Saturday June 27, 2009
Ladies of the pageant
Stories by KEE HUA CHEE
Ever wondered what happened to previous Miss Malaysia Universes? Do they fade into the background or do they go on to better things? We look in on six former queens and a runner-up.
What happens to beauty queens when the limelight has faded and the years have passed?
Like your old classmates and school friends, some Miss Malaysia Universes have gone on to more successes in life, some became rich and titled, while many have faded into oblivion.
I looked at six of the more successful former beauty queens and a runner-up, comprising two Datuk, a Datin, a lawyer, a Queenmaker, an actress/TV host/MC and a film producer. All have continued to bask in the limelight, having successfully parlayed their Miss Malaysia Universe title into lucrative careers.
The seven include a mother-and-daughter team who make up the youngest and oldest Miss Malaysia’s on the list.
It’s in the genes
Andrea Veronica Fonseka
Miss Malaysia Universe 2004
That Andrea Veronica Fonseka was crowned Miss Malaysia Universe in 2004 was perhaps not so surprising, considering her mother won the same title back in 1970. However, she had a bit of a battle with weight. When I hosted an afternoon session with her for The Star’s Fashion Week that year, her sweet tooth was obvious.
I chided her for reaching out for the cookies while I was chatting with her live before an audience! She was livid when I later told her that she was one char kway teow plate away from falling into the overweight category.
However, being the intelligent lass that she is, she didn’t kick me with her Jimmy Choos but instead enrolled in Marie France.
Miss Malaysia Universe 1970, Josephine Lena Fonseka congratulating her daughter Andrea on winning the title in 2004. Subsequently, she trimmed down and evolved into the stunning beauty that she is today.
Now based in Singapore, Fonseka first arrived in the island republic in 2007 to applause. She has appeared on the cover of FHM Singapore, Female, Her World, Maxim, T3 Singapore, 8 Days Singapore and was voted one of “50 Most Gorgeous People” by Female magazine. She then went on to bag FHM Singapore’s “Sexiest Woman in the World” title in 2007 and 2008.
It was the first time anyone had won the title two years running, and Fonseka even outdid the likes of Megan Fox in the eyes of Singaporeans.
The global brand Olay selected Fonseka as one the “Top 10 Perfect Beauties of Asia” and her first feature film Carrotcake Conversations, in which she plays a prostitute, was shown at the Cannes Film Festival.
Datin Josephine Lena Fonseka
Miss Malaysia Universe 1970
Born in 1952 when Malaysia did not even exist, Datin Josephine Lena Fonseka is the youngest girl in a family of 10. Her father worked in Ipoh’s mining industry and her mother, a homemaker. She entered various pageants as a teen and won the biggest trophy at 18, younger than daughter Andrea was when she won the same title 24 years later at 19.
A young Josephine Fonseka also participated in Queen of Expo in Japan in 1970 and at the Miss Universe 1970 in Miami Beach. She was considered a favourite!
“I was uncomfortable as Japan and the US were my first overseas trips, and it was very daunting for an inexperienced 18-year-old!” she remembers.
The international stage frightened her but Fonseka made it into the semi-finals, the first time a Malaysian managed the feat.
She later attended college and worked at three beauty companies before settling at Kanebo, where she worked her way to the position of manager for Malaysia and Hong Kong. In 1991 she started her own business with no links to beauty or fashion, wholesaling electrical products, T-shirts and sportswear.
Fonseka loves travelling and is notorious for planning family vacations a full year in advance!
A devout Christian, she tries to attend church daily. A strict disciplinarian, she has always kept her children in line.
“Thanks to Mum, we all have good manners — ha-ha. I also learned my pasar malam haggling skills from her!” grins daughter Andrea.
Household names
Datuk Yasmin Yusuff
Miss Malaysia Universe 1978
Born in Wales, Cardiff to a Malay father and German mother, Datuk Yasmin Yusuff represented Malaysia at the Miss Universe 1978 competition in Acapulco, Mexico, where she won third prize for Best National Dress.
Datuk Yasmin Yusuff. “It was the first international trophy ever won by a Malaysian beauty queen,” she says proudly.
