The beauty of Asia
Asian Beauty Contests
The Miss Asia Pacific International is the first and oldest beauty pageant in Asia. It began as a regional pageant in 1968, known as the Miss Asia Quest. Participating countries came from Asia and Oceania.
In 1985, the pageant changed its name to the Miss Asia Pacific Quest, to encompass countries not just in the Asian and Oceania region, but those of North, Central and South America with borders touching the Pacific Ocean. The pageant took its present form in 2005, when the name was changed to Miss Asia Pacific International, to include countries all over the world.
The 37th Miss Asia Pacific International beauty contest was not held in 2008. Due to the lack of sponsors, participants, and popularity, Miss Asia Pacific International will most likely to be postponed to an unknown date and year.
The organizers of Miss Asia Pacific International clarified that they are not connected with the newly formed beauty pageant that is going to be held in Korea (Miss Asia Pacific World)
The Miss Asia Pacific International beauty contest organizers are planning to revive the beauty contest after so many years. They will later announce the time, date and venue in coming months or years. They are now renovating the oldest pageant in the Asia since 1965
Riyo Mori – Japanese Beauty Queen
Mori was crowned Miss Universe on May 28, 2007, by the outgoing titleholder Zuleyka Rivera. As Japan’s representative in the Miss Universe 2007 pageant, Mori travelled to Mexico City, Mexico in early May to participate in four weeks of events, rehearsals and preliminary competitions with the other seventy-seven delegates.
In the final competition, broadcast internationally on May 28, 2007, Mori was announced as one of fifteen semi-finalists who would move forward to compete for the title. She achieved the highest score in the swimsuit competition, which advanced her to the top ten and the evening gown competition, in which she placed fourth. Mori’s kimono-inspired black/floral evening gown of choice came from the Spring/Summer 2007 collection of Gucci. Riyo Mori, in Mexico City
In the last round, Mori was asked by Elle magazine fashion director and Project Runway judge Nina Garcia to speak about the one lesson she learned as a child that still affects her life. Mori said that since childhood she has been dancing and hence she was constantly surrounded by students and teachers. Due to the interactions with them, she has learned to become always happy, patient, and positive in her life. She also expressed a desire to teach these principles to the next generation. At the conclusion of the competition, she was crowned Miss Universe, becoming the second woman from Japan to hold the title. The first Miss Universe winner from Japan was Akiko Kojima in 1959. Mori is the eleventh Asian woman to win the pageant, the most recent being Lara Dutta of India who was Miss Universe 2000.
Mori was the third Japanese woman to place in the top five at Miss Universe in the past decade. Miyako Miyazaki placed fourth runner-up at Miss Universe 2003, and Mori’s predecessor Kurara Chibana was first runner-up in 2006. Mori aims to use her success and popularity as a springboard into humanitarian causes. “I think I have a samurai soul, I’m very patient, and I can serve others.”
As of December 2007, Mori has traveled to Indonesia, Spain, the Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis, China, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Vietnam, France, Monaco, San Marino, Russia and Italy in addition to numerous trips and her homecoming in Japan. She also visited numerous cities in the USA. Mori crowned her successor, Venezuela native Dayana Mendoza with a $120,000-USD tiara, Miss Universe 2008 on July 14, 2008 in Nha Trang, Vietnam.
