I have to admit, I’m not a big Friendster fan. I’ve been tempted to delete my account there a few times. But, I stay put in that social networking site because it’s where I manage to keep in touch with many friends, former classmates, acquaintances, and family. I’m not really active, though.
Often, I’d only sign-in to approve a friend request or a testimonial – or to respond to messages. When I’m already logged-in, I’d sometimes write some messages, post a new photo, or share a link of some kind.
Today, I logged-in to approve a friend request from a girl I knew in highschool. Someone I haven’t seen or talked to for at least 15 years or so. After getting connected on Friendster, I managed to read her profile to find out what’s going on with her. That’s part of the lure of Friendster for me. The ability to catch up with people who would’ve otherwise just disappeared from my life completely.
Anyway, one curious friend request I had today though was from someone called ‘Beauty Queen’. At first, I thought it was just some kind of online handle. But, when I checked the profile, I found out that it’s actually a Beauty Queen Society of Friendster. The friend request was an invitation to be a part of it. I was sort of flattered, but confused.
Apparently, the society is described as: “It is part of our aspiration to evidence the world that Asian women are some of the most beautiful & exotic women in the universe – in addition to being undoubtedly smart, savvy, goal-oriented & passionate in advancing their careers & personal goals while acting as role models in their community.” And, the criteria says: “Our scoring system places high emphasis on merits, personality & demeanor. We select titleholders who are intelligent, ambitious with their own unique skills & abilities that define today’s modern women.” They go on to mention certain qualifications such as being over 18, having a high educational status, etc.
Now, I’m confused because:
1) I don’t know who sent the invitation and why it was sent.
2) I’m not a beauty titleholder. Yes, I know I’m originally from Manila (where beauty pageants are a big thing), but I’ve never even competed in a beauty pageant, let alone win one. 
Anyway, these things aside, I was just interested to see the kind of things that people have written about the ideation of BEAUTY in this online society’s Friendster page. And, it started to make me think about the general ideals of beauty.
What makes someone beautiful? Who do you consider beautiful? Do beautiful women want to be acknowledged as such? What do beauty pageants and beauty titles really mean? What does it mean to try and to connect with other beautiful people?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Mitch Mitchell 06.27.06 at 7:44 am
Well Miss Shai,
You probably got invited because, well, uhhh, you are kind of hot after all. Yeah, I said it, and it’s true! Just ask your husband; I’m sure he’ll agree. And I’m sure others see the beauty, and it’s got to be an honor when other women are inviting you into their circle.
So there! From your Ryze friend.
And I love the puppy shots also.
[Reply]
Shai Coggins 07.15.06 at 4:15 pm
Hello, Mitch. You are way too nice! Thanks.
[Reply]