Bernadette Owning It

Representing a nation in an international pageant with as large a scale as miss universe comes with responsibility — and the 27-year-old model-pageanter carries with her a greater one as she strives to leave Singapore a remembered name in the scene, while offering an intimate look at a new age of empowering pageantry

- Chelsea Tang

The very first time Bernadette Belle Ong spoke of her participation in the Miss Universe Singapore pageant on her Instagram account (@bernadettebelle) wasn’t so much a fanfare-type announcement than it was a “the-cat’s-out-of-the-bag” reveal. In the close-to-three-minute-long video — which came a day after the live-stream title holder officiation press conference in December last year — Bernadette was seen in an oversized black button-down shirt with the bejeweled wreath atop her head.

She said, “Hi everybody, my name is Bernadette Belle, Miss Universe Singapore 2020, and, welcome.” This was swiftly followed by gracious thank yous for the support she had received thus far, before she zoomed in on the elephant in the room: that “this” — her, in a tiara, representing the nation in an international pageant — had not been widely publicised up till then.

“I kept things quiet up until the finals,” she lets on. “I didn’t even tell my parents because I come from a traditional upbringing where [the idea of celebrating] beauty was never [encouraged].” Her parents held conservative views, even on things like what a respectable woman should or shouldn’t wear. “Wearing a bikini, for example, was a topic of contention growing up,” she adds. “So, to keep things simple, I decided to join the competition quietly.”

Little did Ong know though, that “quiet” would not be the word used to describe what she came to achieve in the 69th Miss Universe competition. As she turned her back on the runway, clad in a scarlet glitter bodysuit paired with a red and white cape, headlines were made. The strong message she fiercely wanted to convey was done in just three words: “Stop Asian Hate” which had been boldly scrawled across the billowing satin of her cape.