From empanadas to salsa dancing, a new beauty contest in Malta will see eight contestants represent Latin American-run businesses in a bid to be crowned Miss Emprender (Miss Entrepreneur).
“In the past, we’ve held fairs to promote small businesses, but this time we wanted to do something different and new for Malta,” one of the organisers, Karen Mojica, said.
“The idea is to give a platform to businesses that many might not know about, while celebrating something that is deeply ingrained in our culture,” Mojica, who is one of three people organising the event, said. The other two organisers are Damaris Chara and Alejandro Martínez.
The Latino community in Malta has grown significantly over the last few years, with many living in the St Julian’s-Sliema area.
Beauty contests in Latin America, particularly in Colombia and Venezuela, are very popular, with both countries holding hundreds of pageants every year.
A Venezuelan, Teresa Ruglio, even won Miss Universe Malta in 2019.
On May 24 at Poolhouse in Pembroke, Miss Barrio Latino, Miss Don Edward, Miss Tamalta, Miss Empanadas De Mi Tierrita, Miss Alto de la Paz, Miss Chivos, Miss Latin Food and Miss Maiz will compete to be crowned the first-ever Miss Emprender.
The eight contestants will participate in three catwalks: swimwear, evening gown and a ‘fantasy costume’.
“The fantasy costume is all about expressing Latino traditions and the ideas behind the companies in the most creative way,” Mojica said.
The eight candidates will then be given a general question they have to answer in one minute.
Judges will then select three finalists, and a public vote will select another finalist.
The final four will then answer another question. They will be speaking in Spanish, but their answers will also be translated into English.
The five judges, who come from the business community and the beauty contest world, will then select a beauty queen who will be awarded €500.
Stalls will also be set up by the businesses participating in the event and those sponsoring it.
But aren’t beauty pageants outdated?
“It’s not just about beauty – it’s also about the creativity that goes into the costume and the intelligence levels when answering questions,” Mojica said.
Besides, the candidates will also be participating in social campaigns such as clean-ups.
In February, Malta hosted its first Latin American-style carnival with a parade through St Julian’s. Around 2,000 people joined those festivities.
