One of my first pieces for this column was about pageant contests, and their central message was that such glamorous shows could evolve into something more meaningful, a sort of platform to harness the personal leadership of the participants for the common good.

While I am hopeful that such events have progressed and improved in their 'missions' over the last few years, I was struck by seeing the pictures of the finalists of the recently held Miss Universe Nepal 2022.

Broadly promoted and advertised, what did impress me was not just their beauty but the fact that all of them were, apparently, all very white skinned or they looked like so.

Now in the 21st century, a person's skin colour should not be a matter about which someone like me writes an opinion piece, although the reality is very different. Unfortunately our colours, as we know, still matter, and race is still very much a societal issue.

Yet all the finalists of Miss Universe Nepal were somehow very 'whitish' for a very diverse nation like Nepal, where persons can have a variety of skin tones, including a high number of persons with dark ones.

Certainly there are also citizens who have a very white skin complexion, but it is equally common for many to have a very dark one. It is normal, and such diversity is something we must celebrate.

I was not entirely convinced that all the 20 plus finalists had an inherent very white shade on their skins, and it was apparent that many, if not all of them, had used some whitening lotions before taking the shots which were so highly advertised.

Despite some criticism of the cosmetic industry in India some years ago that was promoting a 'Westernised' white type of beauty, appearing 'fair' on your face and body is still very cool and trendy. This is wrong, and it is a topic that should be widely discussed among youths. Perhaps, I am a bit biased or involved on the topic myself.

Despite being a 'Westerner', I come from south Europe where a good number of people tend to be darker than those living, for example, in Scandinavia or Central Europe. I could easily pass myself for an average Nepali or Arab, something that at least once I felt somehow discriminated for and that happened simply because of the colour of my skin.

Yet I love it, and I am proud of my 'olive' skin colour, and for me the darker I get, the more beautiful I appear to myself.

Unfortunately it is not the case for still too many youths of Nepal and South Asia. They really want to appear fairer and fairer, the more, the better. Did the Miss Universe Nepal's finalists really think they impressed someone with their whitish shots? Certainly they didn't with me, and, hopefully, many others got baffled at their 'shining' images.

And here it is where the organisers of such contests should have a role to play, together with former beauty queens who made it big thanks to these events. We need a platform and some visibility to reframe the traditional narrative about associating beauty with a colour of the skin.

Let's talk over it, and let's make sure that everyone, boys and girls, can see themselves through their genuine prisms so that they can start becoming prouder of whatever shade their skins are.

I guess it is ultimately about creating some confidence in their appearances and in their heritage and culture, all elements that, by any standards, truly define our inner and external beauty.

In short, it is not just about accepting our colours as something inevitable that we cannot do anything about. Instead it is about celebrating our colours regardless of any other consideration.

I really hope that in the near future pageant contests really shift to focus on the holistic understanding of what makes a person attractive and beautiful.

While physical appearances have still an indisputable role, according to the traditional canons of beauty, there is much more in a person.

This is the reason why I hope that such events turn themselves into truly personal leadership challenges that help all participants to become better persons.

Celebrating someone's natural skin colour is part of this new equation. If we love our colours, we can be more confident and successful.

At the end, we can even save some good money from cosmetics products that, ultimately, we all know, are not of any utility.

So if you associate whiteness with being beautiful and successful, please rethink the pillars of your own assumptions: they are wrong, and they can really be a burden on your persona.

Hopefully, all the finalists of Miss Universe Nepal, especially the winner, Sophiya Bhujel, will play a role to reject silly stereotypes.

Miss Universe Nepal Sophiya might have several issues close to her heart to advocate for, and I am sure she is going to dedicate a lot of energy to pursue these important areas.

Hopefully, she might also give priority to the Issue of self-acceptance, advocating self-respect, especially among young girls who often are in conflict with themselves around their external appearances.

The widespread use of the social media, including more recently Tik Tok, can be really counterproductive in this regard because youths are driven to look more and more stunning and beautiful.

We might laugh when we see youths putting so much effort while they shoot their videos before posting them, but actually it is a very worrying trend that can have huge repercussions at the society level.

Being and feeling beautiful is not at all about appearing different from what you are. Instead it is about embracing your skin no matter its colour. It is also about trying to pursue a life of meaning and self-satisfaction far from the limelight of this modern society.

Galimberti is the co-founder of ENGAGE, an NGO

A version of this article appears in the print on September 16, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.