Yasmin graduated from the University of Bradford, UK, in Human Purposes and Communications in 1979 and worked at the front office of KL Hilton in 1980 before starting her own talent and casting company, Image C.E, in 1986.
Due to her mellifluous voice, she was roped in to do voice-overs for countless radio and TV advertisements. She was a part-time announcer for Radio 4 for 13 years till 1999, before joining Rediffusion and Encorp. She was voted Most Popular Deejay and won the AIM award for radio work in 1997.
She became a household name as Jessica in the RTM hit series Opah. Her recent movies are Pisau Cukur (2009), Hooperz (2008) and Susuk (2007). Today she is still keeping busy doing voice-overs, acting and emceeing.
Nancie Foo
Miss Malaysia Universe
Runner-up 1978
One of Malaysia’s most famous faces, Nancie Foo represented Malaysia in the Miss Inter-national finals in Tokyo where she famously fainted on stage, effectively wiping out all chances of her winning!
Nancie Foo. — JEWELS BY ELEGANCE CLUB, C. H. LOH & MOHD SAHAR MISNI/The Star She returned to become the first Chinese actress to appear in Malay dramas and movies, a novelty at the time. Her fluent Bahasa Malaysia, charming personality and renowned sense of fun made her a sensation. She and I used to visit Tin Mine (club) and caused many a commotion. The last few years have seen her running a club called China White.
Her fame was sealed in 1981 when she won Most Promising Actress at the 2nd Malaysian Film Festival for her role in Bintang Pujaan. She co-founded a film production company, Produksi Seni 2020, and has produced many telemovies, documentaries, cooking programmes, docudramas, travelogues, musicals, plus the movie Red-Haired Tumbler.
She is a committee member of the Malaysian Film Producers’ Association and is chairman in charge of competition and jury for the coming 22nd Malaysian Film Festival to be held in Kota Kinabalu from Aug 3-Aug 8.
Married to businessman Wong Kang Yaw, she has three daughters aged 16, 14 and eight.
Evolving beauty
Datuk Anna Lim
Miss Malaysia Universe 1990
Datuk Anna Lim is the only Miss Malaysia Universe whose husband, businessman Jeffrey Lim, is also a Datuk. She went on to win another beauty title as a married woman 14 years later when she won the Mrs Malaysia World 2004.
Lim graduated from Inchbald School of Interior Design in London and is presently busy decorating her new bungalow. She has written three books: Beauty & Beyond (2005), on her experiences as a beauty queen; Children: The Future of Tomorrow (2007) which offers parental tips based on her twins; and Magical Moments of Malaysia (out in Sept 2009), which is a practical five-star hotel guide.
Her latest passion is riding. She emerged third in dressage at the recent Penang National Horse Show.
The queenmaker
Maggie Loo
Miss Malaysia Universe 1973
Maggie Loo’s name is synonymous with modelling. She was a pioneer in the industry when she started The Originals Fashion Studio in Merlin (now Concorde Hotel) in 1975.
Maggie Loo “I was the first to organise lunch and tea fashion shows, and they were a hit because they were seen as something new and revolutionary! Today there are no hotels offering fashion shows on a regular basis anymore,” sighs the beauty queen who still looks ravishing.
Her word was law back then among the models, and one withering look from her was enough to reduce an upstart to tears. She is dubbed The Queenmaker because she has coached over a dozen girls into winning the Miss Malaysia title.
“Those who won under my tutelage include Lily Chong (1974), Nancie Foo (1978), Yasmin Yusuff (1978), Irene Wong (1979), Siti Rohana (1982), Puspa Salleh (1983) and Anna Lim (1990). These were Miss Malaysia Universes.
“The Miss Malaysia Worlds include Christine Mary Lim (1977) and Callie Liew (1980).
“Anne Looi won Miss Malaysia Asia Pacific 1979 and Christine Teoh was runner-up,” she says.
In 1987 Loo was given the Supermodel of the World franchise for Malaysia by Ford New York and sent two winners, Yeoh Liu Siang (1988) and Irina Lim (1989), to participate in the main event.
She is currently busy with her grooming and modelling courses and workshops. She is married to Lim Nam Aik and has a daughter, Grace, who at 13 is already 1.75m tall, so we potentially already have a Miss Malaysia in the making.
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