The Disappointing Disqualification of Kim Ross delos Santos
I am taking a moment to break out of my retirement from pageant blogging because I think a wrong decision has been made.
The disqualification of Kim Ross delos Santos from Bb. Pilipinas batch 2016 due to what is being labeled a ‘racy’ photo is disappointing to me. Looking at the photo, the word ‘racy’ does not come to mind. I’d say that the words ‘daring,’ ‘suggestive’ or ‘artistic’ are more applicable. But let’s just go ahead and call it a racy photo because to me, the label doesn’t really matter anyway.
The racy photo in question
To be clear, I will always be on the conservative and modest side. Sexy and daring photos like this are not my cup of tea. Honestly, I used to look down on FHM cover girls and those who posed for similar gentlemen’s magazines. But that changed when a friend – actress Andrea Torres – posed for the cover a year or two ago. Though I was shocked that she did the cover, I could not take away the respect I already had for her as a co-actress on the set of the teleserye Ang Lihim ni Annasandra. She was still an amazing person to me because I knew her and I saw her work ethic. To me, that described her and not the FHM cover.
I have also discovered that my old way of thinking does not empower women. Because what truly empowers anyone is letting them move on in spite of what you think they have done.
I remember reading a story about a Miss World winner, I think it was Leslie Langley in 1965, who had nude photos taken before she joined the pageant. It was at a time when pageants were ultra-conservative. It was 1965! When the photos came to light, it became a huge a scandal! But what was even more scandalous (to the moralists at least) was that the Miss World leadership allowed her to keep the title because they forgave her. It was something she did BEFORE joining the pageant and not during.
Let’s stop disqualifying beauty contestants because of racy photos. While, IMHO, racy, suggestive or nude photos in themselves are not a true empowerment of women, stopping a girl from achieving better things in life because of them is where true disempowerment lies.
The better decision would have been to allow Kim Ross delos Santos to compete and then if she wins make her sign a contract that forbids her to have such photos taken. It really is that simple.
PS. The photo above does not stray far from the photos taken during the year when Miss Universe gave contestants the option to pose topless (but with body paint and boobs strategically hidden). Look below. Calling lawyers of Kim Ross delos Santos, this might be a good defense for your case. If we send contestants to a pageant like Miss Universe that once allowed topless shots (which easily falls under the term of ‘racy photos’) then why are we disqualifying contestants for something similar?
I completely agree. Coming from advertising and as a former professor in art direction in advertising, these are not racy photos at all. This is high fashion. Even Megan Young had photos like these as an actress and expected of an actress before she joined pageants. Some misguided fools even tried to use them at the height of the Miss World competition 3 years ago, and I heard they were sour-graping Filipinos pa. Go figure, huh?
Yes indeed. Cory informed me that a pageant camp opposed to Megan even wrote Miss World a formal letter of complaint about those photos etc etc. Crazy talaga.
Miss Joyce, we miss you!
Please go back to blogging. We want to hear your feedbacks on Binibining Pilipinas coronation night.
Sige when I have free time I’ll post something maybe later this week..
Hi Miss Joyce, I know you are too busy… I am sorry masyado ako makulit, but I really miss you and your write ups lalo na sa kakatapos lang na BbP. Hope you are ok!
Oh, I noticed iba na ang cover photo mo.
I’m okay naman just busy with starting our new business. My husband and I are working on something new… I’ll do my best to post something, maybe the photos he took on coronation night, let’s see…
Miss Joyce…balik ka na po sa blogging please..namimiss ka na namin….kahit paisa-isa lang na blog..it means a lot to us…besides, malapit na po ang bbp 2016..gusto namin malaman from you your top faves.:)
Marcelo thank you for your post here. I will try my best but no promises. I’m moving into a new season of my life and sadly I need to let go of the blog. But once in a while I will say something here. Right now I haven’t had time to see the contestants at any of the events but I will be watching on April 17. God bless you and may we choose another set of worthy beauties!
You, too, Miss Joyce…posting here once in a while is a big thing to us already. God bless your endeavor:)
How I wish somebody will hold the Miss Universe Philippines franchise like the Miss World Phils. Somebody who is a true Filipino. I don’t understand why a Colombian is holding these pageants for the Philippines. She is competing against her own country? I know in her heart she was very happy when MJ lost to Paulina and she cried when Ariadna lost to Pia.
Well, I am half American but I certainly don’t rejoice when the US wins over us. Was so disappointed when Olivia won over our Janine. Personally, I believe it is possible for a foreigner to do what SMA is doing and be sincere about it. How can a house stand if its owner lights a fire inside?
Besides, with serious followers like you and me, BPCI has to listen. These days fans and supporters have so much power…
Miss Joyce, at least you are proud to be a pinay, and you have represented the Philippines in MU while SMA has no Filipino blood at all. She was Miss Colombia not Miss Philippines. She doesn’t even speak Filipino. There are foreigners who stayed in the country for a while and have learned how to speak our language (Dayanara Torres, Michelle van Eimeren, Daniel Matsunaga and a lot more).
Mabuti na lang nalipat ang MWP kay Cory Quirino otherwise hangga ngayon wala pa tayong Miss World. Megan Young who was also not qualified to be a Binibini beacuse of her sexy photos could not compete in MW.
