In the second release of our trilogy of beauty covers, iconic beauty queen Kavita Sidhu and reigning Miss Universe Malaysia 2024 Sandra Lim advocate learning and leadership, inspiring girls to find strength, purpose and resilience through empowered platforms like beauty pageants.
When I was planning to shoot six beauty queens on the cover, I thought to myself — “it’s gonna be hard to get Kavita.” Funny enough, she was the first one to say yes.
Humility comes a long way, and in many forms — one of them is Kavita. She reminds us that humility takes you far and being humble is the first act for anyone who’s embarking on a journey into pageantry, modelling and even in the entertainment business.
“Having humility in all that we do in life is crucial for lasting respect and longevity especially in our line of work and for the younger generation of beauty pageant winners and those aspiring to be one,” strikes Kavita.
The 5’10” figure sits gracefully on a barstool, getting her makeup done by the legendary Sheng Saw. In the mirror, from Kavita’s vantage point, is Sandra’s reflection with a big smile and keen eyes, eager to get to know everyone in the studio. She maintains a relaxed look, tall and modelesque posture — so poised and graceful — as she clasps both her hands together along the waistline.
I sense a hint of nerves, but she remains effortlessly calm. Perhaps her martial arts background has given her ‘thicker skin’, the kind of resilience that allows her to control her emotions in various situations. Bright-eyed, her stoic expression melts into a smiley face as I reached out to say hello.
“It’s such an honour to be shooting with Kavita and the other queens today!” Sandra cannot contain her excitement in the presence of former pageant winners like Elaine Daly and Francisca Luhong James. As the newest ‘member’ in the sorority, Sandra considers herself a ‘baby’ with an open mind.
“I think for all the previous queens that have set the bar so high, they have shown me how to make a stand in society and have a place there, have a voice and really be out there to create. And I think that’s the kind of energy I want to bring for myself this time as well,” says the newly crowned Miss Universe Malaysia 2024. “Even though I’m young, I learned so much through them, all the inspiring women before me. I feel like they set the example for me to follow, to be out there and be the catalyst to start and make something happen… to create a movement, create a voice, and speak out for something that’s very important in our society now.”
Then and Now
Pageant didn’t exist in social media until the early 2000s. It didn’t breathe and live through the ebbs and flows of the digital platforms, not until recent times. The world of pageantry peaked with the introduction of livestreams, but in today’s day and age, it seemed to have lost its global audience and illustrious charm. It has somewhat fallen into a “niche” category.
What is it that keeps pageantry alive? Sustainability of the art form continues to struggle as the new generation moves on to other things — perhaps more important ones, like living. As for algorithms and social media trends, it comes and goes — and that is what pageantry is going through.
The queen’s charm ends after the live stream — maybe a few weeks on Google’s trending news. Thereafter, it gets buried in the pits of cookies and caches. The question remains — how do queens stay relevant? To pivot and to diversify their trajectory beyond the stage.
“Like it or not, social media is equal parts good and bad,” quips Kavita. “Because of social media, we’ve seen a new generation of audience accepting people from different nationalities and races, understanding and appreciating beauty of all kinds. The generation has really broken barriers. That’s a big thing compared to before.”
Sandra adds that social media presence shows how much of a progressive organisation Malaysia is, as an organisation who listens to the opinions of the people. “I feel like us at Miss Universe Malaysia are not just doing ‘us’ – we also represent Malaysia. When we represent the country, we also represent the opinions of the people. And I think social media connects us (queens) with the people,” says the mass communication graduate.
The young queen finds time to connect with her followers through livestreams on social media. These initiatives allow her to engage and listen to what the pageant community has to say. It gradually becomes a lot more personal but through this, she finds her own voice. But above all she aspires to unite Malaysians together, as one voice.
Kavita concurs with Sandra on one of her posts on social media. “Internationally, they want to see that your country is backing you. Malaysia has got fantastic beauty pageant fans and followers, and they are so supportive. Be that growing community, and you know, we are all for our girl!”
Leading by Example
I have a spiritual awakening when Kavita goes on set. Her lips, vivid in Make Over’s Powerstay Glazed Lock Lip Pigment in Shade Skye Glaze, quiver and eyes smize as she switches from one pose to another. It is like watching a magical moment taking place. Goosebumps tingle through the skin, almost teary-eyed. It doesn’t happen often but girl, this queen delivers shots that whatchamacallit… in Alpha-terms, ate!
And Sandra fangirling behind the photographer is something you’d call pure joy. If there is a higher cloud than cloud nine, she’s definitely up there.
“I respect and adore her so much,” Sandra shrieking, with ants in her pants.
Kavita Sidhu radiates a charismatic charm. The Miss Charm International 1990 winner has established herself as an enduring public figure since her reign and is still active in the fashion and entertainment industry some three decades later. I still remember seeing her on the TV screen when she played Vina in Mimpi Moon.
It is hard to chew the fact that it has been over 20 years since I first became a fan of Kavita. (Yes, I too, was ‘fanboying’!)
“It really shows when you’re charismatic and magnetic,” chimes Sandra, still fangirling. “You just meet them once, and you would know why she’s a winner.”
Sandra believes that a beauty queen is more than just a pretty face. It is the aura that will take you places. It’s also quite a full circle to know that Kavita was the judge for Miss Universe Malaysia 2024, the night Sandra won.
It doesn’t take long for Kavita to add. “She has got an incredible attitude… really, really good sort of attitude.”
