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| Kimberley Ann Estrop-Leggett Miss Malaysia 2012 |
Recently there have been a few articles in the newspaper and on the internet about Kimberley Leggett, the 2012 Miss Malaysia title holder being 'too white'. These are the words of a journalist at The International Business Times, who wrote that Miss Leggett certainly resembled Europeans and North Americans much more than she did a country that was predominantly made up of Malays, Chinese and Indians.
I followed the development of this controversy with some amusement as people rose up to defend the Miss Malaysia program and its winner. The argument goes that the beauty pageant win was based on overall looks, presentation and ability, and was certainly never meant to conform to any defined racial looks.
Miss Leggett, certainly a very beautiful and personable young lady, who I previously have had the pleasure of meeting in person, owes her caucasian looks to her British father and Serani (mixed European and Malay) mother. Like Deborah Priya Henry, her Miss Malaysia predecessor, Kimberley Leggett probably represents the pan-Asian look that we previously discussed as the beauty ideal for many Asian women. The subject of her eligibility to compete as a representative of an Asian nation aside, certainly these women have the multi-racial looks that tend to earmark successful competitors at international beauty pageants.
Certainly as the world becomes more global, racial boundaries become less defined, and cultures and races intermarry, the ideals of beauty have similarly evolved. It also has been noted before that many previous winners of international pageants hail from Latin American countries such as Venezuela and Puerto Rico, where the majority of the population is comprised of mixed races.
Having no idea of the judging criteria or machinations of the beauty queen selection process, I cannot be the judge of the fairness of Miss Leggett's selection as the face of Malaysian beauty. However, as I have previously noted - in this article here, as a species humans tend to favor individuals from a mixed background, as they tend to have a 'genetically average' look - ie. do not have any of the negative characteristics that are seen in persons seen as typically Chinese or Indian or British, for example. Studies also suggest that we find these people more attractive as their genes have a greater variety and tend to give them advantages of better health.
To read more on genetic averages and understand more about this, here are some articles of interest:
Discover Magazine - What Average Genetic Variation Can Tell Us Or Not
The Mail Online: Brits Believe Mixed Race People Are The Most Attractive And Successful
Psychology Today: Mixed Race: Pretty Face?
What do you think about this theory of genetic averages? Do you agree that mixed race individuals tend to be more attractive? I've love to hear your feedback.
Cosmetic Medicine, MD
Dr. Liow Tiong Sin is an aesthetic practitioner who practices in Kuala Lumpur and Melaka, Malaysia. He has more than 12 years of expertise with non-surgical cosmetic treatments, and conducts training courses for other doctors from all around Asia. To connect with Dr. Liow, Like Cosmedmd's Facebook page. medical centre website or email.
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