WoW (Words of Wisdom) Riyo!

I was captivated by Miss Universe 2007 Riyo Mori when she did her farewell walk prior coronation of Venezuelan beauty Dayana Mendoza who eventually succeeded Mori. Personally, I find this part of such shows interesting because I get to know and see what the outgoing winners have become during their reign; had they improved or do they look like they really need replacement already.

Several interesting things with Riyo I think are first, her beauty is remarkable but still realistic and not tiring. Many just seem too beautiful that looking at them is tantamount to looking at a mannequin hence the feeling is devoid of a sense of life. Riyo is among the Misses Universe who looks human. Also, Riyo is the second Japanese miss to win the crown after more than 2 decades which is really impressive considering that until the few recent years seldom do slit-eyed Asians get a chance to get into the top 10 since they tend to be deviant from the norms. For instance, often their representatives tend to wear something that is far from being an evening gown for the gown competition.

Now, speaking of deviance, Riyo chose to wear a ladies’ tux in her final walk instead of a flowing dress many anticipated. She’s the first I know to do that and I give that personal statement two thumbs up. For me it’s a very charming way of asserting her identity and the ideal representation of how far had today’s women claimed social recognition through their perseverance and intelligence. They’ve broken the bounds of inferiority which the society had defined for them because there isn’t really a need for competition between the sexes. A few also reproved Riyo’s not wearing the crown while making her walk but I guess that was because first, a crown and tux doesn’t look right together although she wore the crown with a long dress in the early part of the show. Second, this year’s crown is not from the Mikimoto tiara Mori won last year so maybe the transition would not be exemplified if past year’s queen fastens a different crown to her successor. Lastly, my search in YouTube for replays revealed that Mori isn’t the only miss to walk without the crown; 2003 winner Amelia Vega of Dominican Republic was likewise guilty.

Still, most important was Mori’s message which thankfully was not confined to the typical thank-you-miss-universe-and-everybody-else and to-my-successor-well-wishes. Next to Natalie Glebova’s in 2006 that tells about making a difference, Riyo’s is a favorite:

Finally to all the young people of the world, if I could do it, so can you. Never give up on your dreams, always look ahead. Be patient, positive and happy.