THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

What's a bikini? Meet the girls of Myanmar

What's a bikini? Meet the girls of Myanmar

The beaches of Phuket are always loaded with foreign beauties, but a rare breed was sighted over the weekend when the 20 finalists in the Miss Universe Myanmar pageant arrived for "training".

Presumably these girls have not had a great deal of experience with swimsuits and required guidance ahead of the big show in Yangon on July 26. 
Phuket was the obvious choice because Soe Yu Wai, the pageant’s licensee, who publishes various fashion and business magazines, recruited Thai TV show host Nawat Itsaragrisil to organise the event. He’s the founder of Miss Grand Thailand International, and reckons the scenes shot in Phuket will pop some Myanmar eyeballs when the show is broadcast. 
As tourists and other gawkers noted, the Myanmar ladies weren’t exactly pushing the limits of decency in their swimwear. With the Thai brand BSC again handling the design, the bathing suits were deliberately conservative so as not to offend the authorities back home. The Thai social media showed uncharacteristic respect, with many people commenting that the swimsuits reflect the charm of Myanmar women. The girls themselves seemed naturally beautiful, it was generally agreed (no plastic surgery or Western influences!) – and diverse in their traits, “unlike the South Korean beauty contestants who all look exactly the same”, as someone put it.
Nawat knows what they’re talking about and vows to promote the show internationally. He plans to send the winner someplace for a 10-day grooming course before she goes for the world title in Manila later this year. Her travelling companions will be the five finalists from Nawat’s Miss Grand Thailand competition. 
 
You believe in football?
World Cup host Brazil’s hopes of actually winning the trophy took a dive when its “talisman” player Neymar Jr got banged up, but fortunately there’s more than one talisman in the country. Helio Sillman of Rio de Janeiro says he can do black magic and he’ll put a curse on Germany’s top players to stop them scoring in the semi-final. 
Interesting, the international media said. How does this work exactly? Well, Sillman tells Agence France-Presse, you make a voodoo doll of the player and then bind its legs, which by dint of magic transmits the restraint to the human target. He’ll conduct the ritual at his shop, World of Orixas. AFP reports that he’s already built a miniature football pitch to serve as his “altar”, with candles in the colours of the opposing team and the voodoo doll of “their most important player”, as Sillman puts it, refusing to name the official target. 
Apparently Sillman had a go at slowing down Colombian star James Rodriguez during an earlier match against Brazil. And yet Rodriguez still somehow managed to score, but (phew) Brazil won the match. Sillman proudly takes full credit for Brazil beating Cameroon, Chile, Croatia and Mexico as well. So, yeah, obviously magic is real. 
And that means that Germany’s Thomas Mueller, Manuel Neuer and Mats Hummels are going to have to be very careful on the pitch. If they feel a sudden tightening in the legs or the prick of a pin, best go off for a pee break. Incredibly, black magic isn’t even against Fifa rules. If it works, the Thai national team should invite Sillman here. 
 
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