‘Where’s the effort?’ — Netizens ask after SG Mister International candidate wears national costume of shorts, boots and crumpled flag

Although some people may think that beauty pageants belong in the past, there are still many who compete and follow them avidly, for contests that involve both women and men.

One upcoming pageant is the Mister International competition, scheduled for Oct 30 (Sunday) in Manila, Philippines.

The national costumes of some of the candidates were recently featured on the competition’s official Instagram page, and Mister Singapore’s costume raised more than a few eyebrows.

Mister Singapore, Sean Nicholas Sutiono, can be seen in black army shorts and shoes, holding the flag of Singapore behind him.

 

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A post shared by Mister International (@officialmisterinternational)

And while the ensemble no doubt showed up Mr Suitono’s fine physique, it may have come across as somewhat basic, especially in comparison to other contestants.

Mister Taiwan, for example, while similarly bare-chested, had an elaborate headpiece and jewellery, as well as a long, flowing lower garment.

Mister Sri Lanka also had a headpiece, and his costume was colourful as well.

And Mister Philippines appeared to go all-out, with dazzlingly shiny wings and all sorts of embellishments.

Many netizens commented on Mister Singapore’s costume, with some seeming to feel that there had been a lack of effort in its preparation.

However, the pageant’s organizers appeared to have an explanation for Mister Singapore’s stripped-down look.

“Due to the unfortunate tragic passing of our Singaporean owned National Director – the late Alan Sim. This was fitting at the time.

Sean did a remarkable job of standing out the true Singaporean way.

Keep shining the Singapore legacy strong, Sean! Go Singapore!”

It added in another comment that the actual national costume is still forthcoming.

On his own IG page, Mr Sutiono also posted the photo, and wrote, “If you’d understand, it was a statement I had to make and the only thing I had.

#MisterInternationalSingapore #StandStrong #NoMatterWhat

To Honour Singapore and In Loving Memory of @alansim 🇸🇬

@officialmisterinternational @officialmistersingapore“

It is TISG’s understanding that Mr Sim, the founder and owner of Mister International and Mister Singapore, died recently.

A video tribute to him may be found here:

/TISG

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