Moved Next Door

Hi All! Now that the Miss Asia Project is over. Please continue following my adventures on my new work blog: Made(up)in NY.

Beauty Queened

Just as I predicted, Konnie and I dissolved into a ball of tears just as they crowned Jennifer, Nichole and Roxanne. And then Konnie and I went home to my humble flat, packed, and were immediately whisked off to San Francisco to do it all over again.

I am just now sorta recovering.

For those who were not privy, as a final twist to the competition, the East Coast girls were required to submit one question each for the Q&A segment, and draw from the pool of questions by their pageant mates.

After a month of intense training with my East Coast ladies, it occurred to me that, while I had the opportunity to learn daily about them, they really never got to know me at all. So, after all that I put my girls through, it is only fair that as a closing letter, I should answer all their questions.

Dear Ladies,

Thank you for your questions:

Contestant 1 Angel Pai:
If you could describe yourself as an article of clothing, what would you be and why?

Angel, I would be something leather and studded. Because I am not only a lady, I am also a rock star.

Contestant 2 Becky Liu:
Who is your greatest inspiration and why?

Becky, this question is too hard. I look around every day and it amazes me how despite hardship, despite injustice, and despite inequality, the world still goes round. And it continues because people just drive it. Next.

Contestant 3 Anni Liang:
If you placed 1st princess in this pageant, who do you think will be crowned queen and why?

Anni, Konnie would have to be Queen, for obvious reasons.

Contestant 4 Jia Yan:
What do you see as the difference between confidence and conceit?

Jia, a confident person places themselves on the same plane as others and accepts and engages others as equal, a conceited person places themselves above others and interacts with others as if they are beneath them.

Contestant 5 Joanna Fu:
What is one physical feature you would change about yourself and why?

Joanna, I can’t lie; I have always wanted to be taller. Thank you universe for providing me with 4 inch heels.

Contestant 6 Julia Sun:
What is your proudest accomplishment and why?

Juila, I did make it through both Miss Asia pageants.

Contestant 7 Katie Guo:
What is one quality about yourself you would like to improve and why?

Katie, sometimes I ruminate over things and it stops me from moving forward. I’d like to be more efficient in certain situations.

Contestant 8 Yaris Ng:
What person in your life has had the greatest influence on your personal growth and how?

Yaris, I am blessed with many amazing people in my life, but I will have to pick my younger sister. She is the key enabler in my life and it’s safe to say I would not be where I am, doing what I do, or be who I am with out her.

Contestant 9 Jennifer Lee:
What makes you happy?

Jennifer, I’m pretty simple. A sunny day on the beach, dandelions, a job well done, karaoke, good people, ice cream floats…pick one.

Contestant 10 Roxanne Cheung:
What do you think defines a true Asian American?

Roxanne, at this point in history: some one who embraces their Asian American-ness and understands that they have an opportunity to take part in the story of creation of what it can mean to be Asian American.

Contestant 11 Nichole Tong:
What is your definition of beauty?

Nichole, beauty is a force touches all that come in contact with it, whether it be simple appreciation on a superficial level or something that resonates on a much deeper level.

Contestant 12 Carmen Hui:
What is the most important quality you look for in a mate and why?

Carmen, I am a horrible person to ask about mates. One day, you will be my age and if you are anything like me, you will understand.

Contestant 13 Judy Yu:
What quality do you have over the other girls that will help you win this contest?

Judy, I think that being a pageant director gives me the ultimate advantage.

Contestant 14 Victoria Xian:
What is the distance between what you want in life and what you have?

Victoria, Zero. I’ve learned that to want is to suffer and what you believe want is not necessarily what will make you happy. It’s not worth suffering to find out. I think I've said this before.

Contestant 15 Tina Wu:
If you were Miss Asia and were to teach a class, what would you teach?

Tina, Charm, of course. *Big toothy smile*

XOXO, Alice

My Little Secret

I don't have any children, but now I have my pageant girls.

I think about them all the time, for example, today my friend Rain and I were having a conversation (slightly edited):

Rain: How are you by the way? Missing anything? Satisfied?

Me(in proper beauty queen format): Thank you for that question Rain. I would say I am pretty satisfied right now, because as I have grown older I've come to realize that what you think you want will not necessarily make you happy and it's the perception of missing something that truly drives discontent. Thank you. Once again, I'm Alice, your contestant number zero.

They've permeated every hour of my day, dictating when I eat and sleep. I stayed up last night worrying if they'd submit their bios on time for the M-Weekly Miss Asia Special Edition and today, I missed out on many of my favorite foods at the dim sum press conference because I was watching them, coaching them through the junket. If you know me at all, food is serious business.

