WILL someone from the land of Sophia Loren, Monica Vitti, Claudia Cardinale, Anna Magnani, Gina Lollobrigida, Silvana Mangano and Monica Bellucci—some of the most beautiful women ever—finally win the most coveted title in pageantry?
Apparently, Italians—or Misses Italy—don’t do it better when it comes to winning Miss Universe. Two of its most unforgettable representatives—1960’s Daniela Bianchi (who later became the Bond Girl Tatiana Romanova in From Russia With Love) and 1987’s Roberta Capua—unfortunately finished as first runners-up. And when the Philippines hosted the pageant in 1994, it was Arianna David who gave the most impactful performance in the evening-gown competition.
For the delayed 2022 edition, two women of Italian descent are considered strong bets to win the crown. Virginia Stablum, raised in Trento, is the current Miss Italy, and is of an exquisite mix of African/German and Italian. Our own Silvia Celeste Rabimbi Cortesi, raised in Parma (via Pasay), is also a breathtaking biracial belladonna. She is on track to winning our fifth title.
Incidentally, Olivia Culpo, who won Miss Universe 2012 as Miss USA, is of Italian (with Irish) ancestry. She is set to co-host the pageant with our Catriona Gray, the 2018 winner, as backstage correspondent. I think they should switch roles if the coronation night on January 14 in New Orleans is to be a high-energy event.
Crossovers and first-timers
THE best chances of winning Miss Universe still rest on the countries which prepare their delegates the most diligently. This will be on full display on preliminary night and the national costume show on January 11, which can be seen hereabouts on YouTube and the Lazada app. The finals can be viewed on ABS-CBN on Sunday, January 15, at 9 am. But, this being Miss Universe, expect some exciting surprises ahead.
Celeste has previously raised the flag for the Philippines at Miss Earth 2018, placing in the Top 8 along with the pretty Miss Portugal Telma Madeira. Other contenders with international pageant experience are Guatemala’s Ivana Batchelor (Grand 2020 Second Runner-up), Mauritius’s Alexandrine Belle-Etoile (Supranational 2022 Top 12), Angola’s Swelia Antonio (Supra 2021 Top 12), Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau (Supra 2019 Top 10), Paraguay’s Lia Ashmore (Grand 2017 Top 20), Panama’s Solaris Barba (World 2018 Top 12), and Trinidad & Tobago’s Tya Jane Ramey (World 2019 Top 40).
Angola was the last country to win for the first time, in 2011. It would be so exciting if another first-timer would achieve such a feat. Up to this daunting task, what with the powerhouses sending strong reps, are Aruba’s Kiara Arends, the beautiful Miss Bahrain Evlin Khalifa, the captivating Miss Curacao Gabriëla dos Santos, the mannequin Miss Ukraine Viktoriia Apanasenko, the Fadil Berisha favorite Miss Honduras Rebeca Rodríguez, Miss Cambodia Manita Hang, and the bombshell Miss Iceland Hrafnhildur Haraldsdóttir.
Bhutan makes its debut with the fashion model Tashi Choden Chombal. Openly LGBT in a conservative country, the activist wrote when she came out in 2021: “My loves, Don’t wait until you reach your goal to be proud of yourself. Be proud of all the steps you are taking to self realization and self liberation. Be unapologetic. Be you. Be strong. Feel beautiful. I hope you know how amazingly beautiful you are. And that you know you deserve every ounce of happiness in this world.”
Pinoy pageant power
Celeste’s Miss Universe campaign is greatly aided by an army of Filipino creatives: MUPh creative director Jonas Gaffud; and Val Taguba, who will design her evening gown; stylist Perry Tabora; and The Camp, her pageant trainers.
Miss Thailand Anna Sueangam-iam is being trained by RL’s Angels, the pageant coach behind Binibining Pilipinas InterContinental Gabrielle Basiano. Miss Spain Alicia Faubel worked as a model in the Philippines for several years and considers herself an honorary Filipina. She will reportedly wear a Leo Almodal creation. Meanwhile, Jojo Bragais is the official footwear provider.
Bahrain’s national costume was created by Furne One of Amato Couture. Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel’s national costume was also made by another Pinoy, Patrick Isorena. Mauritius was seen wearing a Boogie Musni Rivera dress, while Miss Seychelles Gabriella Gonthier is a Carl Andrada muse. But they all need to watch out for Italy in the style department. Virginia is the most fashionable candidate around, with “Made in Italy” a huge part in her campaign. In her OOTDs, she has worn MaxMara, Miu Miu, Numero Otto, and Stile de Virgilio. On prelims and finals nights, she is set to wear Roberto Cavalli by Fausto Puglisi.
Powerhouses are still powerhouses
OUR Celeste, owing to the exceptional performances of the Pinay queens since 2010, is a natural front-runner and favorite. Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel, who is half-Pinay, has home-court backing. Miss Colombia María Fernanda Aristizábal is another Girl to Beat.
Venezuela’s Amanda Dudamel, an accomplished fashion entrepreneur, is a phenomenal contender. As is Dominican Republic’s Andreína Martínez, a City College of New York summa cum laude graduate in psychology and Latin American studies. Puerto Rico, as always, sends a stunning threat in Ashley Cariño.
The most closely watched, however, is Miss Thailand Anna Sueangam-iam. Now that the pageant is owned by Thai trans billionaire Anne Jakrajutatip of JKN Global Group, Anna is seen as having an undue advantage.
But Anne has since quelled this speculation. She wrote on her Instagram: “This is the number ONE Beauty Olympic and it is tremendously renowned for its fundamental feminism’s achievement. In the future, when you connect the dots of why you have to be here on the stage [with] more than one billion people watching, you will come full circle that ‘you’re meant to be’ because of your belief, integrity and determination. No matter who will be the next Universe Queen, each and everyone of you is already the winner to me!” n