Miss Palestine: A different kind of pageant
DON’T EXPECT TO SEE these girls strutting around in bikinis and making vapid wishes for world peace. This is not the typical “Miss …” competition we’re so used to seeing.
Words By Susana Mendoza.
Miss Lilac, also dubbed the Miss Palestine contest, is organized by the Palestinian women’s magazine Lilac, which is circulated in the Occupied Territories, Jordan, Israel, Paris and London. The 12 participants are all Palestinian women who live in the West Bank or Israel.
They applied by submitting letters and photographs to the magazine, but rather than being expected to boast perfect manicures, they are chosen on the basis of being ambitious, cultured and intelligent.
“It’s not so much about beauty, but character,” said Varia Mashour, the pageant organizer and co-founder of Lilac. “We expect these twelve finalists to be strong and intelligent young women.”
On November 5, the participants arrived in Amman for a gala celebration hosted by Stars Café and featuring performances by local pop stars Tony Qattan and Rania Kurdi, along with Grace Deeb from Lebanon. The event was an opportunity for the young women, many of whom had never left their home towns before, to be at the center of the flash bulbs and TV lights, and to meet some of their icons.
“We want them to feel good with themselves, to feel the attention and live something so different to what they’re used to,” Mashour said.
Backstage, the second phase of the competition took place, as the girls were interviewed by a panel of judges made up of the singers and radio host Mazen Diab. The third and final stage of the contest will take place on December 21 in Nazareth, where the contest organizers will judge which pageant hopeful will be crowned Miss Lilac. The award comes with a year’s salary and a scholarship.
Eighteen-year-old hopeful Lubna Jumma said the competition was an incredible chance to pursue her dream of studying special education.
“I know I’m not beautiful,” she offered modestly, before adding that she likes the competition “because it doesn’t measure physical qualities, but the personality, and I am a very strong and determined girl.”
Hanadi Sharif, 20, is convinced she has the charm to win the contest.
“I decided to try because I think I’m bold, pure-hearted and smart,” she said. “Now I work in a supermarket, but I want to study English. I’m living in Kfar Yassin, under Israeli occupation, and if I win I’ll try my best to make the Arab-Israeli woman noticed in Israel.”
When asked what she likes most about Jordan, Sharif said it’s that “everything’s in Arabic and not in Hebrew!”
And in an inadvertent nod to the theme of inner beauty, some technical difficulties arose which meant a segment of the pageant had to be conducted in the dark (much to the joy of some of the audience, who clapped and took out lighters). Still, the girls said they were sorry it had to end.
“Whether they win or not, they will never forget this experience,” Mashour said. “We’ll keep organizing this contest every year for all the Palestinian girls everywhere because it’s worth it, even if it’s just to see how much fun they’re having.”
