Torbay, The English Riviera (The Adobo Chronicles) – Before he became a movie actor and governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger was Mr. Universe, at a time when male beauty was  measured by biceps,  triceps and six-pack abs. Well those days are gone.

On June 15, the most beautiful – and hopefully talented – men from across the globe will gather in Torbay in The English Riviera for the Mr. World Pageant. It is the male counterpart of Miss World.

It is a beauty contest that equality seeking men have long been clamoring for, while being a competition that would finally silence feminists who have been protesting beauty pageants and labeling them a “commercialization of women.” Now it’s fair and square.

One hunded million Filipinos are bracing themselves for pageant day, confident that their country’s representative, John Spainhour, will bag the coveted title.

International beauty crowns are not a rare commodity for the Philippines.  It has won all of the major international beauty titles to boot, including Miss World, Miss Universe and Miss International. Almost every weekend, there is a beauty contest being held in the Philippines on the national, local and neighborhood levels.  When Champion boxer Manny Pacquaio fights in the ring, the entire country comes to a stand still, as is the case when a Filipina beauty competes in an international beauty pageant.

Expect male beauty pageants to become the norm in the Philippines in the next few years or so. After all, Filipinos are among the most beautiful people in the world, male and female both.

The Adobo Chronicles wishes Spainhour the best of luck!