Mister Cambodia pageant organizers: "Intelligence is more important than appearance"

(Dan Tri) - The Miss and Mister Cambodia pageant has caused controversy over the quality of contestants in the Mister category. Responding to Dan Tri reporters, the organizers affirmed: "Intelligence is more important than appearance."

The Mister category within the Miss and Mister Majestic Cambodia 2025 contest has become a hot topic in the international beauty community, especially in Vietnam.

Many viewers expressed skepticism about the quality of the contest as the contestants' appearances were not really outstanding, and the contestants' costumes were not invested in properly.

In an interview with Dan Tri reporter, Mr. Eric V. Yon, Chairman of this contest, affirmed: "We are not just a beauty contest. This is a place for everyone to express themselves, break all imposed thinking and pursue their dreams without discrimination or gender prejudice."

Posts about the contestants received a lot of interaction on social networks (Photo: Screenshot).

The costume contest "Love Bird" by contestant Lai Thai (registration number M63) attracted much attention (Photo: Facebook Lai Thai).

The Miss and Mister Cambodia 2025 pageant has the motto: "Humanity - society - diversity. Beyond colorful".

The contest claims to create a playground that breaks down traditional boundaries by combining Miss, Mister and Miss Trans on the same stage.

Contestant evaluation criteria

Mr. Eric V. Yon shared that the contest is not simply looking for a beautiful face but also emphasizes factors such as intelligence, wisdom, charm and leadership ability.

According to him, the Mister Cambodia 2025 contest in particular and the Miss and Mister Cambodia 2025 contest in general are looking for contestants who are not only beautiful but also intelligent, attractive and have leadership qualities.

To ensure diversity and fairness, the organizing committee has selected the strongest candidates with intelligence and courage to perform well the tasks of the competition.

"We not only choose beautiful contestants but also those who can inspire and represent the values ​​that the contest aims for," said Mr. Eric V. Yon.

In addition, to select the overall winner, the organizers applied strict criteria, including leadership, charisma and intelligence.

When Dan Tri reporter asked which factor the Miss and Mister Cambodia 2025 contest emphasizes more among appearance, intelligence or performance ability, Mr. Eric V. Yon affirmed: "Intelligence is more important than appearance".

Responding to the controversy

Besides the contestants’ appearance, the factor that attracted a lot of public discussion about this contest was the costumes. Some designs were criticized for being too bold, even offensive, overshadowing the values ​​of East Asian culture.

Faced with many conflicting opinions, Mr. Eric V. Yon said: "We are ready to face conflicting opinions. But instead of reacting negatively, we encourage candidates to stay calm, respect all viewpoints and prove their worth through confidence and maturity."

The physical performance of the contestants in the competition attracted a lot of discussion (Photo: Screenshot).

In addition, the physical competition with the theme "fancy" also received mixed opinions from a segment of the audience regarding height and body shape. Not only that, the way the contestants posed and acted in front of the camera was also commented by the online community as unprofessional.

Regarding this issue, the Organizing Committee of Miss and Mister Cambodia affirmed that this is an important part of the competition to evaluate the confidence, demeanor and physique of the contestants, in accordance with the general standards of international beauty contests.

Not only stopping at the national level, the Miss and Mister Cambodia 2025 contest also aims to promote Cambodia's image to the world.

The organizers shared: "We are not only organizing a contest, but also hosting Miss Mister & Majestic International 2025, taking place from September 26 to October 4 in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap - Angkor Wat."

The Miss & Mister Majestic Cambodia contest is introduced as an annual beauty contest, finding the highest title in three categories: Miss Majestic, Mister Majestic and Miss Majestic Trans.

The competition will be held for the first time in 2023. The current season, with main events in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, is expected to conclude in October.

Before that, the contestants had gone through body competitions, street costume competitions... to find the 10 best people. The winners of the categories will be the representatives of Cambodia to participate in international beauty contests.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giai-tri/ban-to-chuc-thi-nam-vuong-o-campuchia-tri-tue-quan-trong-hon-ngoai-hinh-20250320170242342.htm