PHNOM PENH: In June 2022, Cambodia crowned 24-year-old Manita Hang, as Miss Universe Cambodia. She will be representing the Kingdom at the 71st Miss Universe pageant held in New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States on the 14 January 2023.
Manita was born to a Cambodian mother and a French father. Partaking in beauty pageants seems to runs in her family — her mother and sister have also competed in competitions in the past. Manita took part in smaller pageants and worked as a model for about five to six years before competing for the title of Miss Universe Cambodia.
Manita said that her Miss Universe journey has been very rewarding, and she hopes to use her platform to contribute more to her cause of youth advocacy. She especially wants to encourage youth to study hard because she sees education as very important for their future.
“My advocacy is actually youth, all about youth, meaning that I really want our next generation to know that it’s important for them to be educated," she said. "[Whether they are] poor or not, [whether they] can make it through the day or not, it’s really important to focus on education because it might be really difficult when you’re little and just going [through it day by day]. However, when you get older, and when you’ve graduated from school, it’s really important because it means you have a future and that [you can] improve."
She added that it is also very important for youth to speak up for themselves and wholly embrace themselves as well.
“I want our youth and women to know that their voice matters," said Manita. "It is really important for them to know that we all have different opinions, and some people might not support us, but that’s fine. That’s your own opinion, that’s yourself, and you should also value yourself. So speak up for yourself and [even if] whatever you think may not be supported by everyone, [just know that] it’s you. Just love it, just embrace it.”
The National Director of Miss Universe Cambodia, Romyr Libo-on, said that he started Arise Agency in 2016 and was looking for projects to work on when Miss Universe came along. He said this pageant was a great opportunity for his agency to organize the first national pageant that takes its winner to compete internationally. He shared that he even worked remotely to coordinate Miss Universe Cambodia 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite all challenges, Libo-on believes in the Miss Universe Cambodia platform because he finds it rewarding to see the girls doing charity work and contributing to society.
“There are a lot of things that we do even before and after the pageant, especially [regarding] charity work [and] advocacy," he said. "We really want to make the girls feel valued. When they join Miss Universe Cambodia, it’s not [only] about the beauty pageant, it’s more about them taking a stance, making significant contributions to society, that’s what actually motivates us to continue.”
Manita Hang recently departed for New Orleans to prepare for the upcoming pageant. Upon arrival, she was met with a warm welcome from Cambodians living in the United States. So far, she has been visiting pagodas and joining Cambodian events while getting ready for the big competition.
Miss Universe is not just about appearances, but also about altruism. Cambodia's own Miss Universe will go on to the international stage and hopefully put a spotlight on the Kingdom in a positive way.
EAC News wishes Manita Hang all the best at the 71st Miss Universe pageant!
Stay tuned for our full interview with Miss Universe Cambodia.
