Monicah Breschini and Lenka Vomočilova
The second edition of Mrs. National Universe is to be held in Hua Hin, Thailand from the 11th to the 15th September, 2022. People will be fascinated to learn that not one but two local ladies will be representing their countries of birth at this event, proudly standing alongside competitors from many other nations.
The Mrs. National Universe pageant had its debut in 2019 but has been in Covid hiatus since then. It is a spin-off from the highly successful Mr. National Universe franchise. The pageant’s founder and director, Ms Tanya Siri Vijitsomphong, is the CEO of Hot Magazine, a luxury lifestyle magazine based in Hua Hin.
I had the opportunity to sit down with both of these beautiful and talented women to hear their stories and learn more about the upcoming pageant. It has been the case in the past that some dismiss beauty pageant contestants with a quick, one-dimensional stereotype, but my conversations with these women were honest and wide-ranging. I am aware I have only just scratched the surface and that these ladies are very multi-faceted women indeed.
Monicah Wairimu Breschini, who has lived in Hua Hin since 2017, will be representing her county of birth, Kenya, in the pageant. After finishing high school at 18 years of age, Monicah joined the Kenyan Red Cross as a volunteer and worked on numerous annual campaigns providing immunisation against measles, malaria and polio to people in Kenyan communities. To this day, she is still a member of Red Cross and has a great admiration of the work it undertakes to improve community health and well-being.
To support herself, she worked part-time jobs in a variety of occupations including retail sales and other promotion work. Monicah was also employed in a casino, but by 2014 she was ready to spread her wings and start her own boutique so she could indulge her life-long interest in fashion.
This is Monicah’s first ever pageant and her family could not be prouder of her. Her American husband finds her courage astounding, her mother-in-law is equally proud and her 10-year-old daughter is her biggest admirer. Monicah is comfortable with this pageant as it is geared to a more mature and sophisticated competitor and so has a slightly more conservative focus, contestants not being judged in swimsuits.
For Monicah, this is a once in a lifetime experience and she has seized it with open arms. She views living each and every day of her life as a learning opportunity and is looking forward to meeting all the other contestants. There is a total of 15 of them, although to date only 7 have been formally announced.
One of the very big pluses of this pageant for Monicah is that it gives her a concrete way to show her daughter that with hard work and ambition, the sky is the limit. Monicah is a realist and is aware that some of her competitors are seasoned pageant performers, but she isn’t letting this be a deterrent in her quest to provide her daughter with a positive role-model. Friends speak highly of Monicah as a wonderful mother. She is a fitness enthusiast who is already teaching her daughter about practices positive for both physical and mental wellbeing. Although she is quite humble about her training, I have it on good authority that Monicah’s Muay Thai skills are impressive and that she has the heart of a warrior.
Monicah is still to find “the” evening gown for the pageant. She readily admits to perfectionism and has not yet found the dress that “speaks” to her. Anyone who has had to choose a wedding dress knows the moment that Monicah is still waiting for.
Because of her pageant entry, Monicah has had to hit the pause button on her next major life goal, becoming a certified doula. She remembers the feelings of loneliness and fear she experienced when giving birth, and wishes to be there to reassure and support others during their pregnancy, childbirth and beyond. This goal was not a surprise to me, because I had already noticed that Monicah is profoundly empathetic. Along with Lenka, she has been supporting Brigitte Persson and Hin Lek Fai Dog Rescue in its fabulous work to improve the lot of local soi dogs.
Lenka Dayrit Vomočilova will be representing her native county, the Czech Republic. Her modelling career officially began at the age of 16 when she left home to live independently in the big city. But she had been in competitions since the age of 13, at the instigation of her mother, who Lenka acknowledges was “living her dreams through me”. Lenka has fond memories of designing her dresses while her mother stitched these drawings into reality.
Lenka had a long and profitable career in modelling and has worked world-wide in cities such as Paris, Milan, New York, Bangkok and Singapore, although she would be the first to admit that the industry can be very hard and have many dangers and pitfalls, particularly for young women starting their careers. She is indebted to her mentor and teacher, Natalie Glebova, who was crowned Miss Universe in 2005.
This pageant was of particular interest to Lenka because of its inclusivity. It is open to contestants from the ages of 30 to 60, regardless of their marital or family status. She will be a fierce competitor in this event because of her commitment to do everything she does at 100%, as a loving tribute to her recently lost father who always expected nothing less from her. Yet, she is also a proud and passionate feminist who acknowledges the barriers faced by women trying to achieve a level playing field with their male counterparts in today’s society. In response to this inequity, she is gracious in sharing her knowledge and expertise with other pageant contestants and in offering them her support and encouragement.
Having battled leukemia at a young age and endured 6 gruelling rounds of chemotherapy, it is to her credit that Lenka is so open about her battle with cancer. She is determined to assist others also affected to maintain a positive mindset which will be of great assistance in their struggle to recovery.
Lenka is a Buddhist and lives her faith daily. She is a vegetarian and has a deep love and appreciation of all living things. One great cause she is currently championing is Hin Lek Fai Dog Rescue where she is a regular volunteer and supporter. This service has recently lost a major sponsor who was paying the rent for the premises, which houses elderly and disabled soi dogs who would not survive back on the streets. Lenka is helping raise awareness of the potential closure of the centre and is urgently seeking a new benefactor to step in.
Taking part in a pageant such as Mrs. National Universe is a costly experience. Contestants require at least 1 evening gown along with resort wear and the services of a team of stylists for their hair and makeup. Lenka is highly appreciative of the support she already has from three sponsors, Bona Clinic, TCH Hua Hin Property and Elite Fight Club, but is still actively seeking further local support for her campaign. Wisely, she would prefer to offer her support and internet-savvy skills to local businesses, so is open to all offers, as she is still to make her final gown selections. I had a sneak peek at some of the gowns she is considering and, on Lenka, they were certainly stunning. I promised not to divulge any secrets.
And secrets about this pageant still abound. The contestants have been revealed one by one, and this still continues. I inquired about the venue, having already speculated myself, only to find that it remains unannounced. It is even within the realms of possibility that the pageant could be staged in an outdoor setting. We will have to wait and see.
Lenka feels that the winner of any pageant is not always the prettiest woman, but the one who puts energy and time into her preparation and so excels in all aspects of the contest. I certainly am in no position to disagree with her.
I wish both Monicah and Lenka all the luck in the world for this pageant, in the sure knowledge they won’t even need it.
Edit: I was right. Lenka was crowned Mrs National Universe and Monicah was crowned Mrs National World. The lady formerly known as Monicah now choses to be known as Wairimu Mbiri Breschini.
First published in huahin.locality.guide on August 6, 2022