Okay, so the Miss Universe pageant was almost a week ago. One of the most exciting events from last week was the National Costume Show. It’s difficult to come up with a costume that encapsulates all of the cultures and subcultures in a nation, especially in multicultural countries. I respect the difficulty that comes with developing an idea for a costume that represents a diverse range of people, which is why I always look forward to seeing the creativity, originality, and artistry in these costumes. Representing a place like Great Britain, for example, would be a difficult task in and of itself simply because it consists of three different countries, each of which has a different background! Add to that the beautiful mix of immigrants and newcomers, and this cultural mosaic becomes even more versatile in terms of ideas and concepts that it can showcase!
Great Britain’s national costume was disappointing. Before we go any further, I want to preface this by saying that I do not hold anything against the young lady who wore the costume. I do not blame her for anything, and I am not speaking negatively of her. In fact, I have friends who know her in real life, and by all accounts, she is a lovely young woman who harbours no ill will against any people group, nationality, or background. I want to reiterate again that none of my comments are directed at this Miss Universe delegate. This post is about the national costume and my interpretation of it.
The national costume for Great Britain was a depiction of the Oxford English Dictionary and was intended to reflect pride in the English language. As Miss Great Britain walked the runway, the host read: “Great Britain gave the world English the official language of 67 countries. This national costume is a tribute to both the English language and the Oxford Dictionary, an unsurpassed guide that documents around 600,000 words. If it’s English you speak, you might want to peek at Great Britain.”
The hosts had cutesy descriptions like this for each delegate’s costume. The part that jumped out to me was the notion that Great Britain gave the world English as the official language of sixty seven countries. Is that accurate? I would argue not. The English language was not given to anyone. The English language was imposed on other countries, nations, and people groups. People were able to communicate amongst themselves and in their communities effectively before English was introduced to them. Upon colonization, English was imposed onto people who were quite happy speaking their own languages. In fact, in several countries where English is one of the official national languages, Indigenous languages are frequently spoken too by the locals. Sadly, in countries such as Canada, where Indigenous languages were violently ripped away from children, those languages are almost dead. There are some languages with less than a dozen people still alive who can speak it. Is forcibly “giving” a language to people something to be proud of, something to be highlighted on a platform as big as the Miss Universe pageant?
This biased presentation of a language in the national costume for Great Britain reflects a lack of insight into the depth and width of colonialism and how it still permeates the modern world. To take pride in imposing a language onto a different people group shows a lack of reflection and empathy towards the people in countries where English is now an official language… but it was not the language of the indigenous peoples of those lands. And to have had centuries to try and empathise with the people who lost a part of their culture, yet still whitewash the spead of the English language shows a lack of awareness. It shows an ethnocentric view of the world. There is nothing wrong with being proud of the English language. The way that it evolves through generations and the way that slang and neologisms become a part of the language is beautiful. The disappointing part is not knowing how this same language has damaged other cultures in the name of greed, capitalism, and colonialism. Or as Rage Against the Machine said, “The present curriculum, I put my fist in ’em. Eurocentric, every last one of ’em.” I guess this blog is my attempt to mend the “holes in our spirit causin’ tears and fears [and fix the] one-sided stories [told] for years and years and years” (quotations taken from Take the Power Back on RATM’s self-titled albums; 1991 and 1992).
It was disappointing to see this lack of awareness on the Miss Universe platform, and it is saddening that this is the best that the Miss Great Britain team could do. Great Britain is a region rich in inspiration for a national costume. If they want to dive into history, they could highlight that football (aka soccer) as well as cricket and golf were invented in Great Britain. Or to stick with the literary theme, a costume could have been inspired by Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf, or Jane Austin. Historical universities, castles, and other well-known buildings could have served as inspiration. Or, to showcase interconnectivity, Great Britain could have highlighted that the world wide web was invented in England. Multiculturalism could have been highlighted by showing that Chicken Tikka Masala is one of the national dishes of England. While on the topic of food, we can talk about beverages. Sparkling wine has been documented in England thirty years before Dom Perignon “invented” sparkling wine (as champagne) in France. As an actor, I’m intrigued by the idea of a James Bond inspired costume intertwined with the real-life Wales-born singer Shirley Bassey, who sang the theme song on three Bond movies. With her seven decade strong career, she is significant enough that the UK Royal Mint and the Royal Mail released commemorative coins and stamps, respectively, of her this year.
And I laugh as I type this: If you’re triggered by the idea of chicken tikka masala being a national dish in England, consider it a trade. The British Raj imposed the English language on India, but India did not impose chicken tikka masala on England. The dish was based on South Asian murgh makhani (butter chicken) and modified in Glasgow, Scotland.
With so much history, art, culture, architecture, literature, and empowering women from England, Scotland, and Wales to serve as inspiration for a national costume, it is disheartening to see that a language forced onto other people groups is what Team Great Britain chose to highlight in their national costume. It is as tone deaf as a potential future national costume: Marie Stopes. Or maybe certain facts about her can be whitewashed, too, and she can be used as inspo for a national costume 🤷🏾♀️.
Janice MacGregor 