Interview with a MVW - Part Zwei

Apologies for the very long overdue post again. The weeks leading up to MVW's finals have been mentally taxing and my energy is quite drained. Even though I've been in two pageants before this, I can say this one has been the toughest to endure. In less than two weeks a new MVW will be crowned and at least 29 contestants can get a bit more sleep and relaxation. The winner will just have to forgo slumber for an entire year.

Members of the public were invited to a live press presentation featuring the MVWs wearing the same Mimikri dress. We were allowed to style it up as we liked of course. I went for something simple since I figured the idea was to focus on us more than what we wore. This would be a chance for the audience to ask one question and get to know each contestant better. I was happy to have a couple of friends there to cheer me on as I approached the front of the stage for my question.

I got one that I've been asked many times before: "Why did you choose to represent Canada? What is it about its culture and traditions that appeal to you?" Sometimes this question bothers me only because on screen it almost translates as "Why didn't you choose a different country?" I'm sure that wasn't the intent, but I do feel very strongly about my relationship to my Canadian friends and their homeland. I feel no shame at all in being the virtual face of a diverse country that embraces many cultures and traditions. They love their beavers and poutine. Someone loved their maple syrup enough to steal 600 barrels of it, which devastated many pancake fans I'm sure. I love that every Canadian I have ever met has had a warm and welcoming heart that accepts people as they are. Being a film graduate, I have always dreamt of attending the Toronto Film Festival since many American movies are made there. I love that gay marriage is legal in a majority of the country there and that I don't get the sense that people let the concept of religion overshadow the importance of treating others humanely. And yes I have considered dual citizenship so that I may call both North American countries, USA and Canada, my home. There are many reasons why to choose Canada. The better question would be, "why not choose Canada?" I'm very proud of my choice.

Before anyone starts applauding, since it was a question asked on the spot, I should point out that the above answer is the long form of what I gave. My actual answer was about three sentences long, but I wanted to be considerate to the other 26 contestants who had yet to speak after me. I wasn't about to take up several minutes to try and prove I'm some super intellectual being with a lot to say. That is what a blog is for.

The results of who won the audience vote was never told to us. I don't know if we'll ever get the results. I can't answer as to why there is so much secrecy concerning our rank in the competition. I want to believe it's for a positive reason, but like a few others, I'm baffled by the judging system. I want to know how I'm doing and be able to answer that question when people ask "so how are you doing in MVW?" It would be like running a marathon and never having the final race times posted. Athletes want to know if all that hard work and practice paid off so getting some kind of feedback would be appreciated. Even if they don't want to give us scores, at least some judging feedback would help us grow as models.

We had a Winter Wonderland show with our Valentino looks yesterday. We were also told by Mr. Mills in a notice that they had their top 12 and top 5 chosen--for the competition, not the challenge. Again, please don't freak out, all 30 contestants will be in the finals given that nothing horrible happens to any of them before Dec. 15. All the notice meant is that for the most part, the competition is pretty much over so there is nothing more to do than focus on the big day of announcing who the winner is. For some, like me, this is a bit of a relief because the decisions have been made and nothing more can be done to change them. For others, it could be a discouraging message that there is no point in trying any harder to campaign for the title at this point. (Update: A notice came later from Mr. Mills explaining the ill-worded message sent yesterday and that the finals will account for the remaining 40% of the overall score in choosing the next MVW.)

I have many, many things to say about my experience but for now I'll withhold those comments publicly for the sake of fulfilling several promises to see this thing through. I'll just continue to say what I can't seem to stop saying to all of you reading this: thank you for the support. It has meant more than you may ever know.


Dress: Mimikri
Shoes: Leverocci
Jewelry: Finesmith Jewelry
Eyeshadow: MONS
Lipstick: m.o.c.k. cosmetics
Hair: Loovus Dzevavor

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