It is certainly one of the great paradoxes of the Land of the Cedar. This people, who manage to send and have recognized worldwide the skills of their greatest doctors, produce seasoned inventors, and whose students, top of their class, are recruited primarily by the most prestigious Western universities, are fond of this type of event crystallized around appearances: a beauty pageant. The all-powerful dimension of the image and the social recognition it arouses are indeed keys to understanding the essential mechanisms behind the functioning of Lebanese society. The daily dependence on the gaze of the other (what will people say) thereby reinforces a particularly tight-knit social fabric (habitual and ordinary surveillance by families, neighbors, acquaintances…), in short, a whole system that induces a general mode of behavior.
A simple beauty pageant, and yet it’s not always obvious among the descendants of the elegant Phoenicians. The Ministry of Tourism, which accredits these types of events, sometimes leaves room for “unscrupulous” non-professionals, according to Iyad Rachid, the organizer of “Miss & Mister Beirut,” who are purely profit-driven at the expense of the basic human and nutritional needs of the candidates. “80% of modeling in Lebanon isn’t really,” he further assures, “at the risk of seeing the value of the awarded trophies dilute.” Partnered on this occasion with various beauty professionals (Institut Ramona, Salon Zena, Haute Couture designer Bilal Dona), himself an owner of a restaurant in Beit Merry located on the heights of Beirut, Iyad Rachid admits he is not a specialist. However, he loudly proclaims his honesty: he excludes any exploitation by rejecting the practice of having candidates sign exclusive contracts. And this, “contrary to usual practices” of agencies, he concludes.
The Grand Hotel “Coral Beach” in West Beirut hosted the election of “Miss & Mister Beirut” that evening. In the “Ambassador’s halls,” the crowd stands still when the national anthem, which opens any official event in Lebanon, resounds. But backstage, it’s rather hectic: among the men, hair gel passes from hand to hand. Among the girls, on the other side of the hallway, a queue forms as they wait to sit beside a makeup artist, queen bee in a hive singularly armed with an impressive array of mini brushes, numerous batteries of colored tubes, and an armada of powdered puffs.
Most of them students, these budding starlets are experiencing the limelight and audience clamor for the first time. Among them are Aline from Beirut, specializing in computer science, Zena, who returned specifically from Texas with her family and enrolled at the American University of Beirut (AUB), Sabine from the northern province of Akkar, pursuing a “Public Relations” program at the American University of Science and Technology (AUST). Jessie (winner), whose very professional strut will finally overcome the jury’s final hesitations despite her shorter stature compared to other contestants, Céline engaged in architecture studies, Mariana and Lorinja, both from the Shiite province of Bekaa, respectively studying Law and Business at the Arab University of Beirut. Only Vanessa from Zahlé (a city renowned for its excellent “Kneifé,” a hot semolina and cheese cake drizzled with rose water syrup savored at breakfast…) is a member of an institute specializing in aesthetic training, obviously incompatible with said culinary preparation!
On the male side, Elie is a hairdresser at a salon in Kaslik and practices bodybuilding four days a week, Hassan is pursuing studies in electromechanics, Nidal is enrolled at the AUST in Beirut, Fouad is an “Architect Designer,” Bilal is a hairdresser in Choueifat on the road leading south towards Saida, Robert works in a large clothing store at the ABC shopping center in Achrafiyeh, Mohammad (winner), with a body as “sculpted” as Elie’s, is enrolled in International Affairs at the Arab University of Beirut.
They all share the same hope: recognition of this personal investment and a breakthrough in the world of fashion, meaning very concretely, “leaving Lebanon.” They will be questioned about the reasons for their participation in this contest, their relationship to beauty and will have to strive to convince with their responses the jury responsible for the questionnaire, that “aestheticism can rhyme with the expression of a personality.”
Let’s return to the hall. Among the 140 guests, entire families have come down from the Shiite valley of Bekaa to support their offspring. “50% of the girl candidates are of Shiite Muslim faith,” asserts the master of ceremonies. Thus, we are indeed in Lebanon, where the strictest religious commitment nevertheless leaves room for adaptability, a well-honed phenomenon among the descendants of Ali, the Prophet’s son-in-law. The parents are even rather proud to see their daughters perform in advantageous low-cut dresses, walk as nonchalantly as provocatively in front of cameras, and attempt to “seduce” both the jury and the press simultaneously. The “big brothers,” sturdy fellows from the Bekaa, keep a vigilant eye on the “security” of their little “sisters.”
“Beauty is stronger than money and religion shouldn’t interfere,” launches Iyad Rachid and adds mezzo voce: “if a politician showed up tonight, I would be happy to show him the door.” Evidence that the political situation continues to interfere, this event has been postponed four times due to the various attacks that have struck the Lebanese capital in recent months. Iyad Rachid is nonetheless planning a “Miss & Mister Beach,” slightly more bare…only after the hypothetical and high-risk presidential election takes place.
With the kind collaboration of Lebanese (New York) photographer Jessica Kalache: jkalache@gmail.com