Every night Konnie (my assistant image director and partner in crime)pour over the day's work, making notes to ourselves about how much the girls have done. I'm a little bit the bad cop, ready to tell all the girls where they need to improve, but Konnie always reminds me of how much they have grown and learned in the few short hours we have with them every day.

Even though I am a fashion and beauty girl, having worked in this industry for a good solid ten years, I am not an everyday makeup girl. I am not an every day 4" heels to go to the deli girl. I am not even an everyday brush my hair girl. But for my ladies, I get up every morning and put on makeup and brush my hair. I've opened my vast archive of dresses and put my ridiculous collection of heels to work. I know I need to walk the walk and talk the talk if I want to turn out international pageant winners.

And I know, when they crown Miss Asia East Coast, my very first baby queen, I will be in the wings bawling into Konnie's shoulder.

Come see my girls: http://www.sundayusa.us/missasia/info.html

A Word From Our Sponsor...

One of the goals of the Miss Asia Pageant US regional competition is to turn out women who will become great role models in the AA community. Susan Yee, the founder of Zhen Beauty, our makeup sponsor, is a great example of an Asian American role model who also happens to be a woman, so I asked my New York girls to each come up with a question to ask Susan and then narrowed it down to the best eight for good luck:

Julia Sun, contestant #6
I always admire people like you, Vera Wang and Andrea Jung to name a few, who are both creative and business savvy. What do you believe is the most important quality to be successful to such degree?

Hi Julia, I think the most important quality is tenacity. You have to be able to get through the good times and the bad times. And believe me there are more bad than good when starting a business.You have to pick yourself up and keep on going. And remember it is a business. Don't take things personally.

Joanna Fu, contestant #5
If you experienced any discrimination, did you feel that you encountered more difficulties in starting Zhen Cosmetics because you are a woman entrepreneur, or because you are an Asian American?

Hi Joanna, I have been very fortunate as I did not feel any discrimination at all when I started my business!

Tina Wu, contestant #15
Can you re-live for us the moment, and describe what it felt like to be the first American cosmetic company targeting the Asian ethnic group?

Hi Tina, I was sitting in my kitchen when the phone rang. I will never forget that feeling when I got a call from WWD (Woman's Wear Daily, the industry Bible)) because they wanted to do an interview on my company. That was when I knew I had done it! The industry was taking my little cosmetics company seriously

Roxanne Cheung, contestant #10
How did Zhen prepare itself to compete with the existing make-up companies that are imported from Asia?

Hi Roxanne, We continued to keep our focus on our core customer and the quality of products we provide. Making sure we provided our customers with the products they want and need.

Jia Yan, contestant #4
Today, there are many well-known make up brands in the market which have expanded to provide a variety products that cover diverse skin colors and tones. What challenges, if any, did Zhen cosmetic products face as these products began to emerge?

Hi Jia, Being one of the first in the market place has helped us to keep our edge.We have been fortunate that we have great word of mouth among our customers. We continue to listen to our customers and what they want.

Alice An, Image Director
In light of this shift in the cosmetics market how has Zhen positioned itself to stay at the forefront of ethnically targeted makeup brands?

Hi Alice, We have continued to try to stay involved with local community events and sponsor as many events as possible.Keeping involved with the Asian community has been our best defense.

Jennifer Lee, contestant #9
What advice would you give to someone who is interested in opening up a spa/beauty salon and possibly starting their own makeup line someday?

Hi Jennifer. Don't do it. Seriously I would advise them to have a business plan and really research the market. In this day and age of competition you must also have deep pockets and a thick skin. It is not easy. We started in 1994 and at times I still have my doubts!

Also from Joanna Fu, contestant #5
Is there anyone out there right now that you would love to have as the face of Zhen Cosmetics, and why?

Joanna, I just love the idea of the everyday person. I will never forget when we first started and I used my sisters as models. The response was incredible from girls and women everywhere. They loved just seeing an Asian female being used in beauty advertisements. They also loved that it was one of the Yee sisters who helped to found the company.


Thank you Susan and Larry at Zhen Beauty for your tremendous support!


Miss Asia East Coast will take place on August 28th, 2009 at the New York Society for Ethical Culture located at 2 west 64th Street, NY, NY 10023. Miss Asia West Coast will take place on August 30th, 2009 at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater located at 3301 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123. Please visit www.sundayusa.us for more information.

The Glass Slipper

This is the beginning of the Miss Asia in America series on how it feels to be a beauty contestant.

Our first topic of conversation: pageant shoes.

Generally speaking, shoes are a such a core part of a pageant contestant's outfit, yet so under acknowledged. I think is time to bring light to what a shoe can do for a girl and feel that highlighting the clear shoe phenomenon is most appropriate because the clear shoe is so truly a pageant specific accoutrement.

