Miss Universe Owner Anne Jakrajutatip Explains The Transition To Social Inclusion
During her interviews on GMA, Miss Universe owner Anne Jakrajutatip or Khun Anne explained the decision to allow married and transgender women in the pageant.
Miss Universe owner Anne Jakrajutatip, known to many as Khun Anne, recently arrived for the finals of the Miss Universe Philippines. Prior to the finals, Khun Anne was interviewed in several GMA shows. She explained the rules of allowing married and transgender women and what the organization is looking for in a winner.
Social Inclusion
During her appearance on Fast Talk with Boy Abunda on May 10, Khun Anne, who owns JKN Global in Thailand, was asked about including married and transgender women, and mothers in the competition.
Khun Anne said she doesn’t really care about the criticism. “We have to care about them, not caring about bashers, negative comments. What year are we in now? It’s 2023. Why are we having this conversation existing?”
“Social inclusion must be here now. We have to be concerned about human rights. We have them in the competition [but] it doesn’t mean they are going to win. It depends on the judges. We allow them to come in, respect them, and give them an equal chance. Because we want to give them the opportunity and honor every woman.”
Last September, it was announced that the organization was allowing married women and mothers to join the pageant. In 2018, the first transwoman to compete, Spain’s Angela Ponce, made history by participating in the pageant which was won by the Philippines’ own Catriona Gray.
Miss Universe is evolving
During the interview, Khun Anne was also asked about the qualities she looks for in a winner. Aside from being a transformational leader, she also shared the importance of strength, endurance, power, and resilience are her concept of beauty.
Moreover, Khun Anne mentioned that Miss Universe is not just about being a pageant now. “We would love to empower women to become the best version of themselves. We are their academy now. We’re not just a beauty pageant. We want the pageant to be a platform and having the platform means we have to have the content on how to live your best life.”
Mentioning that they are now recruiting both in New York and Thailand for people to join them, Khun Anne shared a list of plans such as the Miss Universe lifestyle, magazine, and schools of makeup, posture, and speech.
“It’s not just a one-time event per year. We want to find an ambassador who can articulate a show, deliver a show, and also produce the content with us.”
Before Khun Anne bought the pageant, Miss Universe was under IMG-Endeavor Management. In addition, it was owned by Donald Trump before he sold it to IMG-Endeavor to run and eventually become a US president.
More beauty pageant stories:
3 Moms Share Their Journeys in Joining Miss Universe Philippines 2023
