She said: “As Singaporeans, we should be supportive of the title winner.

“Let us be encouraging of Tania because she is beautiful, tall and a gorgeous woman who can carry herself very well on an international platform.”

Annabel said that she avoided reading online forums about the pageant as some of the postings could be quite poisonous.

She said: “Everyone has their own opinion. But it is very unfortunate that every year, the title winner will get flamed online and be the subject of public criticism.
“It is already difficult to get people to take part in the pageant. I myself was hesitant at first because of this.”

She added: “Anybody who is shoved into the public’s eye is expected to be a role model. But everyone is entitled to their own social life.”

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This article was first published in The New Paper.