Miss Philippines Megan Young Wins 2013 Miss World Pageant In Bali

Megan Young, Miss Philippines, became Miss World 2013 during the pageant’s final round in Bali on Saturday.

After accepting the crown from former winner, Wenxia Yu of China, Young said, “I promise to be the best Miss World ever." Young, 23, beat out second runner-up Miss France Marine Lorpheline and Miss Ghana Carranza Naa Okailey Shooter at the 63rd annual event. A total of 127 other national pageant winners had taken to the stage on Saturday to duke it out for the crown.

Young, though representing the Philippines, was born in the United States. She moved to the Philippines with her parents when she was 10. Young is relatively well-known in the country, as she’s appeared in films and has served as a television host.

Following protests and threats of disrupting the contest by the Islamic Defenders Front and other groups, the pageant went on as planned. The protestors had called on the Indonesian government to cancel the event because of the belief that it goes against the rules of the Muslim faith. The group mostly took issue with the excess of skin that the women typically put on display during the pageants.

Miss World organizer’s first concession to those in opposition to the pageant was to move the final round from Jakarta to Bali. The organizers also removed bikinis from the competition, replacing them with sarongs. The evening gown round went unchanged, with many contestants wearing dresses with deep neck-lines and high slits up the leg.

Despite fears of protest and even the possibility of attacks, the Miss World 2013 competition went on successfully with increased security and without any problems.

– Chelsea Regan

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