Miss Universe 2005: If Only She was there...

Found in the middle of Leeward off the Eastern Carribean, the two islands of Antigua and Barbuda are too small to be noticed. In the world of pageantry, the country's achievements are again, too small to be noticed.

But hopes ran high when Shermaine Jeremy was chosen to represent her country at Miss Universe 2005. Perhaps, she is the best woman ever to represent her tiny nation at the pageant. Indeed she was. She’s great at interviews - very eloquent, very spontaneous and confident. She also made a powerful impact with her performances at the preliminaries. During the swimsuit round, she was very noticeable with those beautiful white flowers slipped on her hair. At the gown competition, her mint green wardrobe is among the sexiest we’ve seen in the pageant. Her catwalk skills – excellent!

And this woman is very talented! She's great at dancing and singing. These talents pushed her to eventually bag the World Talent Award Winner & earned her a semifinal slot at Miss World 2004! She’s a diplomat holding a position at her country’s mission to the United Nations. She's mostly in New York. “attending the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and became the recipient of the Thrugood Marshall Scholarship for academic excellence and the Student Service Award for excellence in Service on campus and in the community”. No wonder that we at Missosology.Org envisioned that she would manage to make it as a Top 5 finalist. Pity though that Miss Universe 2005 is held in Asia. History tells us that it is very difficult for a black woman to penetrate the semis when an Asian country is hosting the pageant. This particularly true on Miss Universe contests held in Manila (1974 & 1994), Bangkok (1992) and Taipei (1988).

Bangkok 2005 was saved from that image when Miss Trinidad and Tobago was included in the top fifteen. Yet, if any black delegate deserves to be finalist, it should be Shermaine. Her Miss World performance shows that she is a woman of beauty and of substance. It's a pity of course that Miss Universe is sprinkled with politics even more so that it was reported that five of the top fifteen are not the judges' choice but of the Miss Universe Organization.

In a world where politics play a crucial role, it's a shame that Shermaine's country lacks political weight. If only Shermaine's country is Islamic and that thousands of her countrymen are opposed to her Miss Universe participation. If only Shermaine's half-Thai. If only Antigua and Barbuda had the reputation of being a pageant powerhouse with several Miss Universe crowns. If only she was there...