While it is quite obvious that clear shoes are a beauty pageant staple because of their neutral appearance, most people are aware that the clear shoe also has other connotations. When put in that context, its presence in pageantry is very curious indeed. In fact, its place as a pageant staple may be the clear shoe's only true mainstream presence.

While on the topic of shoes, we also need to acknowledge the height requirement. For Miss Asia, our ladies must wear 4" heels. This height enforces posture and demands that they develop a certain level of confidence. Learning to glide across a stage in 4 inch heels is no easy task. One could say that by enforcing a 4" heel rule, we are deliberately pushing our girls to "rise to the occasion."

I asked my New York contestants what their thoughts were on the clear pageant shoe and the 4" height requirement and this is what they responded:

Jennifer Lee, contestant #9
"I prefer shorter heels because, aside from being more comfortable, I am satisfied with my slightly "taller-than-average-height for an Asian girl." In general, (I feel) society admires "tall" girls, which likely a reason why there is a 4" height requirement for pageant shoes. Overall, four inch heels or not, tall or not, I personally believe that any height is beautiful."

Joanna Fu, contestant #5
"I've never paid attention to the shoes of beauty pageant contestants and so I didn't realize that clear shoes were frequently used in pageants. In fact, I generally associate clear shoes with Jennifer Lopez (of all people!) because I remember a few years back she wore a pair of XTC clear heels both in public and in some photo shoots/videos, so they were featured in quite a few magazines. And of course, I've also seen them in various fetish shops when shopping for Halloween costumes. In fact, that's what I imagine I'd re-wear my clear heels-- a Halloween costume in the not-too-distant future!"

Angel Pai, contestant #1
"Four-inch heels, in today's world, actually isn't that high. Haha- I'm very comfortable in four inches (heels). If there is a small platform, I'd say go for five!"

Come see all of the Miss Asia New York 2009 contestants at the Miss Asia Talent Showcase this Saturday, August 15th, 2009 at 7 Train Theater in Flushing, NY. For more information visit us here: http://www.sundayusa.us/index.php.

What is Beautiful?

I found this short film so compelling and so relevant to how Asian American women perceive themselves that I had to share it. To read more about the film click here.

Who is Miss Asia?

The Friday before last, I went in to the MRBI station do a few radio spots to promote Miss Asia. My half hour conversation with Sunny, one of the "talent" at MRBI, turned into 45 minutes and then into an hour, partially because I don't normally get to have conversations about how to do effective out-reach to the AA community, and partially because I think Sunny wanted me to say something less intellectual and I wasn't doing it.

The spots are centered around what makes a great pageant contestant and what being in a pageant can do for a contestant. We had a great, fun conversation, but Sunny was convinced that people just want to hear what they have heard before, which is something like: beauty pageants are not just about outer beauty but also inner beauty-- giving contestants the chance to showcase and explore their beauty, or about how style can reflect one's personality and being asked to evaluate and discover personal style can do wonders for one's self-esteem.

Not that I don't agree with these statements, but I strongly feel like bringing Miss Asia from Asia to the US has much more interesting implications for contestants than what we've already been fed about beauty pageants in the past.

In many ways, the young women who participate in beauty contests created for specific ethnic communities in the US become part of the glue which holds the community together. This is true especially of the Asian American community since we simply do not have many of the kind of community driven traditions it takes to breed cohesiveness, and beauty pageants by nature have the power to drive it.

That said, there are similar programs within the US already in place today, organizations which are well established, largely successful and serve their communities well, such as Nisei Queen (held in LA) and Miss Chinatown (various cities across the US), but are divided along ethnic cultural lines. As well attended and supported as these ethnically specific contests are, when there is a competition such as Miss Asian America, the power to unite Asians as Americans is tenfold. If you look at the Miss Asian America sponsorship list alone, "the proof of pudding is in the eating." When faced with something of that scale, Asian Americans can not be denied as an integral piece of what makes America, America.

Now take it out of the US and put it on the world stage. It's another way for Asian Americans to represent America proudly, another reason for America to claim Asian Americans as its own, another reason for other Americans view us as their own. The producers at ATV are recognizing Asian Americans as an important population, we should too.

After about an hour of bantering back and forth to come up with ideas we could agree on for the record, Sunny got some sound bites about how Miss Asia is about inner and outer beauty and I got to add one quality that I believe is key to the perfect candidate: Community Savvy-- someone who has a good perception of what it truly can mean to be Miss Asia New York, Miss Asia Los Angeles or Miss Asia San Francisco.

Are you the next Miss Asia? Applications are still open for the west coast regionals: www.sundayusa.us/missasia/.