BABES AND BACON
The plus-sized pageant selling pork
The organisers of the Swine Queen beauty contest want to celebrate big women, but not everyone sees it that way
In a world where beauty is all about attaining “perfection”, Kaewta “Gataew” Chalaem, 22, finds it hard to live it up to mainstream standards. Weighing in at 170 kilogrammes, the XXL girl can’t help but wonder how it feels to be seen as pretty, just for once in her life. Her size has always made her self-conscious, and although she feels she has an attractive face, Gataew doesn’t have the confidence of other women her age. She thought she would never be recognised as physically attractive, until a phone call from a friend one day gave her hope.
Now Gataew is applying to compete in the Thepee Sugorn beauty pageant, which translates literally to “Swine Queen”.
Gataew is hoping to be crowned the pig queen, to boost her confidence and snag the 100,000 baht cash prize. But the contest has been making headlines after drawing outrage from many who find the name of the pageant offensive.
“I’m not offended by the name of the competition, but if someone called me a pig as an insult, I would get angry,” Gataew said. “In fact, that’s what many people have called me my entire life.”
PLUS-SIZE APPRECIATION
The concept behind the Swine Queen competition is in fact nothing new, and Thailand has played host to plus-size beauty contests for almost 50 years.
The Thida Ong Munggorn pageant, for example, is aimed at women whose bodies are shaped like Ratchaburi’s famous ceramic water
jars. The competition is part of an annual fair to promote tourism and local products in the province, including the beautiful jars, which are decorated with dragon motifs. Pageant entrants are required to have a big waist and pretty face, but they also need to entertain the crowds by dancing on stage. The woman who shows her fun side and makes people laugh the most takes the Miss Water Jar tiara and a 10,000 baht cash prize.
Until the year 2000, there was also the Rachinee Chang contest, or Miss Jumbo Queen. One of Thailand’s most prestigious and bestknown beauty pageants among plus-size women, it was organised by the Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo in Nakhon Pathom province. The contest ran for eight years, as part of the zoo’s annual elephant buffet ceremony.
While other plus-size beauty shows have a comic slant, Miss Jumbo Queen tried to be more serious. All of the past winners had a high level of education, as well as a special talent, and stunning looks. Besides the crown, the winner and runners-up were also appointed as elephant conservation ambassadors.
The predecessor to the Swine Queen contest was the Thida Sugorn pageant, which recognised the most beautiful “pig’s daughter” and started in the 1960s. The first event was also held in Ratchaburi province, since there are many pig farmers in the area. The competition was part of celebrations organised by the local pig farmers’ cooperative and was sometimes held during Songkran or other festivities. This year it was renamed the Swine Queen pageant, because the Swine Raisers Association of Thailand took over sponsorship from the provincial cooperative.
The Swine Raisers Association has increased the stakes, with a more attractive cash prize of 100,000 baht for the winner and the chance to be the face of the association, promoting Thai swine to the public.
The competition will be held on Saturday, as part of National Swine Day festivities from Friday until Sunday.
TAKING OFFENCE
When the Swine Queen pageant was unveiled to the public, both Thai and foreign media picked
This is about agricultural lifestyle and culture. If you’re celebrating National Swine Day, why would you name the beauty pageant something that does not symbolise the event? WIWAT PONGWIWATCHAI NATIONAL SWINE DAY COMMITTEE
up on its poster, condemning it as offensive and disrespectful to plus-size women.
Spectrum contacted Wiwat Pongwiwatchai, chairman of Ratchaburi Livestock Cooperative and the National Swine Day committee, to answer the allegations. Mr Wiwat, who helped organise the competition and its earlier incarnation, argued that neither of the contest names were offensive, but were in fact quite appropriate.
“I don’t find any of the names offensive,” Mr Wiwat said.
“This is about agricultural lifestyle and culture. If you’re celebrating National Swine Day, why would you name the beauty pageant something that does not symbolise the event?”
Mr Wiwat said three days of festivities for National Swine Day will celebrate everything about pigs, and include pig-catching and pork eating competitions. Other highlights include demonstrations of cooking with pork and street food stalls selling everything from pork satay to fried pork knuckle, roasted pork and much more.
Having successfully put on more than 100 beauty pageants, Mr Wiwat sees the Swine Queen competition as an opportunity for plussize women to be accepted.
“Where else can these women get to express who they really are?” Mr Wiwat said. “We give these women a platform to show off their talents and be accepted as a beauty queen.”
WE’VE HEARD WORSE
Wipavee “Wi” Donthuan, 26, has been large all her life. Besides facing the health issues that come with weighing more than 100kg, Wi regularly endures insults as she goes about her life.
Being called an elephant, pig, hippo or buffalo no longer surprises her.
“I am offended when people call me those animal names,” Wi explained. “However, using an animal as part of the theme for a beauty pageant doesn’t make me feel bad.”
When Wi found out about the Swine Queen beauty pageant she wanted to apply, but the organisers offered her a job presenting the competition and appearing on the poster for the contest. She decided to take up the opportunity to be the face of the event to boost her confidence in her body.
