'What's wrong with having a standard for beauty?' Miss Hong Kong Louisa Mak defends 'degrading' pageants
Louisa Mak achieved straight As in her exams, then went on to graduate in law at Cambridge and once dreamed about getting into politics
"If I were the chief executive, I would definitely want housing to be affordable," said Louisa Mak Ming-sze, who, after gaining a perfect score in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination in 2009, said she wanted to enter politics and even become chief executive one day.
The 23-year-old said she understood the difficulties in making housing more affordable, particularly because of vested interests, which included not only businesses but also individual property owners.
She said every policy would inevitably affect some interests, leading to some people losing. She said if she was chief executive, she would make sure that the majority was winning.
"There is not going to be a policy where everyone is going to be happy. And that's why it's difficult, and I'm not confident enough in myself."
Perhaps this is why the new Miss Hong Kong, although she sounded certain that she wanted to be a politician back in 2009, is now not so sure about this path any more.
She said there were constraints on the road of politics that she did not expect when she was younger, such as power struggles and financial requirements.
"There is this thing about being politically correct. I myself have always tried to be correct, but not politically correct. I need to know whether I have the capabilities to serve society in that role, because I learned that it takes much more than simply caring about society."
Mak said she was open to different options, including performing, because she is passionate about dancing and drama.
"I realise that the media is a very powerful influencer … When I was doing some drama productions at university, I found it a very satisfying experience to be able to send out messages, but through someone else's mouth. I am looking forward to bringing some new content to the media, if I am able to."
Being an "influencer" has been Mak's dream since she was little. Last year, she interned at for four months as a feature writer to "send messages out there and to voice your opinions … indirectly", while "pretending to be neutral".
At about the same time, she posted a photo on her Instagram account showing her in the middle of the pro-democracy Occupy protests.
"I appreciated the movement because it really made us think. Some people were very for it and some people were very against it, but I think it's that clash that will inspire us to think. It was beneficial to Hong Kong because we finally saw people with passion for society.
"On a social level, I think it really allowed different sections of society to communicate, despite hostility sometimes."
I think it's that clash that will inspire us to think
But Mak said she was disappointed in seeing that people were not able to tolerate different views during the movement and she described it as "the worst thing you can have in a democratic society."
She said she went to the protests because it was a "special moment of Hong Kong's history". She said both the movement's supporters and detractors should have gone to the scene to "see for yourself, to feel it".
She did not say whether she was a supporter or a detractor.
"I think action speaks for itself."
The desire to be an influencer is is also why she sought to become Miss Hong Kong, a decision that seemed a far cry from her dream and her education.
"In order to do good on a larger scale you really need some people to see you and hear you. That's always what I wanted to do since I was young. Money or material things never satisfied me.
"I thought Miss Hong Kong was something that would only add value and help me to … bring some influence to society. I thought it was the most suitable opportunity at that time."
Born in Australia, Mak moved to Hong Kong with her parents when she was two years old. Her father, Mak Cheuk-sang, is the vice-principal of SKH Lam Woo Memorial Secondary School, a local elite school, and her mother is an occupational therapist.
Some have said that winning the beauty pageant will help Mak climb to an even higher social class and may eventually lead to a rich husband, but Mak scoffs at the idea.
"I can't be more offended [by the idea], to be honest."
She said she would not have needed the pageant to seek a rich spouse because there were "a lot of eligible bachelors around me" at university.
"It's just normal that we do want to achieve more and make it to a more influential position … Miss Hong Kong to me would be a ladder, but a ladder to more opportunities and a more influential position, where I can then further my own aspirations."
However, people have been criticising beauty pageants more and more for degrading women.
"In this social context, it's all right to celebrate beauty, because it's just like one of the qualities that we are born with … As long as I don't let Miss Hong Kong define myself, I don't feel that there is anything wrong with using this as a platform.
"Some people think that it encourages a standard in beauty which women feel obliged to achieve … We will be lying to ourselves to say that there isn't a standard.
"There is a standard in what makes a good singer and a standard in what makes a good academic. What's wrong with having a standard for beauty?"