“You can see she’s determined, and she’ll do whatever it takes to be able to represent our country and work as hard as she can. There’s an X factor… it’s something that is intangible,” Kavita continues, advocating the importance of having a mentor when it comes to training and experience. She has also announced her plans to organise masterclasses on grooming, modelling and personal development on her Instagram account recently, inspiring young girls through her decades of experience in the industry.
Keep Going On
“When you take part in beauty pageants or become a model, you need to have a plan,” Kavita asserts. “This business is the business of beauty and entertainment. As a beauty pageant contestant or winner, the stage is a stepping stone for you to learn about the business and get the visibility from people. And then it is how you can constantly improve yourself.”
Having been in the business for more than three decades, Kavita highlights the importance to keep improving and broadening your skillsets and opportunities. For beauty queens, use the title that you get as a solid stepping stone – then keep taking the next steps.
Planning ahead, Kavita understands that everyone goes through all kinds of challenges and setbacks in life. With a strong and resilient mindset, she believes a positive attitude and the openness to learn are pivotal to remain in this industry.
“I’ve seen many taken their losses or opportunities that didn’t come their way to heart,” she confides. “And then they just given up. It’s a learning curve, and it’s hard because this particular industry is very hard on girls and their self-esteem.”
Throwing in social media into the equation, the pageant world can be rather brutal and unforgiving. The way these girls are being judged based on different opinions and somewhat unrealistic beauty standards poses more harm than good. Sandra chimes: “When there are so many opinions, you lose focus on what you actually want to present. You forget who you are and start asking questions about yourself.”
Her formative days in martial arts and sport have definitely brought a lot of positives to the way she carry herself today as the reigning Miss Universe Malaysia. She finds herself grounded and staying true to herself. “I know what I want to show and the message I want to bring. It’s good to listen to opinions but you have to know when and where to block out the negative ones. Especially right before the competition, you have to be laser-focused on what you want to achieve rather than the comments itself,” offers Sandra.
Hungry for Purpose
Putting yourself into pageantry sometimes goes beyond thinking that you’re beautiful. Some girls find purpose, and some simply wants to better their confidence. For the former wushu athlete, pageant has helped her understand herself better and how she wants to present herself to the world.
Sandra exclaims: “You have to have a ‘cause’ (when you take part in a pageant), and have a message that you want to talk about. What is your true purpose? What do you want to share with the people? What do you want to use this platform for? So it puts me in the zone where I have to self-reflect and learn more about myself. You have to dig deep. And with time, it helps me find my purpose.”
Kavita believes that pageant is a stepping stone. It has proven itself as life-changing and a positive beacon to many past queens like herself – she’s the living testament, being the first-ever Malaysian to have won an international beauty pageant title.
“I think you can get a lot out of pageant as a platform to start your career. And it may not be just about the entertainment industry. There are always mentors around to help girls achieve what they want to achieve in all fields,” says Kavita.
“The past winners have inspired many girls tremendously. People have seen them move forward in their lives and their career by using pageant as a platform,” she adds, beckoning the likes of Priyanka Chopra and Michelle Yeoh, who are both acclaimed award-winning actors and influential philanthropists.
“These girls… all of them are role models. They’re role models for the younger generation because it’s not just about beauty. It’s the good that they do. Priyanka Chopra is an UN ambassador, and Michelle Yeoh… she has done so much!” she ascertains. “You’ve got so many of the other girls doing similar things and making a difference in the world. And I hope younger girls can see that this is a path that they can take for their future.”
Pageant and Beyond
However, there is still an underlying stigma that looms with the world of pageant. In many cases, if someone expresses to take part in a beauty contest, the immediate response would be “why?” It’s that notion that sings like a certain Cyndi Lauper song – they just want to have fun, try something new or want to be famous.
Kavita offers a piece of advice: “If you want to convince, for instance, your family or your parents, make them understand that it’s a platform that is very visible and it stands for the right values. This is what these girls have done and achieved in their lives, therefore, I can do it too.”
“Pageantry has taught me the meaning of ‘giving back’,” Sandra opens. “Miss Universe Malaysia wasn’t my first pageant. I came back because I still felt unfulfilled and I knew I wanted to find purpose and meaning to what I do. So I feel being in Miss Universe Malaysia allows me to do exactly that – to give back to our community.”
On that note, the 20-year-old beams up. She sets her focus on engaging with the youths and lead by example – to motivate them to go out there and do something for the society, not just for their own career or wellbeing.
She recalls: “I’m very lucky that my parents got me involved in community work and going to old folks’ home, but I never saw the ‘purpose’. I just joined as a kid, you know, just being naïve and young.” Sandra continues with stories of the darker days of her life, battling daily struggles and mental health – not knowing what to do.
A random encounter with a stranger changed her life completely.
“I remembered someone told me to pursue sports. I went for it, and starting winning medals nationally and internationally. It propelled me in life… gave me a goal and purpose. And it all happened because someone came up to me with some words of encouragement,” she tells. “They had no reason to do that, but they did. So that’s what I want to do with pageantry – it gives me a platform to do that for someone else.”
It leaves me wondering — how words can be such a powerful influence.
Sandra reminisces her teenage self, feeling absolutely lost after a major setback from an injury. “It is really important to grab every opportunity to really push yourself, step out of your comfort zone, and try something new. Learn as you grow, and take every challenges as opportunities for growth.”
Pondering, Kavita draws a deep breath. Her grounded demeanour becomes more evident. Her words of wisdom? – to embrace who you are.
“Fame is fleeting, and real growth comes from hard work, self-awareness, and empathy. Use your platforms for positive change, building lasting connections that makes a difference in the lives of others. Lastly, be kind and authentic no matter what your achievements.”
