ThaRum notes that Miss Utah 2006 and that state’s representative to the Miss America pageant is creating a stir in Cambodia because of her Khmer heritage:
According to US national who has worked in Cambodia for many years, and now speaks fairly well in Khmer, Jinja is curious about what his Khmer friends think about the traditional annual American beauty contest. “Most families in the Cambodian countryside would be horrified to see their daughter enter a public swimsuit competition. But ‘Freshie Girl’ this ain’t.”
Photo taken from Soben Huon’s blogspot site.
Carl also notices at Friskodude and comments "Rarely do I get the opportunity to post Cambodian cheesecake on this blog, so I’ll take advantage with this image of the newly crowned Miss Utah, who will soon be participating in some silly American game show and competing in the Miss America contest.":
Miss Utah USA 2006 is Soben Huon, 22 years old, from Provo. She is the daughter of Matthew and Sambath Huon. Soben graduated with High Honors from Millikan High School ranking in the top fifteen percent in her class. Currently a senior at Brigham Young University, she is majoring in Political Science with an emphasis on International Relations. Her goal is to attend Stanford Law and study International Law.
As a Cambodian Classical Ballet Principle Dancer, Soben has received several awards. She also plays the violin and is a self-taught piano player. She is Cambodian and speaks fluent Khmer, the official language of Cambodia. She is also learning Spanish and French.
Technorati Tags: asia, cambodia, east asia, southeast asia
April 14th, 2006 at 12:02 am
I guess she’s an American, it’s justifyable for her to be in a swimsuit and parade herself to the world in name of beauty. In Cambodia, this will not be tolerated. Cambodian culture is not much different than most Asian cultures. Cambodian women in Cambodia are very modest, shy ,and will not allow themselves to lose their respect, honor, or dignity for the name of feminism. A woman like Soben Huon is becoming exceptable to be a Khmer woman in America. I only hope she remain Miss Utah and does something moraly correct for herself and her community and not end in the cover of Playboy or Penthouse, that would be the ultimate disgrace to be a Khmer woman, if she consider herself to be a Khmer woman, that is.
April 16th, 2006 at 11:57 pm
Well, a bit weird. A Mormon I guess, BYU, and a beauty contest t and a? What gives?
April 22nd, 2006 at 2:56 am
Reply to Cham,
I would ask you to judge on her intellectual and her beauty. Please don’t judge by the photo. Soben is a very beautiful and sweet Khmer woman. Best of all is her inside, she’s a heart like many Khmer people, very modest. But for her to win the Miss America contes, she is required to dress accordingly, whatever the rules of the pageant is. Posing a swimsuit is part of it, she had to like like the rest of the beauty pageant, and it’s not a bad thing. It is accepted by all judeges and people, so it’s not something that she allow herself to do. Her education background is very high, so she knows better than what you are thinking. Although she has been in US for long, she put her Khmer heart in traditional dance to keep her culture. SO please don’t judge her by swimsuit photo. I hope many more Khmer woman will take her as one of the role model. Beauty and Intelligent.
April 22nd, 2006 at 3:09 am
My apology for many typos:
Correction:
-Posing a swimsuit is part of it, she had TO DO like the rest of miss beauty pageant.
It is REQUIRED and accepted by all JUDGES and people.
—
Once again, I apologize for my mistake.
Best regards,
Soben’s friend.