“I think Miss Universe is a platform on which a woman can showcase their talents and inspire young women around the world, and that really inspires me to be better. It doesn’t matter if I’m married, divorced or with a child. I can show my talents regardless of my marital status.”

First time as a married woman

When it comes to beauty pageants, most competitions, including Miss Universe, have always been restricted to single women. This will no longer be the case, as the Miss Universe Organisation has made a historical change to its rules to allow married women and mothers to compete.

Upon learning of the announcement, Praveenar Singh Thakral decided to compete again, as a married woman, with hopes of inspiring other women to follow their dreams, regardless of their marital status. In fact, her husband was the first to tell her about the changes and fully supports her entering Miss Universe Thailand 2023.

“I think that is such a wonderful thing,” she said. “It’s a step of inclusivity that shows that equality for women is real and it keeps happening every day. We are part of the society and, as individuals, we should make this society more inclusive for all women.”

With her previous experience competing in Miss Universe Thailand in 2018 and 2020, the year she was the 1st runner-up, Praveenar expressed her confidence in being able to win this year’s competition and to represent Thailand on the global Miss Universe stage. 

“Competing how many times doesn’t matter for me,” she explains. “The most important thing is what you have learnt from this competition, and how have you grow throughout the years. It’s about how you showcase your talent and how you speak about the causes in which you believe.”

Married doesn’t mean incapable

Oftentimes, married women are perceived as being “too old” to pursue certain careers, due to existing gender roles limiting their potential to being a housewife. Praveenar herself has encountered such stereotypes since she got married two years ago.

“Definitely a lot of people in Thailand think that a married woman should be a housewife and they think that we should stay at home and we don’t go to work. That is a misconception that I would like to change.”

In fact, the beauty queen herself has been juggling several jobs at the same time, as a managing partner of her own advertising company in which she works with her husband and producing her online talk show on social issues.

“I just want to show them that you have the talent, you have your dreams, you can go and pursue them, even if you are married, divorced or have a child. It doesn’t matter. It’s how you want to pursue your dream that is the most important thing.”

As Praveenar says she is advocating for women’s rights, what she hopes to see in Thailand, especially from the new government, are more policies to promote an inclusive environment for all genders, as well as to protect women in the workplace. One of the changes she wants to see is an easing of restrictions on women’s uniforms in government agencies.

“In Thailand, a lot of women are working with the government and I can see that there’s still this policy requiring women have to wear skirts not pants. So, I would like to see that change first.”

Another issue that she believes needs to be fixed is the rights for working mothers, particularly maternity leave, for which the Move Forward party proposes an increase in maternity leave to 180 days.

“Nowadays it’s only 90 days [in Thailand] but, in Denmark, it’s one year already and you can share that one year with your partner, regardless of gender.”

Diversity is the key

Nowadays, beauty pageants are no longer about only women’s physical beauty, as Praveenar explains, it has evolved into a platform that empowers women, from all walks of life, to advocate for issues in which they believe.

One of the notable examples was Miss Universe Thailand 2021 winner, Anchilee Scott-Kemmis, who challenged the existing beauty standards through her online movement, Real Size Beauty.

Apart from advocating for equal rights for women in the workplace, including married women, another issue the Indian-Thai beauty queen strongly believes in is the elimination of bullying, as she used to be a victim of bullying due to her skin colour and ethnicity.

“When I was young, I got bullied a lot because of my differences and people in Thailand didn’t understand diversity back then,” she explains, while noting that the reason why children make fun of others is a lack of awareness about diversity and how to accept others for being different.

“Nowadays, I learn from it and I advocate for all the kids and adults in Thailand about diversity, and to accept, no matter how you look, what your race is or where you came from. That doesn’t matter. It’s about who you are on the inside. It’s about what you believe in and how you speak about your causes, which I think is the most important thing.”

Praveenar also noticed that, compared to her childhood, there’s much more understanding in Thai society and that people nowadays are much more accepting of other people’s differences, whether it’s their skin colour, race, body type or so on.

“Thailand has become more accepting and understanding about diversity and it’s really the most important thing that I want to raise as a representative of Miss Universe Thailand as well, to show the world that this is a bowl of salad, it’s delicious and you can come and enjoy it with us.”

Never let any societal norms change your mind

As to what Empowering Thai Women means to Praveenar, she explains that it is giving women a safe space to speak up for themselves, for the causes in which they believe and to showcase their talents, regardless of their marital or parental status.

“They can show their talents, their intelligence, their resilience and their strengths. So, I think that’s the best way to empower women.”

Praveenar also wants to encourage women to challenge the stereotypes, freely express themselves and do whatever they desire without being pressured by the prejudice that society might have against them.

“Definitely speak out for yourself. Know your worth and never let any [of the] societal norms change your mind. You are talented, you are strong and you are capable of doing anything you want to do. Just stand up and speak for yourself.”

By Nad Bunnag, Thai PBS World