Pageant hopefuls Wen Wei and Kimberly vie for the Miss International Malaysia 2022 crown

Fifteen finalists, ages 18 to 27, and from across the country, have been chosen for the Miss International Malaysia 2022 pageant which will be held at Hotel Oriental Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah on March 13.

Miss International Malaysia KL state director Thiruselvam said the pageant is being held this year after having been delayed for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The winner will go on to represent Malaysia to compete in the 60th Miss International pageant in Tokyo at the end of the year,” he said.

The contestants come from a variety of backgrounds and will compete in several categories including swimsuit, evening gown and national wear.

Among those competing are a university student and a start-up fashion business owner.

Final year student at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Yap Wen Wei, 24, is excited to be a finalist in Miss International Malaysia 2022.

“I’ve always wanted to join pageant since I was a teenager and I’m extremely happy to be chosen as a finalist because I’m a step closer to see my dream to reality and I’m ready to fight for it,” said Wen Wei, who believes in celebrating beauty in all its forms and diversity.

“I’m not in the ideal height to join pageant. I’m only 165cm (5’ 5”) tall. With this being mentioned, I would like to share about my advocacy which is to celebrate all kind of beauty.

“I advocate for women and young girls to live their most empowered lives and overcome any limiting beliefs because we recognize that every dream is valid and females should be given equal chances to be anyone they want by not conforming to standards set by the society.”

Wen Wei, who was born in Kelantan but raised in Kuala Lumpur, has a big family of mixed culture. She is of mixed Chinese and Thai blood.

Wen Wei is not new to the pageant scene as she previously made it to the Top 8 in Miss Malaysia Globe International 2018.

“This is my second pageant. I’m grateful for the opportunity and I’m going to give it my best in this pageant.

“One of the main reasons I joined Miss International Malaysia pageant is because of my Instagram’s followers, always supporting me and encouraging me to join the pageant.

“I was also inspired by the advocacy the pageant stands for, which is to achieve a world where women can live with positivity, inner strength and individuality.”

Wen Wei said women should realize their individual beauty and not conform to beauty standards, and these are also reflected in her reason for wanting to be Miss International Malaysia 2022.

“Nowadays, there are too many ‘perfect image’ or they say ‘perfect look’ circulating on the internet which make people have a fixed standard on how beauty should look like. The truth is there isn’t any standard to beauty. I believe every woman from all walks of life should be given equal opportunity to be whomever they wish to be, without worrying the standards set by society.

“Hence here is how my advocacy was created, beauty beyond labels where I stand up for or individuality and I believe everyone is uniquely themselves. If I win the crown, I can be the example to women that it is okay to be different and you still can achieve your dreams.”

Wen Wei believes beauty pageants are important to inspire women to be brave and fight for their dream.

“I consider myself blessed to be here where women encourage women to challenge the boundaries. They are capable to do anything. In short, pageant can help women to understand more on what women can do.

“The biggest influence has been my parents. From the minute I was born they have always been my best friends, guiding me and teaching me, and giving me strength to every step of the way.

“I’m so often inspired by my parents who live boldly and without any fear. Even on their toughest days, they remain the same loving and brave persons they always have been. They can always solve all the problems that we encountered. I’m grateful to have my parents, without them, I would not be who I am today.”

Wen Wei loves freediving which is a form of diving underwater and holding the breath without the use of breathing equipment.

“I feel like a bird when freediving, it seems like I can fly. When you dive into the deep blue, all the sound will be drowned out, the only sound that you hear is you own heartbeat. Nothing on earth compares to the feeling of freedom.”

Finalist Kimberly Lee, 25, was born in Kuantan and now resides in Kuala Lumpur.  She graduated with a Master in Fashion Marketing from the Coventry University London.

Kimberly started her career with her own startup fashion business which she has been managing for two years now.

“During my years of business-related field of study, I have always dreamed of getting a job that allows me to explore the creativity inside me and I’m glad that I’ve made the decision to explore the world of fashion,” she said. 

Kimberly encourages young designers, youth and creators to create and embrace their creativity and she hopes of creating her own Malaysian-proud fashion brand internationally someday.

Kimberly previously competed in Miss World Malaysia 2019, where she was placed Top 12.

When asked what inspired her to join Miss International Malaysia, Kimberly said: “I’m an introvert.  It’s been hard for me to express myself since I was really young, understanding culture art as communication and I see joining Miss International as a self-development process for me.

“I believe that I’m ready to take in the responsibility as a queen at this stage of my life. In career I’ve explored different industries. I can use my past experience to work with the organisation.”

Kimberly said by participating in the pageant she hopes to inspire young girls to reach their full potential

“With the wider audience range and the platform given, I hope to inspire more young girls to express themselves through different form of languages not only verbally, but also through arts and creation in life. This is what my advocacy called Create to Inspire is all about.”

On her preparations for the final, Kimberly shares one of the best experiences ever.

“I have done catwalk classes, and one of the most exciting is I get to communicate and work with different designers for different looks. These people are the heroes behind all the beautiful looks. Handmade and handcrafted ideas from the sketch to the final design, every one of them I’ve been involved with is one of the best parts of the journey.”

Kimberly sees a stable mindset as her greatest strength that will help her perform and win the competition.

“I believe having a stable mindset not only allow us to have rational decision making, it also allows us to stay calm in different situation in life.

“In life, it’s not always all ups, there are downs, there will always be obstacles and failures along the way. So it’s important to being able to keep your mind clear to continue putting actions and pushing, and being determined despite the challenges ahead.”

Social media helps Kimberly stay updated with the trends in the fashion industry.

“To stay up to date nowadays, social media is a good tool for us to get up to date information, especially Instagram. I get my insight updated from The Business of Fashion (BoF) which is an important resource for fashion creatives, executives and entrepreneurs all over the world.

Kimberly enjoys journaling as a hobby which she finds helpful for relaxing and calming the mind.