Yes a lot of the things you said are true. But I will always defend Mme Stella because she has been good to us beauty queens. Maybe she has had problems with a few of us but that’s due to personality clashes. It happens. I will still choose to believe that SMA is a gift to us no matter her blood or nationality. At the same time, I have respect for your feelings. It is but natural for Filipinos to feel this way… And every time we have controversies talagang nakakaloka! But if we stick together and continue to support our beauties then I think we are going in the right direction…
Going back to Kim Ross and the other girls who were disqualified, do they know and their camps that BbP is very sensitive with photos such as the above? Sana before they joined, they voluntarily show the photos to the screening committee, if not acceptable to them then they don’t have to join para hindi sila mapahiya. Mahilig talaga ang pinoy sa “palusot”.
Sayang lang talaga si Kim Ross, she has all the qualities we are looking for a beauty queen. (Height, body and facial beauty). Eligible pa ba sya to join MWP?
You do have a point. However, I think that sometimes, in order to change mindsets, you have to do something even if it means breaking a rule. Not all rules are timely or just.
And the fact that BPCI sends girls to Miss Universe, a pageant that allows racy photos of its winners and contestants, shows that there is a double standard. Either we stop sending girls to Miss U or we start reviewing policies on racy photos.
I also heard that the photo was never published.
Regarding MWP, I think Kim is overage na fit that pageant. That’s why he fans and supporters are dismayed.
Thank you for your honest and smart analyzation of the case of Kim Delos Santos. I myself also was shocked of how BPCI disqualified the most qualified contender for the crown of MUP and disqualfying her , we lost our chance to have another strong candidate in Ms Universe. I dont see anything wrong with the photo that makes her disqualified..Its not pornographic rather an art photo.I am in denial that BPCI people doesnt understand the pornographic vs artistic photo, or they are just simply stupid .I hope Stella Marquez lighten up about Kim’s case.
Well, having strict rules in place, for me, is a good thing. Nothing wrong with being strict. However, I believe that there should be some room for grace. There should be certain exceptions to the rule. And in this particular case, I think BPCI should make an exception. Kahit ako, I have strict rules at home. But then there will always be situations where my rules will be more detrimental if I follow it to a tee. So I make exceptions from time to time. I truly hope that Kim will be reinstated as an official candidate….
Thank you very much, Joyce for this. I have only one word for this. “UNFAIR”.
Whoever is behind all this will indeed pay for what they did to Kim Ross. Maybe not now, but in God’s time.
Shoshana lets not wait for God’s time. Lets try to convince BPCI, through sensible arguments, that it’s time to review their policy on ‘racy’ photos… Besides, now might already be God’s time 🙂
Hi Joyce,
You are right! I was also thinking of the same photo shoots done during the time of Venus Raj in Miss Universe 2010 when Miss USA posed topless in her photo shoot and also another candidate, I forgot the other country’s name. Yes, this is a good barometer for the lawyers of Aces and Queens to use as a guideline and evidence that if they were allowed to do this kind of photoshoot in Miss Universe. While Kim Ross was not even topless or nude in her alleged racy pic and the pic was not even published so, Why was she disqualified then?
In fairness to BPCI, I think it was more about the way she was posing with that absolutely gorgeous man rather than her being in a state of undress, which she was not naman. Her position there, I think, was the issue. Also, being with a naked man might have also been BPCI’s concern. However, why be so strict on the national level then send your contestant to a beauty pageant that allows racy pictures to be taken? Lets call of these sexy photos, whether done tastefully or not, racy. Then you truly have a case. And I think we should fight for Kim but the best way to do this is understand where BPCI is coming from and not to fight them with insults and threats. I think that BPCI will listen to logic and to a strong case that makes sense. ANd indeed, I believe we are making sense.
Hi, Joyce how are you? It’s been a while from blogging. Anyway, I’m glad that you came back. Well, this case is similar to Daisy Reyes, who was Bb. Pilipinas World 1996. She was dethroned because some people discovered that she’s was Japayuki before she joined in the pageant. They told the Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc. and she lost her title and crown.
Later, she went to her lawyer to fight and protest the decision of BPCI. They proved that Daisy was a cashier and office clerk at entertainment bars not a receptionist or a dancer. She work there decently. Her lawyer went to Japan to investigate and talk to her manager and coworkers. It’s been proved that Daisy worked decently in Japan.
After many trials and sessions in a court, Mrs. Stella Marquez Araneta later decided to return her title and crown. This is a memorable experience to her. In the Miss World pageant, she won Miss Friendship title. After the pageant, she became movie actress and commercial model.
Right now, she’s now a councilor of Pateros, Rizal. I like Daisy Reyes because she’s a strong woman in spite of many trials and problems.
THank you for reminding us about Daisy’s story. It shows us that BPCI is open to reconsidering the decisions we think are not fair. So, lets just keep fighting for Kim because I believe she should be reinstated as an official candidate….
I dont understand BPCI, it seems they are inconsistent with their rules, so many filipina women wasted due to their old fashion rules, we are now in 2016, c’mon madam stella is no longer in your years.. 19 kupong kupong pa.,. beside this photo was not even publish in any magazines, this is a private photo used for modeling portfolio for a top photographer…. meron lang na candidate threatened sa ganda ni kim ross ayaw lumban ng patas kaya nilabas nila ang pic na eto.. kung threaten ka sa national pageant pa lang what more sa international pupulutin ka sa kangkungan…. i am really sorry ms. joy, for my little harsh words, i was just really dissapointed with the BPCI desicion to disqualified kim ross from competing bbplipinas 2016.
We are all disappointed indeed. And some people express their disappoinment through harsh words… thank you for sharing…