Nifty life lessons from a Singapore beauty queen for aspiring models and influencers

Stay positive and have fun

1/5

“Whenever I go for auditions or castings, I remind myself that it’s for the fun of it and I don’t expect anything, so if something good comes out of it, I’ll be surprised. If not, I take it as a positive learning experience. There are more important takeaways than winning, like the people you meet and the skills you cultivate. It’s very easy to get sidetracked or distracted when things are buzzing around you, especially backstage when the girls start agonizing over their slip-ups, you might start worrying too. I always remind myself to stay strong and focused.”

Photography: Winston Chuang/ Art direction: Alice Chua/ Styling: Josiah Chua/ Hair: Kenneth Ong/ Makeup: Alex T/ Dress & accessories: Bimba Y Lola

Take things in your stride

2/5

“The judges interact with us backstage and during hair and makeup sessions to assess our personality, which is a key component of the New Face competition. They’ll observe how you react when the makeup artist and hairstylist is doing your face and hair. Even if you don’t like what they put on you, you just do your best to work the look.”

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Support the competition

3/5

“One of my goals when I join pageants is to meet like-minded people I can work with in the future; I reckon I’ve made a few enduring friendships. If one of the girls asked me to watch them walk and give them advice on how to improve, I would help them by saying things like, ‘okay, walk here or sway your arms a bit more’. The only way to improve is to get feedback.”  



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Be politically savvy

4/5

“I came from an all-girls school so gossip is something I’m used to. People talk, and if they say something in a malicious way, take it with a pinch of salt. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion and it’s up to you to discern whether it’s true or not. I don’t like contributing to this sort of thing, but when it happens, I would usually change the subject and go, “Okay, let’s eat!”

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Be prepared to improvise

5/5

“On finale night, we had three sequences to remember, which also meant three outfit changes and I tried to do a different walk for each. I was the one opening the show and I didn’t want to mess things up. As we didn’t rehearse with the dancers, I collided with one of them but quickly grabbed onto her as if pulling her into a hug. It turned out fine as we both reacted quickly. Being able to react to situations is crucial during photo shoots and saves time. Of course, it helps to know your angles and all but there are some things you can’t prepare for, such as lighting conditions. For shoots, it’s not just about looking good, you’ve to sell the product and brand as well.”

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A version of this article was first published in the February 2017 issue of Her World magazine.