Creativity, sensibility

We are constantly looking for new and better ways to do things. Additionally, we must exercise caution because there are some delicate areas that we risk offending. The situation in pageantry, notably in its national costume competition, is unquestionably correct.

The ladies are going to showcase their exquisite national costumes, which represent their home regions or towns, in the national costume category. The ladies will be able to display what their individual places have to offer to others or even further through this exercise. Typically, it is a costume inspired by the region's famous foods, fruits, natural resources, or other distinctive features.

Originality and creativity, theme interpretation, and aesthetic impact are typically the three factors used to judge entries in the national costume competition. First, originality and creativity can be understood as having a brand-new, one-of-a-kind product or symbolism from anything that is completely novel and outside the realm of common knowledge. Second, the general theme interpretation conveys the overall message the outfit wants to convey, whether it be one of humanity, the environment, or religion. Third, the design, color harmony, and audience appeal are all determined by the visual impact.

For instance, a Boholana representative would exhibit a costume that draws inspiration from the renowned Chocolate Hills. A Cebuano delegate can also highlight any of the goods that Cebu is famous for, such as the puso, lechon, and so on.

However, the most recent Cebuana representative to the Binibining Pilipinas beauty contest chose to wear a costume that was quite similar to the vestments worn by the venerable Señor Santo Niño. Although this was prior to the actual national costume contest, many netizens still responded in a way that makes fun of religious beliefs.

Even though the candidate and her team already asked for an apology, we can't help but use this as a reminder for everyone that while the purpose may be appealing or pure, there are actually sensibilities that we need to take into account. Additionally, this goal must be compatible with the context in which the costume was worn.

Although costumes that closely resemble religious icons like the Virgin Mary and St. Peter have been seen in the past, they were intended for religious and/or sociocultural events. Furthermore, using them outside of or apart from them would be seen as being employed for secular purposes.

It is imperative that regions or provinces advocate for thorough environmental or cultural resource mapping so that people can look for inaccessible, obliterated, indistinguishable, or underappreciated tangible or non-physical representations of their regions. It also goes by the name "cultural landscape mapping," and it employs a variety of research methods and resources to "map" the material and intangible cultural assets of various peoples within regional landscapes all over the world. For instance, in Cebu, there are still regional tales or narratives that only a select number of cultural workers are aware of, and imperatively, more efforts to disseminate knowledge widely in order to foster greater understanding.

Our colleagues in the creative and beauty industries have an aesthetic sensibility. The necessity to view the reality realistically. But they see the world in a very different way. They have life experience that allows them to recognize things that the average person cannot. With the aid of artistic sensibility, the capacity to draw a line between creative artistry and the established belief systems and sensibilities is much desired.