Now, more than ever, is the time when I expect Miss Grand International and its owner Nawat Itsaragrisil to be significantly limelight-hugging. After all, the thrust of his pageant is to “stop the war”. I know that he can only do so much, given that his voice or presence is neither needed nor mandated when the participation of world leaders and Vladimir Putin is taking centerstage.
But pageantry-wise, Nawat could have easily united and mobilized all his past winners to make individual stands against the war between Russia and Ukraine. His “small” efforts will be remembered long after. Checking on his social media, though, he hasn’t done much. Instead, the focus is on his pageant’s Latin tour. Sure, there are posts that share sentiments on the matter, But nothing that is significantly felt alongside the others.
normannorman.com 
Stop N Wat is a better slogan 😱😂🙋🏼🤓 just joking 😝
Well, MGI’s slogan is all lip service as usual. Soon, this cringy pageant will vanish like a popped bubble.
At any rate, love and prayers for Ukraine.
Trending in the social media is Miss Grand Ukraine 2015, Anastasia Lenna, who courageously took up arms to fight against the Russian invasion and said “anyone crossing the border will be killed”. This is what a beauty queen should be– ready to risk her life to uphold the ideals, dreams and aspirations of her people. Beauty as a freedom fighter– definitely a phenomenal woman, confidently beautiful, beauty with a purpose, inspirational-aspirational, and all other beaucon taglines combined! She took the MGI battlecry one step further than “stop the war” to the more important issue of “uphold the freedom to chart a nation’s own cultural and political identity”. I wish MGI seizes this opportune development to rally support for her because this issue goes beyond her as a person but about freedom for any nation yearning to be free to chart its own destiny.
Nawat is just at the sideline, I do not know what he is waiting for. I already aligned my belief that any of his engagement is just for pure clickbaits and socmed KPIs.
I can think two ways.
Positive way:
He has the grace and finesse not to project or show what he has done to help marginalised communities, conflict areas, refugees and he has discreetly supported people who needs help. Even the press release of Miss Grand International Ukraine 2015 being in the frontlines has a hint of Nawat in it by discreetly rooting for Ukraine and still pacifying the other 5 Russian licenses he has(just by being quiet).
By even just being quiet, he shows that pageants are not mixed with politics, he and MGI are still being talked about. What happened to Miss Myanmar last year was an emergency and MGI helped her stay in Thailand before she got asylum to another country. If any of his candidate from Ukraine or other conflict areas will be in need I think he would help but he will do it discreetly.
Negative way:
He is apathetic and does not care what is happening in Ukraine. There could also be a possibility that he is forced not to talk about politics especially with the 5 Rissian Republics licence. He is just focusing on upcoming engagements in South America. With the 10year anniversary this year, his focus is to get more business, sponsors, not to lose licences (hence Bb Pilipinas has leverage, imagine if Bb Pilipinas dropped the MGI franchise on its 10 year anniversary (that would be a joke) that is for another topic.
Conclusion:
I am disappointed of him being not vocal. Anywhere he stands people will still talk about Miss Grand International and I still give him the benefit of the doubt as a human being, as a businessman, I do support his pageant because it is giving opportunities to ladies from all over the world and it improving each year, big budget production, better preliminary and longer activities, the women are getting prettier and more competitive, there is a new crown, they have products tied to the MGI brand, acceptance in Vietnam, Indonesia and Philippines. Overall the pageant industry is a business and losing one like MGI which is also from Asia (like Miss Earth, Miss International, Miss Tourism Queen of the Year, Miss Asia Pacific International, Miss Multinational, Miss Tourism Queen International, Miss Charm International). Let him do his business our job is to give him constructive feedback and be entertained. I love how polished MGI compared to Miss Earth. Miss Earth’s edge is its preliminary activities, its a month long fiesta but come finals night interpreters fail, I miss Joey Mead or the Beam Artistes host of Singapore. To be honest we just sent the wrong candidate last year, however that’s another topic.
We all know that this is pure gimmick from the MGI as they try to come up with ideas or advocacy to differentiate them from other pageants. In short, it was just for theatrics on the pageant stage.
And now we all ask why pageants should still be relevant these days, if the pageant itself isn’t doing anything at all.
At a minimum, they should have done fundraising to support the civilians especially children who might be displaced because of the war.
