PageantCast News Desk: Beautiful in her own way

It's easy to tell when Monica Pang has entered a room. Heads snap in her direction, jaws slacken considerably and unrelenting stares ensue.

Still, the slender Pang who is the reigning Miss Georgia and first runner-up in this year’s Miss America pageant in Las Vegas, insists she is no beauty queen.

“We call ourselves title holders,” says an adamant Pang with a slight, southern drawl.

“Beauty queen sounds so fluffy,” adds the 25-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia. “There is so much more involved when you’re in a pageant. You have to be a person of substance.”

It would seem that Pang – who has a Malaysian-born father – knows what she’s talking about. “Because the Miss America programme is scholarship based, all these girls are interested in furthering their studies and becoming successful, and a part of it is to be beautiful in your own way.”

Having competed in least 15 pageants since the age of 15 and winning almost half of them, Pang recently graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Consumer Journalism, with honours on the Dean’s and President’s lists.

“Most people know that I’m in pageants but they don’t really know my personality outside of pageants, and I think if they knew, they’d be very surprised,” says Pang, who professes to be more of a sporty personality than a girly one.

She is in Kuala Lumpur to introduce herself to the Malaysian media, and is gearing up for a break in the Asian entertainment industry.

This Tuesday morning, she is flitting about the Cigar Divan lounge at the Eastin Hotel in Section 16, Petaling Jaya, in between a seemingly endless number of costume changes for a photo shoot.

Not much of a label snob, Pang prefers casual and comfortable, over frilly and complicated.

“I like fashion, but I’m not stuck on designers. I like what’s comfortable, and I’m not too frou frou.

“I like to stick with solid colours and accessorise more than anything else.

“On this trip, I’ve brought pieces from BCBG Max Azria, Anthropologie, Trina Turk and Armani Exchange.”

Pang is not much of a label snob, preferring comfort with style. – Pictures by ART CHEN

Having arrived past midnight the same morning, Pang looks anything but jet-lagged despite a 21-hour flight from Atlanta.

“I can sleep anywhere. And the flight was not as bad as I had expected.”

Pang was last in Malaysia 12 years ago to visit relatives in Kluang, Johor, where her father, Peter, is from.

“I don’t remember much except for the traffic and street vendors.”

Family time has not been pencilled into her schedule this time around, but she has plans to come back later this year.

“It’s sad that I came all this way and don’t have time to see them because they live in Kluang, but I’m hoping to come back to visit them. Most of my dad’s side is here – my grandparents, a few aunts, uncles and cousins,” says Pang, who leaves Malaysia tomorrow.

“I’ll be going back to Georgia to finish off my Miss Georgia reign which ends in June, and am hoping that there will be opportunities here that I can come back to pursue,” she says.

Absolute Entertainment, an event and talent management company in Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur, is managing Pang’s maiden foray into the regional entertainment scene.

“She’s got so much more potential in Asia because of her Asian heritage,” says Adrian Wong, the director and founder of Absolute, adding that several parties in China were already keen on signing her up for movie deals.

Not that Pang doesn’t already have her plate piled high. And wide.

She resigned from her job at a media representation firm last year and now spends most of her time travelling around the United States to speak to youths and advocate community work.

“The Miss America programme is very heavily based on community service, so each girl chooses what we call a platform to work on, and we speak about that to encourage the community and the state to get more involved with that. I speak to a lot of students and businesses about that.

Pang’s platform is America’s Promise, an initiative founded by US Secretary of State Colin Powell to empower American youths through education, living skills and community involvement.

“I do fund-raising for that and try to encourage as many different kinds of community projects as possible.”

Accessorising is Monica Pang’s forte. Here, she pairs an Anthropologie skirt with a strappy top and matching cardigan.

She acknowledges that making sacrifices are a part of what she does.

Keeping her lean, svelte figure the way it is, is one of them.

”Working out is a big part of it for the fitness factor. And I miss my friends. Because I’m away so often, work does get in the way of my social life, but that’s what I have to sacrifice.

“It hasn’t discouraged me because I’ve realised that anything worth having in life is worth working for and sacrificing a few things along the way to get there.”

Sacrifices aside, Pang wouldn’t give up her current role for anything.

“I really enjoy doing different things and meeting new people every day. Plus, I love to travel so it's nice being here,” she gushes.

Pang is surprised with the attention that she’s getting from the Malaysian media.

“I was pretty overwhelmed, especially after hearing that the Asian community was so generous and supportive of me. I didn’t even know that they were paying attention.

But they are, and Pang is hoping that being in the spotlight will encourage more Asian youths to see her as a role model.

“I hope that people will notice me not just necessarily as an Asian American, and realise that no matter what background you come from, you can achieve your goals if you work hard enough.”

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By MICHELE LIAN