Giselle Tay, a 27-year-old digital marketer from Kuala Lumpur, has been crowned Miss International Malaysia 2022 at the pageant final held at Hotel Oriental Sabah in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah on March 13.
She competed against the other 13 contestants in the national costume, swimsuit, evening gown and interview competitions.
“This is definitely a life changing experience. I feel very proud of myself to make this happen,” Tay said. “And most importantly, I make my family proud too. But at the same time, I also feel the immediate responsibility in order to make my country proud in the international title in Japan.”
Tay, standing at 170 cm (5’ 7”) of height, will go on to represent Malaysia to compete at the 60th Miss International pageant scheduled to be held in Japan in the autumn of 2022.
She succeeded Miss International Malaysia 2019 Charmaine Chew whose reign was extended as no contest was held in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Asked what were her great strengths that helped her to win the competition, Tay said, “Humbleness, hardworking and independence. I believe all of these could bring me far and beyond.”
Tay had finally achieved her dream of becoming a beauty queen. This is her first beauty award as she has been attempting the pageant since 2015 where she has not won titles. Her perseverance and patience finally paid off.
“I started my pageant journey with Miss Global International Malaysia back in 2015 and I didn’t manage to get any title. After taking a long break and I decided to make a come-back by joining Miss Grand Malaysia 2020. It was definitely a great experience learning from all the experienced queens.”
Tay said she sees beauty pageants as a way for women to build self-esteem and learn invaluable life skills.
“Beauty pageants give women a great opportunity to learn some important skills that they can use in their life. Through pageants, they gained better social skills and confidence, improved personality and learned to understand the many different values that guide them to achieve their goals.
“The biggest influence on my life has been my mother and grandmother. They have always been there for me. One taught me to be kind and one taught me to be strong,” she said.
Tay is looking forward to the Miss International final in Japan and hopes to make an impact at the pageant final.
“I believe my national director and the team have a plan for me and will guide me through. Meanwhile, I will put extra effort on my public speaking skills, delivery positive message to public, and last but not least to speak out for all women in Malaysia that needed support.”
Tay, who graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Mass Communication, said she and her partner set up their digital company and they have been in the industry for six years.
“Our main objective is to help companies strengthen their digital assets and online presence in order to target the right audience precisely. Especially in this crucial pandemic period, we have learnt that digital marketing for business is essential.”
Yap enjoys hobbies such as working out, dancing and handcrafting.
