A Gwangju Beauty
By jjdp
Photo Courtesy of the Miss Korea Organizing Committee
In the era of reality television it is quite easy to become disillusioned by the various depictions of beauty pageants and the glitz and glamour that go along with it. Take for instance “America’s Next Top Model” and “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”, where one little girl has taken the media by storm with all of her crazy antics. It is hard reconcile the crazy overt showiness often represented in the media with the world of international beauty pageants.
In today’s modern society, being a beauty queen is more than just being the most beautiful face. Many if not all the contestants these days are well educated and accomplished and are ready to take on the world and make a real difference. So after virtually being addicted to the first season of Miss Boo Boo, how does one respond to a brief interview of one of the most beautiful ladies in Korea? With a gleeful, yes, yes, yes! Will she also be an overly enthusiastic diva running around screaming and pretending like she is the center of the universe? I kind of hope so…
Lee Jung-bin, the first runner-up in the 2012 Miss Korea Beauty Pageant, also known as the “Seon” started as the ultimate winner of the Miss Gwangju-Jeonnam Beauty Pageant 2012. A multi-talented lady who is also currently a student at Gwangju Women’s University majoring in Airline Services graces us with her presence and tells us her story.
There is a welcome sense of calm from the worlds of Jung-bin who has coped rather well with the various demands on her personal and professional life. Just plain honesty and no-frills answers reveals a young, talented woman with a passion who is making the most of her newfound popularity to propel herself forward in a positive way.
This girl is busier than and mini mogul, and if you think that being pretty is all she has, you have another think coming. Her diary is jam packed and even scheduling an interview with her was hard to arrange because of her various commitments. This was complicated even more by the fact that she is currently residing in Seoul to keep up with her official duties. But even that is no feat for Jung Bin who through great difficulty of relocating is doing well with her academics and work life at the same time. Through much support from her friends, professors and family she is a shining example of a modern beauty queen.
Coming from a small community and sharing a province with such beauties and talents like Suzy from Miss A, Yubin of the Wondergirls, Minji of 2ne1 as well as super talented actress Moon Geun Young, Jung-bin is now also stamping her mark. Also, she is a firmly grounded modern woman who values her parents as the most influential people in her life. “I think my parents are great influences on my life, and they are the biggest supporters of what I do. I trust my parents the most and like to follow their guidance” she says. And with that great advice she is where she is today.
When asked what the reaction from her parents and family were she replies: “They were really happy for me at first but after a while, they started to worry. They were worried that should I start my official pageant activities, it would be difficult for me to carry out both work and continue studying. But they encouraged me nevertheless. Even though it has not quite sunk in that much, something that I feel has changed is how my family members treat me. Now they want to take pictures with me during holidays and so on, although they never bothered taking pictures before. These moments really make me think I really am a Miss Korea”.
However being a beauty queen was not always at the top of her agenda. Graceful and humble as ever Jung-bin says: “Since I am not the type of person to intentionally draw attention from others, I never really thought of participating in beauty pageants. But because of my initial goal of working inflight which involves engaging with others and showing confidence, I was able to overcome my reluctance and I eventually decided to enter the Miss Gwangju Pageant”.
Her local win eventually took her to the Miss Korea contest where she became the first runner-up who is also then the representative for the Miss International pageant, one of the three largest beauty pageants in the world. The 2012 Miss International beauty pageant took place from October 1—21,2012, in Okinawa, Japan. After weeks of training she represented Korea to the best of her ability and enjoyed every moment and whilst there she was able to take time out to appreciate the recent popularity Korea is enjoying on the world stage through the spread of the Hallyu movement. She is also not one to shy away from being proud of her hometown as well as her province and sites Boseong as one of the best parts of our province. Part of her official duties include being an ambassador for the region and she has been studying and learning all about the beauty of Jeollanamdo in order to be able to represent it well to any audience.
Even with all the newfound fame she is receiving, one can tell that she has her head firmly atop her shoulders and is just a girl next door who knows how to do things for herself. And this is where I discover another of her hidden talents.
Besides having to strike the perfect pose and smile like her life depended on it, the stress of the Miss Korea Pageant is multiplied even more due to the fact that contestants have to do their own hair and makeup. This is because the organizers wish to cultivate true beauties who know how to groom themselves to enhance their own natural beauty. This being so, she spent more than 20 hours practicing hair and makeup techniques during the training camp before the pageant. This is too surprising for me, but Jung-bin replies “I was never too concerned about my hair makeup until I had to participate in the pageant”. And we can see that her hard work and dedication paid off.
Leading from there I was keen to find out what some of her beauty secrets were and what she always carried with her. She replies: “I always have lipstick, my mirror, cell phone, wallet, and face mist with me. I consider face cleansing more important than make up, so I take a long time meticulously cleansing my face.” Pretty simple right?
I am also always curious after watching so many movies such as Miss Congeniality and my recent addiction to one reality show about, what it is really like behind the scenes such high profile events and thus proceed to ask what the hardest thing was about being in a pageant.
Jung-Bin replies: “What you see on TV or imagine seems so easy, but in actual fact being able to withstand the long hours and rehearsals takes quite the toll on contestants. Having to hit your mark and stand in fixed positions for a long period is what hinders contestants most. It was especially hard to pose in heels with your hands on your hips and be stationary. I remember how I clapped as hard as I could for a long time so that I can get rid of the cramps whenever I had a chance”. Having worked in television before, I know exactly what she is talking about. Hurry up and wait and always be in your first position.
But how do the participants stay mentally and physically strong for such a demanding contest? I know at the first sign of any stress I head for snacks and comfort food. How do beauty queens handle all the pressure and remain so slim. According to Jung-bin: “People think that participants of the pageant don’t eat properly because they have to stay in shape and diet. I don’t think that is exactly the case. I ate a lot during mealtimes and even ate snacks in between to keep my energy up during the rigorously choreographed routines”.
At this point I ask what her favorite snack is and without hesitation she replies, “I really like ddukbokki”. For those not familiar with this delicious snack, it is a spicy rice cake stew which often includes fish cake, boiled egg and vegetables. The perfect spicy anytime snack which is one of my favorites and with that answer I am beginning to be more and more in awe of her as one would expect the generic celery stick or fruit slices answer. Surprisingly the more I get to know this Gwangju beauty, I begin to realize another reason why she is also a winner. She is someone who is relatable and genuine, something which is very hard to find these days.
For someone as young as Jung-bin who is just starting her adult life, she still has many things that she still wishes to achieve. My next question is of course what else can we expect from her in the future and what is the one dream that she would really like to fulfill. After some pondering she replies: “My dream is still progressing. I am at a stage in life where I am still molding and planning for my future. My goals are to become a respectable peer for the 2013 Miss Korea contestants and to garner a great reputation for my name ‘Lee Jung-bin’ that I would not be ashamed of. Also for anyone out there I would say rather than chase a vague goal thoughtlessly, I wish and encourage more people to actively pursue reachable goals which will bring them much success and happiness.”
Her parting words for all of her supporters, fans and family are nothing but gratitude: “Thank you to everyone for staying with me all the way. I want to be able to live up to what I have said today and not be ashamed of myself in the future should I look back. I am planning to remain active in modeling for cosmetics, commercials, and volunteering to give back to the society with my fellow Miss Korea’s. Please follow my progress with ongoing support and attention.”
With those words Miss Korea International Lee Jung-bin truly lives up to the ideals of a beauty queen that many can look up to and respect which is one of the fundamentals of a role model in any field. I am left speechless and surprised by such a dynamic young lady with so much ahead of her and a clear goal in mind to be able to live well and inspire others.