Supawadee “Tonsom” Chanpen, 43, was crowned Miss Jumbo Queen in the year 2000. She told Spectrum she was quite happy to be involved in a contest that sold itself on an association with elephants.
“When you read the name in Thai it sounds more sophisticated than it does in English,” Tonsom said.
The master’s degree Chulalongkorn graduate said interpreting a competition name in another language is difficult, since the translated word may not carry the same connotations as the original.
“It’s in Thai people’s nature to insult and make fun of other people, especially those who are different,” Tonsom added.
Before Tonsom entered the competition, she was used to being called offensive names. But her confidence soared after being crowned Miss Jumbo Queen. She is now so self-assured that she feels immune to negative comments.
“Being a plus-size lady these days is a lot easier than it was when I was younger. People are more accepting now,” Tonsom said.
While some have positive experiences with beauty pageants, 42-year-old Jongrak has been left scarred by her competition appearance. That one night on stage was enough to destroy her confidence.
“I was 165kg at the time,” Jongrak said. “I know I am not a pretty girl, but I wanted to know how it felt to be admired. I was down to the final 10 contestants and we had to do a dance-off to fight for the crown. I remember dancing and enjoying myself, but when I looked at the audience, they were all laughing and making fun of me. I suddenly felt like a joke and stopped dancing.”
Jongrak won nothing that night. In fact, she just felt worse. She told Spectrum the faces of the audience haunt her to this day. She now feels ashamed to be seen in public and owns an online business so she doesn’t have to deal with customers directly.
It’s in Thai people’s nature to insult and make fun of other people SUPAWADEE ‘TONSOM’ CHANPEN MISS JUMBO QUEEN 2000
CONSTRUCTED IMAGE
Traditionally, Thai people valued plus-size women. In the old days, the ideal woman was big and healthy enough to be able to carry lots of children. The law actually defined a woman as someone who was able to get pregnant.
Naiyana Supapueng, head of the Teeranat Kanjanauaksorn Foundation, which promotes human rights and gender equality, told Spectrum that in those days, the strength of a village was measured by its population size, so child-bearing women were of utmost importance.
Women have now proved they can be valuable whether they become mothers or not. But beauty ideals have also changed.
“We are now in a world where we value women with slim figures and light skin,” Ms Naiyana explained. “It’s all a constructed image.”
In these materialistic times, products reflect social values, she said, which means the fashion industry promotes slim women, while cosmetics offer people lighter skin.
Drug companies and beauty clinics target heavier women with the promise of making them skinnier.
“Many products target plus-size women, so it makes sense there are also beauty pageants for this group,” Ms Naiyana explained. “There is nothing wrong with it. It is just the part of materialistic world.”
Despite the fact there are plenty of plus-size men in Thailand, there are no beauty contests for them. Ms Naiyana said beauty pageants fit with the sexualised image of women. Men, on the other hand, are stereotyped as being better suited to “masculine activities”.
“This is why we usually see plus-size men enter eating competitions or anything that shows off their physical strength, rather than something based on their attractiveness,” Ms Naiyana said. “Men are used for different purposes than women when it comes to marketing.”
She urged people to educate themselves about the ways products are marketed, so they have to power to decide what kind of consumer they want to be.
“Plus-size women who choose to enter beauty pageants must also think about what kind of consumer they want to be, and why the organiser is putting on that kind of event,” Ms Naiyana said.
“Only then can they understand where these constructed images come from, and decide whether to be a passive or active consumer.”
STILL STANDING
Plus-size women are shunned in every corner of society, and the entertainment world is a particularly hostile place. But after 31 years in the industry, Surivipa “Mam” Kultangwattana, 48, is living proof that professionalism, and not weight, is what really counts.
Mam started her career in show business when she was 16, playing a supporting actress in a film.
After that appearance, she was hired for numerous films and soap operas. She is best known for her role as the only female host on the comedy show Yutthagarn Khayab Ngeang.
Mam has been called a fat pig and an elephant over the years.
But she stays strong and blocks out all kinds of negative comments.
“I pay no attention to those unconstructive comments,” Mam said.
She advises women who enter plus-size beauty pageants to adopt the same attitude.
“There is nothing wrong with being called the elephant or pig queen, as long as you respect and value yourself. The name is just what it is to promote the event,” Mam said.
Media commentary has bemoaned the fact Thai society excludes plus-size women, especially the entertainment business. But Mam believes anyone can be accepted if they demonstrate their talent and ability.
“You have to own your space. Just set your goals and go for it. If you are strong enough to carry more than 100kg of body weight, you have to be strong enough to fight for your space in this world,” Mam said.
Mam is now taking part in a 60-day challenge to get fit, with the famous television host Woody. She wants everyone to prioritise their health, especially plus-size women.
“I want to encourage everyone to exercise, not to be skinny, but to be healthy and have a long life,” Mam said.
“The most important thing is to love yourself. You will be successful whatever you do when you start with loving yourself first.”