I’m sure the question is part rhetoric , part joke , part insult
Russia is a land of beautiful gorgeous pageant women and it’s such a shame that they have a POS putin as their leader. This is what happens when you a have a relic from the past making big decisions for your country …
I hope that Pinas will have a genuine inspirational leader like Zelensky and face a bright prosperous future. No more POS relics ! Pinas is also a land of beautiful gorgeous pageant women and Pinas definitely deserves much better !
NO.
Unfortunately Nawat is beholden by Russian interests especially with multiple franchises from that country. Hence the deafening silence.
What a surprise! Andito ka rin Joseph. Thanks for the info. Busy ka lagi ano? Kasi few lang ang post mo sa sarili mong blogsite.
He’s the man who loves instigating pageant wars.
He’s just a businessman who owns a pageant, nothing more.
No credibility whatsoever in his pageant’s slogan, just mere business and entertainment.
To think that MGI can control or stop what is happening in Ukraine is absurd.
However, what I can’t take is the deafening silence from a very vocal Nawat.
The minimum they can do is at least engage, talk and encourage people to do peace initiatives, relief missions on both sides of the conflict by starting with the reigning queen and the previous queens of MGI Russia, Crimea, Bashkortostan, Siberia, Tatarstan and Ukraine.
The post from the reigning queen is just a post looking forward to the upcoming visit in 3 South American countries but I do not blame her, she could be dethroned if she speaks against what Nawat wants to project.
@River Robles, the “deafening silence from a very vocal Nawat” unmasks what we have suspected all along: MGI stands for International Grand Miss-and-Hit. When the war in Ukraine could be the defining moment for this pageant with the stop-the-war bravado, he chose to focus on his Latin American promotional tour. The doable initiatives you recommended are just one of the many ways MGI can be relevant. But the inaction sadly pulls down to mediocrity not only his organization, but the global pageantry as well.
He can not stop the war! That’s for sure!
The least he can do is to at least reiterate the advocacy of his pageant and create better understanding about the repercussions of war!
Oxana Fedorova was being bashed now for supporting Putin aggresion!
If Putin will succeed in invading Ukraine, what more he can do to surrounding nations which are all former members of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR)! Putin has a grand plan of creating an empire!
On the other side of the Equator, on the same day Ukraine was invaded, Chinese fighter planes were sighted in Taiwan!
Both China and Russia are permanent member of the United Nations Security Council with “veto power”. United Nations is supposed to “unite” member states but it failed to do so because it only serves the interest of the permanent members. Invasion of Iraq by the United States under the decoy of toppling down Saddam regime whereas the truth, it was the oil field they are after to. Invasion of Libya by France under the decoy of toppling down Qadafi dictatorship whereas the truth, Qadafi wanted the oil to be paid in “gold” instead of dollar which if happened there will be a great shift of economic power in the hemisphere and dollar will no longer be the “foreign reserve” of nations!
After the end of World War II in 1945, United Nations was established to prevent another war and yet most of the war that happened since then were perpetuated by the permanent members of the Security Council who were all given the “veto power” for winning World War II! Germany and Japan who were both losers in World War II were sidelined though considered as economic powerhouse!
That is why I agree with military training for both male and female the way they are doing in Israel! Government should mandate military service for those who benefited from Government support to get something in return like products of public schools and state universities.
Good afternoon sis Paul!!! I wish you a spectacular, lovely, and lovely Sunday!!! You are always welcome!!! ❤
* and amazing Sunday!!!
Thanks a LOT Jonalyn. Good evening to you.
I share the same exact sentiment
Do you all know that Miss Grand International has the most licence in the Russian Republics compared to other pageants, Ukraine too.
1. Miss Grand International Russia
2. Miss Grand International Crimea
3. Miss Grand International Bashkortostan
4. Miss Grand International Siberia
5. Miss Grand International Tatarstan
Crimea, Bashkortostan, Siberia and Tatarstan are actually part of the country of Russia (Crimea is disputed between Russia and Ukraine) but he has these 5 under his belt might as well take them to action. It would be more believable if they would be on the ground, keeping their hands dirty. I am just frustrated why on times Miss Grand International is supposed to be quiet, they make unnecesary pronouncements or petty quarrels with anyone online and then when a real conflict (you might even call it a war), MGI, Nawat, Teresa, Coco and the reigning queen is just quiet and Nawat only posted a meme. This is disappointing.
No po. Realistically, hindi po ito kaya ni Nawat kaya dapat change na nila yung slogan nila. Only prayers and inspired action through conscious awareness filled with love, light, and conpassion will work.
* compassion
True. Thanks Jonalayn. Happy Sunday to you.
