Joining a beauty pageant isn’t all fun and games when you think about all the scrutiny you have to deal with from judges and the viewing public. Then there’s also the antiquated and oft unattainable standards you have to conform to. Recently, former Miss Hong Kong 2022 contestant Wendy Lam Wingyi spilled the tea about her pageant experience. Although you can say it’s a “memorable” one, allegedly being fat-shamed by TVB execs and general manager Eric Tsang can hardly be considered a pleasant experience.
Wendy claimed she was told “you’re so chubby, have you thought about losing weight”. When she responded that all body types are beautiful in their own right and that a person’s confidence shining through and their love for themselves is what beauty is all about, she said they all laughed at her and called her naïve. Wendy eventually dropped out of the pageant saying she wanted to focus on her studies instead.
Eric meanwhile defended the statement when asked about it by the press as he attended the TVB show “Midlife, Sing and Shine!”. “Actually, we were very encouraging all the way” he said.
No Pain No Gain
Eric Tsang added that in this instance, they thought the contestant had a lot of potential if only they just lost a little bit of weight. “So we asked ‘are you confident you can lose it’. If she thinks we’re that sort of people, then I don’t think we’ll be giving her the opportunity” he said. A person should have standards and expectations from themselves, he emphasised. If you don’t put in the work to improve yourself, then you can’t expect people to say good things about you.
In contrast, Eric cited another contestant as an example of someone who was willing to put in the work to improve their shortcomings. “A contestant who had bad teeth last year signed up again this year after getting braces. She said she felt beautiful.” Eric said he was super impressed. “We point out areas that you can work on. And if you’re willing to improve, we are willing to give you a chance!” he said.
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