Perhaps we are being overly simplistic or
even nitpicky but sometimes basic grooming and neat appearance can spell the
difference whether you make it or break it in pageant battlefield. Assuming
that one is not hopeless in other respects, the look or style of the contestant
can be crucial in judging. A pageant entrant’s look should not only catch the
judges attention but more importantly match the pageant’s image and gain the judges
approval. We suppose such was the case with our reigning Mr. Universal
Ambassador, Daniel Christian Ortiz of Puerto Rico.
Before he successfully snatched this
title, we saw him compete in Mister International 2014, February of this year in
Ansan, South Korea where he made it to the top 15 semifinalists. He made a striking
impression on viewers at that time. It
was hard not to notice him or spot him from among the crowd with him sporting
that hulking Afro hairstyle with matching beard and mustache. And when showing
himself in his scanty trunks, there’s no way you will miss the tattoo artwork
adorning nearly every part of his sculpted body. He was making a statement indeed
but not sure what statement he was getting across. Attention grabbing yes but also
very likely ruining his chances at grabbing the title.
Nine months after, he made his
apparition in Mr. Universal Ambassador, almost like a completely different
being that hardly anyone noticed he was the same guy from the previous pageant.
In that span of time, he must have reviewed his past pageant mishap, reshaped
and retooled for his next pageant derby. He underwent a magical makeover and lo
and behold, transformed himself into this spick-and-span gentleman.
This time he played it right,
projecting a picture of professionalism appropriate to the context of the
pageant. He was amiable as can be in his national costume, appealing without
having to put on a big smile in his traditional Indonesian attire, dapper and
sharp in his formal wear. He looked red-hot in his swimwear with his
distracting tattoos smoothed away leaving only one visible body art on his
forearm.
A neat natural haircut and hairstyle
was perfect for a to-be ambassador. With all the excess hair out of his face, his
features came forward for people to admire his whole handsome face. No longer
did he look scruffy and scraggly as before. Though he might have once entertained
the idea that it made him look sexy, it was seen more of being unkempt by
others and incompatible with the kind of pageant he was joining – a neat
precautionary lesson for future pageant glory seekers.