THE past year hasn’t exactly been exemplary when it comes to beauty queens.
We were shocked when dethroned Miss Singapore World Ris Low’s credit card fraud came to light.

Then there’s reigning Miss Singapore Universe Rachel Kum, who was slammed for unbecoming photos posted online showing her posing with a blown-up sex doll and a friend dressed in a phallic-looking costumeand making suggestive facial expressions.

And just this week, the Miss USA pageant became embroiled in a scandal involving newly crowned Arab- American Rima Fakih and pictures of her gyrating onstage in a 2007 “Stripper 101” pole-dancing contest.

Where have all the respectable, wholesome beauty queens of substance gone?

But this year’s Miss Singapore Universe (MSU) hot favourite Annabel Tan could very well, erm, clean up the competition.

In fact, she may just be this decade’s Eunice Olsen, who won MSU in 2000 and went on to shine in politics, showbiz and humanitarianism.

Annabel, 25, was the winner of Female magazine’s Top 50 Most Gorgeous People last year, her very first pageant. Other than being a sweet-looking dimpled beauty,
she’s got brains, eloquence, a quirky sense of humour and a vivacious personality.

But most importantly, she firmly claims there are no skeletons in her closet.

Yoube the judge, says Annabel.

Now that she has opened herself up to the public eye and potential criticism by joining MSU, she’s not afraid of people digging up the dirt.

Annabel, who’s 1.69m tall and currently unemployed, told The New Paper at the recent unveiling of MSU’s latest batch of finalists: “I am clean, but there’s
no such thing as squeaky-clean as we all have our angry or upset moments.

“I AM looking through my closet right now – there are lots of clothes, too many clothes and shoes actually, but no skeletons.”

Annabel has also been appointed by the Health Promotion Board as one of its ambassadors for World No Tobacco Day 2010, a campaign that will be launched on May29.

This comes a day after the MSU grand finals, which will be held at Shangri-La Hotel. The winner will represent Singapore at the international pageant in Las Vegas in August.

Annabel, who is a youth leader at her church, devoted herself to a theology course for six months and took a year off her marketing and business development job
to volunteer for mission trips in Third World countries.

The English literature graduate from the University of Western Australia was a relief history teacher at St Hilda’s Secondary School last year and is still deciding if
she wants to make it her calling.

Several female teachers have made the newsand got into trouble over the years for displaying their wild side online. Does she have any sexy photos of herself in compromising positions posted on Facebook?

Pretty unlikely, as Annabel – who laments that people usually perceive her as the “party girl, spoilt princess type” – readily gave another reporter at the event
access to her Facebook account when the latter requested for it.

A quick check revealed nothing controversial onit or her blog.

She said: “Sure, I’ve had boyfriends, but no, I haven’t taken those type of pictures.

“And maybe there are quirky fun photos with my students when we’re role-playing. But raunchy stuff? I don’t think so.

“Even when I go out with family and friends and there’s alcohol in the picture, I have to be mindful that it looks like I’m eating and there are drinks there and
not like I’m boozing.”

Real stuff

She claims she’s never had plastic surgery (“at the most I’ve checked to see if my freckles could be removed, but they can’t”), and said self-deprecatingly of her 32-24-33 figure: “Mine are so real... there’s nothing! I’ve mastered the art of padding!”

Annabel confessed she was “a bit pensive” when her friends encouraged her to join MSU because “the bad press can be a deterrent”.

“The beauty pageant route has lost its appeal in manyways.

“I am as cautious as anyone else, but I’d like to think with the kind of reputation I’ve built or been brought up to have, I hope that will positively influence or change how it’s perceived.”

Annabel was also bolstered by her passion for youth, education and arts and culture and how she could use MSU as a platform to further her causes – especially in the same year Singapore is hosting the Youth Olympic Games.

On whether she will be successful in giving local beauty queens an image makeover, she said: “That is a very romantic ideal so I dare not say that.

“It’s been a while since the tag ‘role model’ has been associated with a pageant.

“But if given the opportunity to represent the country and pageant the way it should, I’d love to be that girl.”

This article was first published in The New Paper.