Weil (right), the reigning Miss Germany, training in one of the world's most prestigious beauty pageant schools in the Philippine capital, Manila. Photos: Carola Frentzen/dpa
Strutting in 17cm heels is no easy feat – it’s a skill that takes practice.
Celina Weil, the reigning Miss Germany, is standing in front of a mirrored wall with four other young women, taking turns to balance on one leg in her mega heels.
The 23-year-old still occasionally stumbles, but she has only just begun her training in one of the world's most prestigious beauty pageant schools in the Philippine capital, Manila.
"Above all, I want to perfect my walk here," says Weil, who comes from a small town in south-west Germany.
The young woman's dedication pays off when she competes for the Miss Intercontinental 2024 competition in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, earning fourth place.
Anyone who thinks that preparing for a beauty contest is just about selecting a stunning dress and mastering intricate hairstyles is in for a shock. The training programme designed by 55-year-old Rodgil Flores is more akin to a rigorous boot camp.
Practice takes place in an unadorned room in a gym in Manila's Ortigas business district. The walls are white, the floors concrete and the chairs are made of plastic – there is no glamour here. But that's not the point.
The training programme for beauty pageant contestants designed by 55-year-old Flores (right) is more akin to a rigorous boot camp.
A beauty pageant powerhouse
"I have been working as a beauty pageant mentor for 30 years," says Flores, who coaches the young contestants with two assistants.
Filipinos are "world-famous for being crazy fans" of beauty competitions, he says. "We really go wild when it comes to our queens."
At Flores' school, appropriately named Kagandahang Flores (KF) – which simply means "beautiful" – his charges not only learn to walk the runway in staggeringly high heels but also work on their personality, expression and communication skills.
Flores also teaches them about the various requirements of important international beauty pageants and is on hand to help and advise them. His recipe for success is a holistic approach, he says.
"You wouldn't think that beauty queens have to sweat for their success, but this is a full body workout, from muscle stretching to posture," says Bianca Nicole Miranda, 23, the reigning Miss Earth Puerto Rico.
This means she is the country's pick for the international Miss Earth competition, a major beauty pageant held in the Philippines.
Winning a beauty pageant also requires grace, intellect and presence, Miranda says.
Leean Jame Santos, Miss Manila Tourism 2024, says that she collapsed on the first day of training.
"It was really hard, totally exhausting. But you can see the progress, and it was absolutely worth it."
KF is considered a pioneer and one of the most important beauty camps in the Philippines. Its closest rival is called Aces & Queens, which is also based in the capital.
The beauty schools in Manila have ultimately contributed to the fact that the South-East Asian island state is now one of the most successful nations in the world when it comes to the Big Four beauty pageants.
Filipino contestants have claimed four Miss Universe titles, along with one Miss World, six Miss International and four Miss Earth titles – making it a dominant force in the four most prestigious beauty pageants.
Walking in 17cm heels is a skill that takes practice.
A launchpad to stardom
Everyone here knows the names of the winners, who are greeted like Olympians bringing home the gold when they return.
For many contestants, winning a beauty pageant is a stepping stone to becoming successful actresses and holding public office.
Perhaps best known is the story of former first lady Imelda Marcos, wife of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Notorious for amassing an excessive shoe collection of some 3,000 pairs while the Philippines were roiled by a severe economic crisis, Marcos also began her career by entering a beauty pageant.
"Classic femininity is celebrated much more here, and the audience is always completely enraptured at beauty pageants – it's quite different from Germany," says Weil, who was only "discovered" one year before being crowned Miss Germany 2024.
Weil, who studies economics in Frankfurt, is determined to finish her degree while also pushing ahead with her modelling career.
"The atmosphere is just right," she says about the KF training camp.
"It's very professional and sometimes a bit strict, but otherwise you wouldn't learn anything. You're always on an equal footing with the coaches, and it's great fun. Rodgil knows what he's doing – he's successfully coached so many girls before."
Miss Germany organisers have booked her one week at the camp, to get her ready for Miss Intercontinental, as the stakes are much higher at an international beauty pageant.
With contestants from 70 countries competing for the crown, "this training is important to be able to keep up at all".
Weil is training with four other young women from Puerto Rico, the United States and the Philippines.
Further contestants from the Netherlands, Wales and Nigeria are expected to join them in the coming days but Weil says everyone gets on very well, despite being rivals.
"Of course there is rivalry in beauty contests, but it doesn't do anyone any favours," she says, adding that for her, it's more about having a good time.
Boot camp leader Flores says "a perfect body and good skin are prerequisites" to win a beauty pageant.
"But what it comes down to in the end is personality and the determination to really work hard."
What's more, you have to be able to withstand the pressure in the competitions.
"This is where the mentors come in. Beauty contests are a mind game – and you need to develop a strategy for this," says Flores.
A woman's best friend
And why the mega-high heels?
Flores explains they help the participants look taller, as if they were optically stretched.
"High heels are really women's best friends in the competitions."
Weil also bought herself a pair of mammoth platforms in Manila that she planned to wear in Egypt.
"For Miss Germany, I wore normal shoes, but for international competitions it's important to learn how to walk in heels like these," she says.
"I've already fallen over twice – but I'm getting better every day. It's just a matter of practice," she adds with a laugh. – dpa
