Wenanita Angang, who is blessed with beauty and brains, is not your ordinary pageant girl, as she nails it like a queen. When asked what the weight of the crown is to her, the Miss World Malaysia 22/23 said that it is the hopes of the people that hang on the current reign.
“The crown symbolises the amount of responsibility I bear as a Malaysian representative, carrying the hopes of the people.”
Wenanita also disclosed that she observes her predecessors each year in the hopes of learning how to take Malaysia further in the international arena.
Born and raised in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, the lass of Tatana and Murut descent was recently in Kuching, Sarawak to attend a fashion show and the Rajah movie premiere. She also met with reporters at a press conference held to introduce her advocacy for the upcoming Miss World 2023.
Wenanita’s advocacy for Miss World, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates in May, is focused on autistic children. The 27-year-old is currently working with the National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM) and the Early Autism Project (EAP), both of which are affiliated with her advocacy.
“My advocacy focuses on autistic children, so I’m hoping that my project can reach a national audience.”
To date, Wenanita has visited five Malaysian states with the goal of improving and celebrating the lives of people on the autism spectrum.
The Data Science graduate hopes to raise a total of RM50,000 for her advocacy through her Miss World 2023 ‘beauty with a purpose’ project. The fundraising campaign will end on May 18, and the funds raised will be used to support NASOM and EAP.
“The ultimate goal would be to provide scholarships for autistic children to receive a quality education,” said the pageant queen.
Wenanita’s pageantry background
Wenanita has fond memories of flipping through her mother’s pageant queen photo album as a young child.
“My mother participated in a number of pageants. Her highest title was Miss Tourism Malaysia when it was under a different licence holder.”
Young and tender, she was inspired and influenced by her mother’s achievements in the industry.
“And it’s made me want to be the person she was in the pictures I used to look at as a child.”
With that in mind, Wenanita competed in her first pageant, Miss Planet in Georgia, in 2016. She had finished as the first runner-up. She also represented Malaysia in the Miss Tourism and Culture Universe pageant in Myanmar in 2019.
“I finished as the second runner-up in this competition.”
Wenanita learned a lot from her experiences as a model and a pageant queen. But the one that is deeply ingrained in her is that she strives not to be like the other contestants.
“I learned to always be true to myself because that is what makes me unique. If you try to be someone else or take someone else’s quality, it will not look natural on you,” she said.
She also said that pageantry has redefined her character and given her the confidence to speak up for what she believes in.
“Being in pageantry is about more than just our physical beauty. Rather, it is the ability to speak up for what we believe in. Miss World’s main objective is always more than waving and strutting on stage.
“The organisation has always attempted to nurture individuals because, at the end of the day, they will not say ‘oh, nice dress,’ but ‘what do you stand for?’” said Wenanita.
Supporting culture and heritage
Whether she is in her hometown of Sabah, doing charity work in West Malaysia, or standing tall on the international stage, Wenanita emphasises the cultural and heritage aspect that she embodies.
It is important to her because it is her identity — no matter where she goes.
“You can put me anywhere in the world, no matter where I am or how far I travel; that is my identity. That’s important as it enables people to see a side of me they’ve never seen before.”
While she has always carried the Sabahan culture with her wherever she goes, Wenanita has revealed that for the upcoming Miss World, she will carry the Malaysian culture instead.
“Thus, I travel around, trying to understand every aspect of Malaysian culture that I was previously unaware of. I believe that, in addition to the Borneo culture, there are other cultures that I should represent in order to create a more inclusive nature when I step onto the international stage,” she added.
Follow Wenanita on Instagram (@wenanitaangang) to stay up to date on her latest news and stories. Those interested in her advocacy project with autistic children can browse through @makingsensemy on Instagram.
