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31/08/2019
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heyadamgenato Uncategorized August 31, 2019 5 Minutes
Just as I was winding down from my group interviews with the contestants of Mr World at the Vino de Sabor bar located in Novotel Araneta Hotel two weeks ago, there appeared to be a confusion. Mr. Arnold Vegafria, national director of Miss World Philippines, suddenly came up to me that I, along with my fellow pageant bloggers, would be interviewing Julia Morley and her queens at the function room by the poolside of the same building located at the sixth floor.
So I took the elevator going up. A staff member of Sir Arnold ushered me in the room as I looked around and whispered, “I am here to interview…Julia Morley.” As I went inside, I saw Julia with Vanessa Ponce (reigning Miss World) and Stephanie Del Valle (Miss World 2016) comfortably seating in a sofa, looking at everyone of us setting up our camera equipment for the interview. A passerby from outside looked around and called my attention. “Oh, my God,” he enunciated quietly. “You just made me so excited. She’s like the most beautiful woman…” he stuttered. “….woman…woman of a certain age.”
In just two minutes, the mere mention of Madame Julia Morley, the 80-year-old chairwoman of Miss World Organization has reduced this man to mush.
Of course, anyone who writes about Morley speaks of her charm and charity giving. For a woman who has championed her groundbreaking “Beauty With A Purpose” program around the world, she possesses the unique quality of appearing royal in her simplicity. I have seen her come and visit our country for three consecutive years and so always looks surprisingly conservative, in a simple white blouse and printed pants. But then her wisdom and candor pull you in as she started fielding questions from us.
Not only in her career but also in life, the woman’s got range. She is the blueprint for every Aishwarya Rai, Vanessa Ponce and Megan Young she crowned, proving that you can be natural yet respected by so many opposing groups if you stay wholly true to yourself.
In recent years, the term “advocacy” has been so maddeningly overused that it often fails to mean anything anymore. But Morley has earned her reputation for her pioneering “Beauty With A Purpose” advocacy which helps her empowered queens to use their clout and reach to make real and lasting impact to the lives of underprivileged communities around the world. Only eight countries participated in her inaugural year as head of her pageant’s division back in 1972 but look how it has involved more than 100 countries over the years. She’s that rare VIP at her age who still globe-trots to raise money for her charities and hang with Chief Mandla Mandela and the freaking Prince Charles the next. It’s not that she transforms the lowbrow into high brow – she just makes it her own. She is one of a kind.
She could have just opted for retirement because of her old age but she still continues to trail blaze in coming up with fresh and modern ways in making her pageant current and relevant. For Morley, ever since taking over the MWO helm from her late husband in Year 2000, she has never wanted her show’s following to just classify it as a typical beauty pageant. She wants everyone to know that her show has a higher purpose. “I want Miss World to be a place where girls will feel comfortable participating. Whether it’s through fashion, fitness or charity giving, I want people to relate with it easily.”
And she could have never found a better venue in our country for the recently-concluded Mr. World hosting duties.”The Philippines has got so much for it. I think we are good for in being to promote the people of the Philippines which I think is a good thing for tourists how wonderful your country is,” she said to which both Ponce and Del Valle agreed.
Sexiness, however, is confidence in Morley’s book. If you watch the shows and the queens she install, everything is rooted in simplicity and confidence -a glint in one eyes. More than the eye-popping ball gowns and motherhood “world peace” blanket statements, Morley bats for purpose among her contestants in the show. “The (charity) projects these ladies have embarked on have given them a new impression on life and the future. Now, they are not looking inwards, they are looking outwards,” she added.
That said, Morley has really defined the concept of beauty. She would like people to know that women joining her contest should go beyond what is mesmerizing and attractive physically. Their sense of purpose has to take over the pre-conceived images of people in amazing make up and outfits.
Yet she’d never shame anyone for getting a nip or needle trick, or transgenders expressing interest in joining her contest in the near future. “Anyone should be able to do what they want. I don’t want anyone to feel bad or miserable for the way they choose to look good. It’s up to them. It’s not my business anymore. As for (transgenders)…we do not discourage them from joining….I don’t care how many John Does will join the contest as we look at what their passport and documents say,” she revealed.
Morley clearly knows what she wants for her pageant and she is very unapologetic about it. And this is what she really prefers media interviewers would ask her instead of her personal life. One thing admirable about Morley is she has always remained low key. She has never used her pageant as a platform to to promote herself or her personal agenda. If she could have the superpower to be invisible, she may have done it so as not to take away the attention from her contestants. Unlike most pageant owners, she doesn’t like the attention or glamour attached with it. She just wants her philanthropy message conveyed out loud in the public. No more, no less.
She admits she stumbles over social media around aging as well. “I am not into social media. I don’t have Whatsapp or whats-doing-who- I hate it. I do not want to know I don’t care. I’d rather have someone call me and tell me they are getting married or they ‘re having a baby or if they screwed up,” she chuckled.
This is why, for me, the truly ageless quality Morley possesses is her heart of gold. The 80-year-old mogul has made it her mission to help as many people as she can all over the world, not by donating to various charities, but also by establishing her foundations and creating programs to help underserved communities. Let’s be honest, we could all learn a few things from her.
Still, she’s over the moon to witness the breakthroughs with her feet planted firmly on the ground, should the Miss World pageant take place in Manila someday. “ If ever that comes into fruition, I want it to be bigger than all of us, something wherein Tuloy Foundation, Smokey Mountain and all the hospital banks and various charity institutions will benefit from it.”
And then Julia Morley at her absolute Julia Morley-est: ” I’d like the Philippines to be ready for us. We have always been ready for you. So it’s really up to you!”
Photos taken by : Andy Cayna
With some excerpts taken from Prestige Online Singapore article
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