Don’t hold yourself back – Anntonia Porsild
“I still get very emotional whenever I look back at the Miss Universe competition and see how far I’ve come, but overall, everything I do and every day that comes towards me is always an exciting experience.”
Miss Universe 2023 runner-up, Anntonia Porsild, reflected on her best moments in the competition in El Salvador in November. Although three months have passed, the Thai-Danish beauty queen feels that the whole experience on the Miss Universe stage is still surreal to her and that she cherishes every moment as it was.
For many Thais, the final night, when she was named the runner up, was a night to remember but, for Anntonia, it was also the national costume competition, for which she dressed as Phra Mae Thorani, The Goddess of Nature in Buddhist mythology. That particular round, she says, was when she felt most nervous.
“I always get very emotional about the national costume round, because it’s an opportunity for each country to really showcase what their country has to offer; from the culture, the history, to everything that it holds. So, because I feel so connected with my own culture, I felt like there was more pressure for me to succeed and to do that in the best way possible.”
Her position as runner up on the Miss Universe stage, the highest achievement of a Thai contestant for 35 years, became a huge source of pride for many Thais, evident by the large crowds who welcomed the beauty queen on her return to Suvarnabhumi airport. Anntonia’s journey towards the crown also inspired many young Thai girls, which she accepts with a humility.
“I never thought that I would be an inspiration to other people,” she said. “It’s usually me seeing others as an inspiration to me, but every day I try to do my best and I always try to lead with purpose and with grace, so that people can see that it’s so easy to be just like their idols or people they aspire to be, as long as they take that first step and dare to just dream big.”
Despite her accomplishments and accolades, Anntonia is still among many other beauty queens who still have to navigate social pressure, criticism and even cyberbullying, which have caused her moments of self-doubt.
“I don’t want to say that I got through it, because every day is or was a struggle,” Anntonia explains. “I’m still trying to work through it now, because even today, I still get comments, I still get bullied and I still get a lot of people saying nasty things about me, but I always feel like it’s our duty to choose how we react to certain situations.”
In fact, dealing with criticism is not an easy task for everyone and most people often assume that public figures must tolerate all forms of criticism, including hate speech, only because they are in the “spotlight”. Regardless, Anntonia believes that everyone still has the power to choose how they react and to move on from such negativity. The Miss Universe runner-up also says that those who bully others often come from a “place of pain” and, therefore, it is not Anntonia’s nor anyone’s responsibility to find happiness for them.
“So, my natural reaction is to just ignore what they say and focus on positive people and the positive energy around me. You don’t need to focus on the negativity or on the people who don’t even know you, but feel they have something to say. I always tell myself; imagine hating someone so much, but you don’t even know them.”
From the UN to eco-business to charity – the many lives of Thai beauty queen Anntonia Porsild
Beauty queens, gender roles and respecting women
Nowadays, beauty pageants have evolved into a platform for women, from all walks of life, to express their views on social and global issues, proving that are more than just a pretty face and do have the voice for provoking positive changes. Nonetheless, Anntonia believes that the current generation of women still has a lot to prove to people, especially to those who still hold stereotypical views of beauty queens.
“I feel that beauty queens in this generation have more to prove, because we are often regarded as just a pretty face, but I also feel that this generation has more platforms from whichto speak their minds and prove to everyone that that’ is not what a beauty queen is,” she explains.
“We are strong, independent women with careers. Some are doctors, some are teachers, some are policewomen and we are given the opportunity to inspire and to empower the people around us to uplift themselves and follow their dreams. Sometimes we have to work twice as hard, or ten times as hard as other people, but we should never be afraid of using our platform and using our voice to stand up for what is right.”
On International Women’s Day, Anntonia expressed her opinion on what is lacking in Thai society, in terms of women’s empowerment. Having discussed how she still struggles with the online criticism and social expectations of women, especially of beauty queens, Anntonia noticed a more serious issue, which affects the current perception of Thai women.
“A lot of the time, the stereotypical Thai women has to be soft, accepting, conflict-free, stay at home, take care of the kids and it’s not looked upon positively when we are strong women in business or have aspirations to do something more than just taking care of our family. As a beauty queen, I want to spread that message that you can be anything you want, because I do feel like there is a long way for us to go, due to how accepting we are of all traditional ways of thinking.”
Of all the stereotypes of Thai women, from their image, behaviour and the traditional gender roles, one social expectation that frustrates her the most, often heard from older women and even people of her generation, is that women should find a rich husband in order to live a happy and comfortable life.
“It always makes me question the mind set of women in society,” she said. “Why do we need to depend on a man to make us happy or to support us, when we are capable of doing that for ourselves? Of course, I don’t judge people who choose to [marry a rich husband], but I feel like that should not be the “go-to” for women. We are able to do so many things for ourselves and we should not have to be a burden on someone else, only because we want to live an easy life. Of course, we want to have it easy, but wouldn’t it be more satisfying if we created that easy living and that happiness for ourselves?”
When asked what kind of changes she hopes to see in terms of women’s empowerment, especially in Thailand, Anntonia believes that what needs to be achieved first is the perception of equality and the attitude towards women, adding that women should be more respectful of each other, rather than competing or tearing each other down.
“It’s not about women being more than men, it’s about accepting that we are equal,” she said. “We are all capable of achieving the same things. We don’t need to look down on someone just because they’re a woman or that they should be less respected because they’re not a man. I think it all starts with us as individuals in society, before we can ask for change at the government level. When women can respect each other, that’s where the change starts, because, if we’re constantly looking at each other, judging each other and comparing who’s better, who’s richer or who has what, we’re already taking one step backwards.”
Meanwhile, the most important thing, which Anntonia believes should be taught to young girls today, is to listen to your heart, follow what you desire and that you should never wait for anyone’s approval in order to do what you have always wanted to do.
“It’s okay to be the voice that you want to hear. You don’t need to wait for someone else to say it first. You don’t need to wait to be told what to do. If you feel that your heart is there and you want to do it, just go for it. You don’t need to sit around and wait for things to happen for you when you know that you’re capable of making it happen yourself.”
Even though taking the first step is always the hardest, which can cause people fear to start something new, the Thai-Danish beauty queen insists that people should “dare to dream” and that it only takes that first courageous step to begin achieving what they really want in their lives.
“I would say, don’t hold yourself back. It’s always going be scary, because we don’t know what’s going to happen, but don’t let that fear hold you back from achieving greatness.”
Life after Miss Universe
As to what she plans to do after she completes her reign as Miss Universe Thailand, Anntonia seems to have many things in hand, from her philanthropic Little Steps project and her sun spray business to her local Pad-Mee-Korat restaurant.
One of her bigger aspirations is to either pursue an acting career, like most of her Miss Universe Thailand predecessors, or focus on music, which she says would allow her to express her identity through her creativity.
“When we do our work as beauty queens, we’re always ‘acting’ in the persona that we want people to see and I feel that in music, you can be your own person through your music. You can share your characteristics, your dreams and your message through your music. I feel there’s a lot more I want people to see that make me who I am, apart from holder of the Miss Universe Thailand crown.”
By Nad Bunnag, Thai PBS World
