Pageants as a profitable business

It used to be that here in the Philippines beauty pageants were confined merely during the summer season. Today, however, these contests are conducted all year round.

The pageants these days are open not only to females, but also to males, transsexuals, trans-genders and even kids of both sexes  anything that could sashay down the ramp.

Every town, barangay and purok has a beauty contest. In fact, there are more pageants than single basketball courts that used to be in every street corner both in Manila and in the provinces. (And sadly, even if the Azkals are nationally famous, it will take a long time for the Filipino masses to pick up football as a sport due to space constraints. The key is to support the young athletes in the provinces where there are still open fields.)

But why are there so many beauty contests today? Is this a sign of the Filipino race improving? All I can say is that the younger generation is taller  at least, those who were properly nourished.

Pageants are dime a dozen today because the small-time ones in barangays had become profitable to mount. It has become a source of income not only for the organizers, but for the contestants as well  for those who win that is.

Of course, nobody turns into a millionaire in these beauty contests. But it has become profitable. The people involved earn if they know how to manage what is now obviously a business.

For the organizers all they have to do is close a street to traffic and build a makeshift stage and with proper coordination with the barangay, they could mount an event. Better yet if the place has a gymnasium where there is already a built-in stage.

Where to get the crowd? Parade a bevy of beauties in bikinis and you have an instant audience (the more seasoned organizer can even sell tickets for additional income). You get all types here  females, males (at least you have them till the swimsuit competition) and gays.

For the kiddie contests  you already have ready sets of parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins.

The male pageant is the least profitable because you only get basically the third sex population, which though continuously growing is still a limited audience.

The sure-fire formula, however, is to organize a Miss Gay this and that. This will bring in all types of crowds who get a kick out of heckling cross-dressers (for all the gay liberation being espoused, there is still discrimination). Also male gays are usually very funny and witty  providing instant entertainment.

How do the contestants earn from pageants? They need to win something  if not the title, at least, a runner-up position or even a special award that spells cash.

Believe it or not, there are professional gay beauty contestants who move from one pageant to the next in one evening. Those who do not make it to the semi-finals and have no hope of winning any prize with monetary equivalent will go to the next town and try their luck in a nearby place with a similar contest (they know when an event is scheduled).

If they don’t win anything for the night  tough luck for them. The gutsier and desperate ones may even try streetwalking, which used to be a form of business among cross-dressers after midnight along Ayala Ave., but that was a long time ago. This scenario was even depicted in the Sharon Cuneta-Christopher de Leon suspense film Biktima in 1990.

As for the organizers, they make a profit by soliciting cash from sponsors. In a small town, you can go from sari-sari store to sari-sari store soliciting for cash donations. A thousand pesos per store will go a long, long way to cover not only the pageant expenses (to buy the tiaras, glass trophies, bouquets and even for the cash prizes) and there will still be extra money for the effort of the organizers in putting up such event.

Small-time beauty pageants have become moneymakers in this country. Best of all  tax-free.

(Next: Where Precious Lara Quigaman and company went wrong with their pageant.)