Miss Grand International’s “Stop the war” slogan is a grand delusion. In this convoluted geopolitics that even United Nations cannot prevent wars, to adopt a branding tagline to embellish a beauty contest is cringeworthy. Even if he reduces the scale to war in the kitchen or the bedroom, it is still in an advocacy that is gratuitously tongue-in-cheek. Look, Thailand’s next-door neighbor is mired in a civil unrest and I have not heard the organization having done anything substantial than allowing the Myanmar contestant to deliver a 5-minute speech in last year’s finals. I think the organization should rebrand and adopt a more realistic advocacy that is suitable to a beauty derby.
On the other hand, if MGI can transform this branding bravado from being a whimper into a bold stand to rally the global pageantry community to STOP THE WAR, it can redeem its cringeworthy slogan to a powerful message that can potentially elevate MGI to the premier spot in this industry. This is an opportune time for MGI to “walk the talk”, else it will just drag dawn pageantry to an embarrassing state of mediocrity.
@scorg. The message of Miss Myanmar last year mirrored the cruelty of war That was very moving and that sent a very powerful message to the world
Hindi po ako umaasa na si Nawat ay hahawak ng baril, gaya ng mga gagawin ng mga nakaraan na MIss Ukraine Grand International beauty titlist. Ang dapat gawin ni Nawat gamitin niya ang kanyang organisasyon na tulungan ang libo libong mamayan ng Ukraine. Puwede na siguro yung magbigay ng donasyon . Masakit man tanggapin na wala magagawa ang MGI at wala silang kakayahan na pigilan ang digmaan, mas masakit din na malaman wala silang ginagawa upang tumulong. Kaya puwede ba tigilan na ang adbokasiya ng MGI ” Stop the war and violence” dahil walang silbi.
if Major beauty pageants cant do anything about war what can minor pageant do with a questionable advocacy
They can’t even resist themselves to get into unnecessary and unprovoked war with Miss Earth or Catriona Gray, much more a real military war.
Pure talk no action. Maybe time for MGI to pick another “advocacy”
@ kean I humbly submit, ‘Miss Grand International, War of Beauties.’
IF THIS IS APPROVED, ALL CREDITS (royalties) ARE IN THE NAME OF ‘Norman’s Blog’.
The use & dissemination of the slogan must be vigilantly monitored. Guidelines must be specified.
Nguyen Tien posted on her FB asking to stop the war and requesting the people to pray for Ukraine. She can only do so much. Nawat, being the president of MGI Org could have posted the same narrative on his personal FB, but he chooses to remain silent, considering MGI is already represented by Miss Tien. I just hope that MGI continues to hold pageant despite the war in Eastern Europe. Holding international beauty pageant helps promote peace, cultural exchange, and international standing among participating nations. That is the best Nawat can do.
@ serge With all due respects to pacifists worldwide & yourself, history will confirm that not prayers but BANKRUPTCY ends wars. This is the reason for economic sanctions & blockades.
Waging war is costly. And many times an aggressor was forced to the negotiation table when it realized it could no longer even feed its troops, let alone arm them.
(It’s sad that countries need to arm themselves to protect national interest. But it is what is.)
A country that doesn’t hesitate to invade neighbors will, more often than not, probably care little for its own citizens. Imagine diverting already locally meager resources to the border…
Latin America is a part of the world wherein anti-‘Allied Forces’ sentiment lingers. Angkol would be crazy to antagonize his tour hosts & partners!
MGI as a pageant brand is somewhere in the middle of our titular hierarchy, book-ended by the likes of MU on one end & the most modest yet respectable minor/festival beauty contests on the other. We have effectively blockaded it. Angkol is aware of that & he will keep it as some sort of final frontier where the Philippines flag would never be planted.
He is that astute at IMAGE. That’s why we continue to adore him. For all he has done (or not done), his charm is undeniable & magnetic. And we are like ants attracted to food scraps. All we can do is find a way to outsmart~outwit~outpace*. After all, it’s war.
(* – Courtesy of his environmental nemesis. Envy will eventually disorient a perceived bully. Sure as the coming of Spring.)
@edible flower: imposing economic sanction on Russia could somehow soften Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.However , we should not underestimate Putin’s economic and political powers. They are vast for all we know. We can only do so much, but pray. I strongly believe in prayer. It is our powerful contribution
Correction: International understanding
No
Nawat is like Bong Bong Marcos. They do not mean what they say.
That’s all.