The newly crowned Miss Hong Kong has expressed her wish to use her status to promote women’s rights, calling for them to be given more support and for society to adopt a broader vision of beauty.
Ellyn Ngai Lok-lam, dubbed the “Michele Reis of CityU” by her former classmates at City University, laid out her ambitions on Monday, a day after winning the annual beauty pageant held by broadcaster TVB.
The 23-year-old, who measures 167.5cm (5.5 feet) tall, said during a question and answer session in the contest that women should not be defined by their appearance, after she was asked to react to some online comments claiming she was unworthy of comparisons to 1988 winner Reis.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
She used an interview with the broadcaster on Monday to explain her own understanding of beauty.
“Black skin can be beautiful, and white skin can be pretty too,” Ngai said.
“Among the contestants who have made it to finals in the past, some have fuller figures, while others are skinner. Some have bigger eyes while others have smaller ones. Some have higher nose bridges, while others have lower ones.”
She said she believed contestants should “also aim to diversify their beauty” in the future.
The recent public policy and political science graduate said she wanted to use her status to give back to society.
“I am very eager to contribute to issues related to social welfare, low-income residents and women’s rights. I hope that after becoming Miss Hong Kong, there will be a channel for me to help Hong Kong and contribute to society,” she said.
“Hong Kong should provide more opportunities for women to showcase their strengths.”
She also gave her thoughts ahead of Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s third policy address on October 16, raising concerns about working women having children.
“Women face many difficulties when it comes to forming families or giving birth. For example, what happens to their jobs after having children? Does society provide enough support, such as raising children and childcare services to help them?” she said.
“The support for women who have not given birth and career women after retirement can be increased.”
Ngai is a former member of local dance group Morii Girls, which she joined in 2022 under the name Stella Ngai. The group released a swimsuit photo book last year.
Student Emily Leung Ka-ying, 22, was named the first runner-up and Miss Photogenic, while Amina Yeung Chi-jiu, 21, finished as second runner-up.
They were among the 15 finalists picked from more than 300 candidates who joined the pageant after two rounds of interviews and online votes cast by about 200,000 internet users.
More from South China Morning Post:
- ‘Michele Reis of CityU’: ex-girl group dancer Ellyn Ngai crowned Miss Hong Kong 2024
- Freeze women’s eggs? But ‘soil’ may be bad, Hong Kong health chief says in fertility debate
For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2024.
