The designer of the dress worn by Thailand's 2017 Miss Universe contestant is having second thoughts about making an outfit again for next year's competition after netizens accused him of playing a part in her loss.
Polpat Asavaprapa
Polpat Asavaprapa, or Moo Asava, who has made the dress for the Thai contestant for the past three years in a row, early last week declared he would not take the job again, even if organisers asked, though he eventually softened his stance.
The pageant was won by Miss South Africa, though Thailand's Maria Poonlertlarp made it to the final five, the best performance by a Thai contestant in 29 years.
Moo said his crystal-studded dress, made in midnight-blue silk velvet fabric, combined the best aspects of Thai culture and international styling. Maria, 25, also known as Maria Lynn Ehren, wore it in two rounds of the pageant, including her final selection round.
While her answer to a question about social movements caused most fuss on the internet, with Maria apparently failing to grasp the concept, some netizens are angry with Moo for coming up with a dress which was too sexy and too dark to stand out.
Among the unflattering comments: "Next year you should keep that brand in a coffin. Don't show your stuff overseas; showing at home is enough. The plunging cleavage is awful; a store-bought dress would be better. That dress belongs at Saphan Phut market, not on an international stage."
Drawing a connection with her flubbed answer, many critics said the cutaway dress was too sexy, with the result Maria lost confidence, causing her to tackle the question poorly.
Responding to the fuss, Moo denied the dress was too revealing, as it had a hidden lining sown in which fitted Maria's body snugly. "Even if she had done a triple somersault, nothing would have fallen out," he said.
"People who criticise take a negative view of everything. Those who badmouth the dress do so every year. In the end, my dress reappears every year. It is probably the habit of people who can't accept defeat gracefully," he said.
"She was given a hard question but answered it well. We have known each other for 10 years and she is like a member of the family. As soon as she left the stage, she called me."
He said she had since posted encouraging words to him on social media.
Moo said members of her pageant team had also been in touch, worried the jibes were hurting his morale. "I will reply next year on whether I will design the dress again. We go through this every year, as I don't think I am suitable for designing for a pageant."
By the week's end, criticism of Moo's design had taken a new twist, with critics pointing to similarities between Maria's outfit and a Valentino dress, from his Spring 2016 Couture collection, worn by Olivia Wilde at last year's Academy Awards.
Meanwhile, in her most recent social media message, Maria said she was humbled to wear Moo's outfit, which she said combined Thai features with clean-cut, modern styling.
Is she a beauty or 'a beast'?
Naminara 'Jub Jib' Pattaravanichsakul
A student who won a cosmetic surgery makeover in South Korea has apologised for upsetting Thais amid claims she painted too unflattering a portrait of herself on TV to grab the prize.
Naminara "Jub Jib" Pattaravanichsakul, 21, a student at Kasetsart University, was the centre of a social media storm last week after winning the free surgery on Workpoint TV's Let Me in Thailand (Season 3).
She knocked out of contention a young woman from Prachin Buri with a protruding chin and bad teeth whom many netizens thought was more deserving.
"Jub Jib was pretty already but played up her bad points to impress the judges," netizens complained. They asked if the judges chose the prettier contestant for the sake of the show's ratings.
Both contestants appeared before three judges and talked about their lives battling unfortunate looks. The young women said they came from poor families, worked hard and hoped for better things in life. After judges awarded the prize to the lucky contestant -- usually the one whose life story impresses them the most -- the winner reappears in "after surgery" mode, to show viewers how much cosmetic surgery has improved her looks.
The panel opted for Jub Jib, upsetting many netizens, though both contestants were criticised on the internet for playing up the sadness of their lives and playing down the good bits.
Jub Jib appeared before surgery as a drab young woman. She is gangly, wears large glasses and pulls her hair behind her head. After surgery, she looks like a model ready for stardom, critics said.
Netizens said a close look at her social media posts shows Jub Jib was more attractive than she appeared on the show.
The student, who wears braces, said the dental work forced her chin to jut out at an odd angle and resulted in a loss of self-esteem. She tried to refrain from smiling, which led friends to suspect she was being haughty and aloof.
Born in Nan and raised in Surat Thani, Jub Jib said she came from a broken family. Her mother took factory jobs and washed dishes to make ends meet. She attended a temple school until Grade 4, but with her good grades managed to get a seat in a top school in Surat Thani.
Critics said that far from being scared to show her face, Jub Jib led a busy social life on campus. She was a cheerleader, drum major and vied for most popular student in her faculty. She had also snagged a role in a TV series four years ago, and appeared in a music video.
They also pointed to her expensive shoes and attractive condo to question claims she was struggling financially.
Responding to the drama, Jub Jib agreed she was an "activity girl" at school and was already good-looking before surgery. However, she said she still lacked something to get ahead, including money.
Jub Jib, who had surgical enhancements to her chest, eyes, nose, jawline and chin during her three-month stay in South Korea, said she never expected to win and was keen to take on any opportunity which comes her way. By weeks end, she was responding to her critics one by one on social media. Workpoint TV, which makes the show, has yet to comment.
Meanwhile, the news is not all bad for her rival contestant, Jintana "Yui" Kruesing.
Yui, who suffers from a pronounced jutting jawline and rotting teeth, was nonetheless also criticised by netizens for exaggerating her financial woes.
Writing on social media, a close friend says an agent for a South Korean cosmetic surgeon has been in touch offering her free treatment.
It's all over now, Songkran
Aff Taksaorn
Actress Aff Taksaorn is sticking by her request for a divorce despite signs from her husband, businessman Songkran Taechanarong, that he is not ready to call it quits.
Declaring things could not return to the way they were in happier days, Aff said last month the pair have been apart for a year and she had been bringing up their only child, Peamai, alone since the child was born three years ago.
While Aff lives in Bangkok, Songkran, son of Bonanza resort owner Paiwong Taechanarong, helps his father run the business in Khao Yai, Nakhon Ratchasima.
She would not say what caused the split but said she would like to get the divorce over with, as she didn't want to leave the matter hanging.
Songkran has said nothing publicly about their marital woes, though last week posted a clip of himself boxing, adding the message in English: "Got hit hard, sucked it up, put on poker face and just powered through because the bell hasn't rung yet (For love of the game)."
Fans took that to mean he wanted to persevere with their marriage. Asked about it, Aff said she was determined their divorce should go ahead, even if his family was reluctant.
She hadn't heard from him since telling the media she wanted a divorce.
