A sisterhood of empowered women

MANILA, Philippines - “A woman who is as equally dynamic as she is beautiful,” described Dr. Tracy Kemble of Mrs. Globe when the pageant’s president and owner recently graced the 2014 Mrs. Philippines-Globe. “She has to be well-spoken. She has to have a bit of flexible personality.” This is true since the winner will travel to different places and meet diverse people. Besides, Mrs. Globe is not carrying a specific flag during her reign because she represents the married women and single mothers around the world.

According to Kemble, a good sense of humor and a sense of authenticity are important, given the pageant world’s glitz and glamour. Being Mrs. Globe or Mrs. Globe of a particular country is not just about showing confidence and elegance in the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and acing the Q&A. It is about carrying an advocacy such as “Empowerment is Sexy.”

“It dawned on me that authentic sexy comes from being emotionally unclogged,” said Kemble. “There’s nothing sexy about sitting in the chambers of depression… There’s nothing sexy about having low self-esteem. Sexy is actually an acronym and it represents the four parts of emotional healing — the S is self-love, self-care, self-esteem, (which is) different from narcissism. E represents (being) empowered, making sure that we have tools. When our life breaks, we have the ability to piece ourselves back together. The X represents living exactly on what is right for your life — and not for what other people want for you. The Y means saying yes to what is called your right for good. Your right for good is the right that we have to be happy in life.”

From there, one can say that sexiness is beyond what cosmetics and beauty science can promise. Having self-respect and the charisma, said Kemble, creates that aura. She also shared that some people in the US have been affected by the words and actions of others. Many will agree that they take a toll on one’s self no matter how one brushes them off. 

“A broken heart is a broken heart is a broken heart, regardless of what culture you have,” she said. “Tears are tears are tears, regardless of what religion you are. Healing is healing is healing, regardless of (where) you live… We, humans, are prone to get hurt and we need to have the tools.”

This is one of the many things Mrs. Globe pageant wants to achieve. Women can attend sessions like Empowerment is Sexy and access courses available online.

“I’m one person and perhaps I can heal one or two lives,” she said. “But through Mrs. Globe organization, the message becomes many women talking to many women and talking to many women. And they have become our spokeswomen for women empowerment and healing. All of us have stories to share. We have passed laws for the protection of women in countries and we have fed hungry children. We have built orphanages. We have lifted each other up.” All this speaks of the purpose of the Mrs. Globe crown and the sisterhood of empowered women that the pageant has created.

Asked what awaits the next Mrs. Globe, Kemble replied, “She is based in her country because she is probably a wife and a mother. We never want to take her away from her priorities. What we do (after the pageant) is we sit down and discover exactly how busy she is. She does have certain obligations to fulfill. There are certain countries she needs to visit. She’ll get invited to places throughout the year. She does come to the US to attend the Mrs. US event. We have an annual Holiday event.”