“He said I was being too prissy.”

Cheryl said she has also been told to her face she was not good-looking enough to win the title.

She was upset and has cried over such comments but realises that “you can’t please everybody”.

Instead, she has learnt to shut out the negative and “do what’s good for the country and yourself”.

The self-deprecating ex-beauty queen said she knows she doesn’t have the best facial features and, at 1.63m, she is not tall.

But she thinks her looks weren’t the only reason she won Miss Singapore Universe in 1999. Brains played a part too.

She was then doing two Masters degrees concurrently – a Master of Arts in English Language at National University of Singapore and a Master of Science in Information Studies at Nanyang Technological University.

Last year, Cheryl received her PhD in general linguistics from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, where she now works as a research training consultant.
Being smart is definitely an asset for beauty queens, she said.

For instance, when attending a dinner function as part of her Miss Singapore Universe duties, she was asked about Singapore’s direction and plans in the telecommunications industry.

Her knowledge from her Master of Science studies came in handy.

At another dinner function, she was also asked why Singapore’s education system, which is based on the British system, was leaning towards the US system and to explain its impact.

It helped that Cheryl’s father, who has since retired, was a secondary school principal so she understood the workings of the local education system then.

Phew.

“Singapore is never known for pretty girls. We’re known for our education and thriving business environment and that’s what people asked me about.

“To me, Miss Singapore Universe doesn’t necessarily have to be an expert in all things Singapore. But she needs to know enough to market Singapore well – and look good in a bikini while doing it.”

<< Singapore is not known for pretty girls

This article was first published in The New Paper