Beauty And Brains: Miss Universe Singapore 2022 Carissa Yap Gears Up For The International Stage

Miss Universe Singapore 2022 Carissa Yap’s palpable cheerfulness, elegance and poise are all characteristics befitting our country’s representative at the international competition, which will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana this coming January 2023.

And as far as first impressions go, it is difficult to fathom that the beauty queen is truly an introvert at heart. After all, the road towards the ultimate Miss Universe crown requires contestants to put themselves through countless photoshoots, runway presentations and nerve-wracking interviews.

But it was the drive for self-discovery that compelled her to push past her shy nature and tackle the competition without prior experience during her final year at the National University of Singapore. 

“The Miss Universe platform has been very meaningful. It made me more self-aware of what I'm putting out there and that it will exist forever. I also learnt to be more authentic to myself and the causes I care about,” said the 22-year-old.

Acknowledging how pageantry is often viewed as superficial, especially in recent years, she thinks that it can serve a higher purpose – an opportunity to be a voice for change and action.

“It’s not just a celebration of beauty. It’s a celebration of women who are using their beauty as their power to support others and I think it has been proven with last year’s winner, Harnaaz Sandhu, who has continued her work on menstrual equity,” said Yap.

As for Yap, who majors in finance and economics, she champions the underbanked community, which has limited access to banks and services such as loans and credit cards. With the local title, she hopes to raise even more awareness for this marginalised group, encourage greater education and support initiatives tackling this issue.

The final runway beckons and preparations for the United States are underway. Although Yap is already attuned to the pressure of the competition, she has a string of activities lined up in December to get her into the groove. 

“I’ll be starting my gym sessions very soon to ramp up my fitness, not just physically – mentally as well. The act of heading down on a weekly basis will build that resilience and self-discipline, which will help me feel more prepared,” Yap shared. 

Some of her most challenging competition moments revolved around the smaller events, such as photoshoots, leading up to the competition itself - all while juggling her studies. While it was exhausting, she was grateful for the time spent bonding with the nine other contestants.

“The friendships are definitely one of the biggest takeaways, which was so unexpected to me, and it’s really heartwarming to know that we continue to keep in touch after the competition,” said Yap.

Her current priorities? Nailing the final catwalk and the question-and-answer rounds. She will be travelling to the Philippines to hone these skills with experts before flying to America. “It’s important to have the right posture, the right mentality, and the way that you should frame the answers. I think that would really make or break what the judges feel about you.”

And it was this particular segment that impressed the judges enough for her to clinch the Singapore crown. One response that stood out revolved around being beautifully confident and how women should not be afraid to use their looks in tandem with their brains. 

Having interned at several companies, Yap felt that the male-dominated finance industry had a preconceived notion that girls who were too attractive could not be smart, and vice-versa. 

“It’s always a choice of ‘either or’, but why do we have to choose? Instead of playing one down for another, I felt that using both together made me unique, my unique strength. I want to use this to my advantage and I feel that every woman can do the same,” said Yap.

The young queen admits that this confidence is not an innate quality, which juxtaposes what others think of her based on social media presence alone. 

Instead, she had to learn and grow into becoming the assured beauty queen we see today. “I used to be reserved and shy but now, I’m not afraid to share my opinions with others and to put myself out there. I think 15-year-old me would definitely be proud.”

Photography: Jeff Chang Studio
Outfit: Moschino Couture / Bluebell Singapore
Makeup: Alif Alwee / MAC Cosmetics Singapore
Hair: Justin Javier & Jun Kataigi / Shunji Matsuo
Crown and jewelry: The Better Diamond
Creative Direction: Valerie Lim / Miss Universe Singapore
Producer: Hwee Lee Low / Miss Universe Singapore