at least 35 television networks in different countries.

The Miss Earth 2007 pageant will cover activities from October 25 to November 2.

The Carousel Productions, Inc. proposed to the provincial government that by hosting the candidates, Bohol's environmental advocacy will get international mileage and will be featured as one of the tourist destinations in the Philippines.

Bohol will accommodate four Miss Earth delegates and Miss Philippines-Earth for two days.

The telecast over ABS-CBN at 9:30 in the evening of November 11 will be replayed in 35 countries on Star World Channel, the largest cable television network in Asia and the Middle East and over 26 countries through The Filipino Channel and some participating countries in their local television stations.

The Miss Earth delegates will visit different Asian countries to see the highlights on peace, culture, environmental issues and tourism industry.

They will also visit the different tourist spots in the Philippines and, at the same time, experience the taste of the Filipino culture and hospitality.

There will also be a search for "Li'l Earth Angels" among boys aging seven to ten years old at the different malls and schools in different municipalities, environmental campaigns against global warming in schools, tree-planting, clean-up drive, and waste segregation, among others.

Special events include fashion shows showcasing swimsuit, long gown, talent and national costume competitions in different establishments. (AV-PGMA)

Source: The Bohol Chronicle

Vogue, local council organise beauty pageant in Nadur Castelain

Last year's winners of the Miss Model of the World (Malta)

Vogue Model Management, in collaboration with Nadur council and mayor Dr Chris Said, will be organising the annual Miss Model of the World (Malta) and Best Male Model of the World (Malta) 2007 on October 20 at the Mnarja Band Club Theatre in Nadur. Thirty contestants will be competing for two prestigious titles which will crown two new winners to represent Malta at the international finals in China and Turkey.

The Cultural Office of Gozo is also contributing to the event by arranging the whole stage set-up for the night.

The Nadur council and Dr Said, together with MBC Theatre, gladly agreed to hold this event in Gozo, being the theatre's tenth anniversary. In the past, two Gozitans have won this event - Joseph Ellis in 2004, and Katrin Mari Pavia in 2005, who went on to place 15th out of 60 contestants from all over the world, and won the Miss Model in Evening Gown award.

The MBC Theatre will be transformed into a marvellous theatre for the night bringing together 30 contestants to parade in swimsuits and evening wear. Sponsors include Peacocks from Arkadia, Emporio and Classico, Orly Nail Care, Cefai Formal Wear, hair by Miriam of O'Hair, make-up by Covederm and make-up artist Lorna Mugliett. Downtown Hotel will be providing the contestants' lodging for the final night while Gozo Glass will be sponsoring the winners' trophies.

The gala night will also include various fashion shows and hair shows featuring the latest collections. For more information on tickets, call the local council, or 9944-5783, or e-mail vogue@onvol.net.

Source:Times of Malta

Miss Pakistan World 2007: Just in-case you missed Mahleej Sarkari

Just in-case you missed Miss Pakistan World 2007, we have the video in two parts below, the 5th annual Miss Pakistan World took place in Toronto, Canada.

25 year old Mahleej Sarkari from Karachi Pakistan won Miss Pakistan World 2007; people came from all around the world to participate.

Mahleej Sarkari will now be competing for the third largest pageant in the world: Miss Earth.

Miss Pakistan World 2007 Part 1, Part 2

Source: Product Reviews