Who is Miss Thailand, last weekend’s runner-up in the Miss World competition?

PHOTOS: Sereechai Puttes/Time Out Bangkok

“Beauty is seen in action and how much you give to society. Beauty is what you do for other people and what you say to other people to make them feel better about themselves.”

She was the runner up in this year’s Miss World competition held at Santa, China last Saturday night. She was also crowned Miss Asia at the same event. But who is this young career beauty pageant entrant?Time Out Bangkok met Nicolene Pichapa Limsnukan before she headed off to Sanya for the title event. Read some of her pageant-winning answers… (NB. The term ‘world peace’ was never mentioned)

Why do we still need beauty pageants in the era of female empowerment?

Nicolene: I believe beauty pageants help society see how a woman can be empowering. One, beauty pageants are not just about beauty. A beauty pageant shows how a woman can be strong, how she can be smart, and how she can help other people and empower other women, so I think beauty pageants are platforms for people to see how empowering women are.

What is the difference between the beauty pageants in the past and now?

Nicolene: I believe that beauty pageants back then focused on the wrong thing. They focused on a woman’s femininity and how womanly she is. They focused on her curves, and they didn’t focus on their minds and what she has to say. Nowadays, we have shifted our focus because we now know that women have so much to offer. I feel that, in 2018, so many people see that woman have more to offer than just pretty hair and pretty teeth.

Read the rest of the interview with Nicolene Pichapa Limsnukan HERE.