Sri Lanka – Cover of Adoh!

Here’s wishing Celine from France a Happy 16th birthday this 17th January 2010!

Cover of Adoh!

So I’ve met a few models and beauty queens in my time. Not socially, but by way of work…I never meet pretty girls socially. Most of them bored me stiff (pun not intended), but Rachel Kum – Miss Singapore Universe 2009 – was a breed apart. What started off as an interview ended up as a conversation, and an interesting one at that.

Rachel won the Miss Singapore Universe pageant in May this year and wears her metaphorical crown as easily as she walks on the high heels that have become second nature. Her poise is untrained, natural and yet sophisticated. If beauty queens (no, make that ‘ambassadors’, calling someone a beauty queen is such an objectification) were born and not made, she would be one of them. Rachel is refreshingly easy-going, and the complete antithesis of the sitcom character of the same name made popular by Jennifer Aniston. She sits elegantly, yet comfortably, with none of the awkwardness of searching for the choreographed pose. I ask her about her obvious absence of a need to be noticed. Sitting as we were in the lobby of the Cinnamon Grand, she does not – like many others of her trade – preen herself regularly, or check to see if she is being noticed. I check, and she is being noticed. However, Rachel has that easy grace which allows her to field the attention without being affected by it.

This is Rachel’s first pageant, and at 24 she seems to be a relatively late entrant into the stage. When asked what prompted her entry into the competition she was as honest and simple as anyone could be. “I love to travel, I love to meet new people and I want have as many new experiences as I can. The pageant was in the Bahamas so I decided to kill three birds with one stone”, she says with a laugh. Nevertheless, she is of the opinion that had she won the title at 19 she wouldn’t have been mature enough to enjoy it to the fullest, or to give back to the title the most she could. She admits that she’s blessed to look younger than she is, and her professional and academic background acquired over the last half decade or so will help her be a better ambassador. It’s hard to argue with such reasoning.

At the Miss Singapore Universe 2009 pageant Rachel won the Miss Body Beautiful and Miss Personality competitions as well. It’s difficult to assess the first one without being rude, so I don’t. Rachel has this rare habit of looking people in the eye, which makes it difficult to check her out sneakily, so I resort to google which confirms my suspicions that she deserved the award. But it’s immediately clear to see why she won Miss Personality. She has a sense of humour which doesn’t allow for her to take herself too seriously. Not only does she have a Body Beautiful and a Face to go with it, she is also a graduate of the University of Western Australia where she majored in Finance. She now works as a Brand Manager (and also de facto brand ambassador) for a company which specialises in ‘aesthetics’. Her colleagues and bosses are supportive of her and give her time to fulfil her modelling and official assignments. Why wouldn’t they, with the most beautiful woman in the country endorsing their beauty treatments? Professionally, Rachel also worked in a hedge fund trading commodities and futures. Her fund felt the heat of the recession and Rachel simultaneously realised the world of derivatives and financial markets were not for her, thereby confirming that she does, in fact, possess a soul.

Living away from home for the first time in her years in Perth was a completely contrasting experience, says Rachel. Away from the constant buzz and energy of Singapore, in the laid back capital of Western Australia, she said she met and made friends with people of all colours and sizes. She sees no merit in moving to a foreign country without embracing the benefits of diversity. Clanism is not for her and as a result, she says she now has friends in any country she wishes to travel to. And travel she does. “For me everything is about the experience”, she says resolutely, and with this attitude she is bound to fulfil her life’s ambitions. “I like to plan, but to get to the final destination you have to take everything step by step” says Rachel in a mature appreciation of life and its frailties. She has already seen the aurora in Alaska in the summer, and has travelled to many exotic destinations in North America and Europe although she says her favourite city is Sydney.

Miss Singapore Universe therefore, is but a step in the journey for Rachel. Most girls would probably be content to sit on their laurels but not Miss Kum. “I have a plan to launch my own line of cosmetics” she says, “It’s called ‘Rachel K’. What’s special about Rachel K I ask her, and she says that it will be a line of “mineral cosmetics using the most fine materials for sensitive skin, which will have sun protection and most importantly not clog the pores. Clogged pores are a huge problem for girls who have to wear foundation for a long period”. Her ability to combine her modelling experience with her professional background, and an astute business sense is a quality to be admired. She hopes to see her product range all over South East Asia soon including Indonesia, Malaysia and hopefully Korea as well. “If I can break the US market that would be great”, she says realistically.

Rachel does confess however, that the pressure to “look good all the time” can take its toll. Nevertheless, she says it’s something she does for herself and not as result of having to maintain appearances of being Miss Singapore. “I eat a lot, I’m going to take advantage of my metabolism before it starts slowing down”, she says with smile. However, I struggle to picture her wolfing down cocktail food. She used to swim in school and still does some exercise including swimming to stay in shape. But again, it would appear that looking good is something that is an almost congenital condition for her. Rachel admits that she used to be a bit of a loner in her young days, and still likes to do her own thing. Unlike most girls, she likes “to go shopping on my own. I’m not one for shopping with friends”. While she says she loves to “do her own thing” she also loves spending time with the people who know her best. “I can be a bit crazy and even childish with my friends” she says. Various internet sites have described her as ‘racy’, but this probably only because they conventionally judge her candour and zest for life as prohibitive.

I ask her about the controversy surrounding some party pictures of her that surfaced on the internet. She shrugs it off and doesn’t make a hue and cry about justifying and pointing fingers. “I think people are insecure and they created a big fuss about it”, she responds. She does say though that sometimes having to be on your best behaviour all the time can be a bit stifling, but it is a responsibility she realises comes with the territory.

Rachel exudes a calmness and self-assurance which probably stems from her parents who she said were very supportive. “They advised me but at the end of the day allowed me to do what I wanted, but if I crossed a line they would also let me know”. It seems as if this balance struck by her parents, has resulted in a very well balanced individual as well. “My father is my role model” she says. She currently lives with her mother in Singapore while her father works in China and her older brother lives and works in London.

Rachel’s philosophy on life is simple. “Do good and be true to yourself. If you do what makes you happy without hurting those around you then you will be alright. Sincerity is important” she says. She is in Sri Lanka modelling for the Hayden fashion show in aid of the Thalassaemia Rehabilitation and Prevention. She says her visit to the hospital in Kurunegala housing the afflicted children was “very touching”, and although seeing the children moved her to tears she “stayed positive for them, because they don’t want to see you crying. It’s not fair to depress them”. Her awareness of her fellow human beings is a truly rare trait. She is happy to be in Sri Lanka especially for a charity event and says she will probably come back for a longer visit. “I like to really experience the local culture and don’t like to only travel and see the tourist sites”.

Rachel loves meeting people and also likes analysing people’s behaviour. “I love watching people she says. And by watching them you learn a lot about yourself as well” she says smiling. It is hard to imagine a worthier winner of the Miss Singapore Universe title. Her grace, charm and good humour would be enough even if she wasn’t the stunner she so obviously is. She seems to have figured herself out and is focussed on her priorities. It may not be long before we are swapping the traditional cosmetics for ‘Rachel K’. But Rachel for sure, won’t be swapping places with anyone else. Happy and contented yet simultaneously determined and ambitious, she is in all aspects, a ‘model’.

Shanaka Amarasinghe

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