Miss Philippines Earth 2017 pageant is moving towards the finale which is slated to be held on 15th July 2017 at the Mall of Asia Arena. The contestants are gearing up for the finale as they are competing through a series of preliminary competitions and segments. One of the Preliminary Competition, the Swimsuit Competition, was held on 22nd July 2017.
The Swimsuit Preliminary garnered criticism from fans online, for one reason that the contestants wore black veil over their face while walking the ramp. Some found the "gimmick" deeply offensive, while many found it creepy to watch the 40 candidates walking in identical black two pieces with their faces covered with black veils.
In a statement released Sunday, Carousel Productions justified the inclusion of the veil for the particular round focusing on "figure and form" as a way to "promote strict impartiality" from the judges. The full statement read...
"In the pre-judging portion of figure and form, (which is separate from the swimsuit competition, by the way), the transparent veil served a double purpose -- first, to place emphasis on the figure and form of the candidate, which was the criteria of focus for that specific portion, and second to introduce the girls with dramatic flair since it was the first in our series of prejudging.
"Our next pre-judging will focus on poise and beauty of face, where the judges will get to see and judge the candidate’s personality. On the week of the finals will be the pre judging of Intelligence and determination were the confidence of the ladies will be judged.
"After 26 years of doing pageants, we have noticed that it is difficult to separate inherent biases while judging. In the past 10 years or more, we have noticed the ladies work so hard on each of the criteria needed for the competition.
"Miss Philippines Earth decided to make this move to promote strict impartiality during our prejudging and for the first time allowed the event to be seen by the public.
"Lastly, we honestly do not believe that the girls were objectified or that they felt objectified, remember we are working with millennials. They speak their mind and will not way allow themselves to be put on the negative side.
"If you paid attention to the entire show and listened to the Ladies promoting their fitness and health regimen, which is part of our environmental campaign, then maybe you would have seen it in a different way. Most often than not when you get out of the norm, there would always be questions and negativity. This is expected."
However, many felt that the black veil was totally inappropriate and sends the wrong message about women. Viewers shared their views and claimed that the action disregarded the women’s confidence and their personalities, as they couldn't interact with the audience and the camera.