Erin McNaught

Looking back, it’s probably a good thing that I always flew by the seat of my pants. Although It was less than four years ago, I was naive enough to be able to barge through life like a steam train, always looking ahead, always willing to jump straight from one opportunity to the next to maintain a non-stop journey of curiosity and wonder. I was hell-bent on getting the most out of life. I was a sponge. I wanted to do everything, and I lived my life with an open heart and an open mind.

Its probably a good thing because if I had have stopped and thought for even a split second about what I was getting myself into, the enormity of the situation might have caused me to think twice about going through with it.

‘It’ was Miss Universe 2006. At the time, I was living on the Gold Coast, working as a model in my hometown of Brisbane. I had recently deferred my studies in Wildlife Biology and thus put on hold my dream of becoming a Zookeeper in order to pursue this new and exciting path that had presented itself. I figured (like so many do) that I could always come back to my studies, but my looks would fade therefore I should take advantage of such a unique opportunity. When I was asked if I wanted to enter the famous global pageant, Miss Universe, I hesitated briefly before deciding I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, so I dived right on in to the deep end, like I always had.

At that time, a mere three and a half years ago, Miss Universe (in my eyes) was just a really big and really public model search. What I didn’t expect was that this seemingly shallow process of finding a pretty young woman to travel the world alongside Donald Trump would actually teach me a vital lesson in Cultural Identity and Patriotism.

The lead up to the National Pageant was not remarkable. I was excited, definitely, but to be honest, I had not once sat down and thought about what it was, exactly, that I was doing, or why I was doing it. I was too busy sourcing dresses, organising a spray tan and booking in for the mandatory French manicure. When the day of the pageant arrived, everything went smoothly and before I knew it, it was down to the final 5 contestants. We were each asked a different question regarding political, cultural or environmental concerns.

I remember so vividly approaching the large fishbowl full of questions; reaching in and with blind faith, handing the piece of folded paper to the MC.

“Erin. Do you think that Australia’s Elite Athletes are overpaid?”

As I heard the question, a realisation began to creep into my mind. I was being asked my opinion. I was being asked to think. While the question was not overly difficult, for some reason it caught me off-guard. I answered the question smoothly, almost automatically, and returned to my place on the stage. Yes, this was a model search. But it was a search to find one young person who would single-handedly represent their country and its people’s beliefs and values to the rest of the world.

Up until that night, I was an Australian. Suddenly, I was Miss Australia.

I had precious little time to reflect on my new title. It was less than 3 weeks to the Miss Universe pageant in Los Angeles, USA, and I was run off my feet. After my revelation on the stage at the pageant, I had spent a short time questioning my worthiness of such a responsibility, but I was yet to understand the full implications of it.

When I arrived at the hotel in L.A. after a 15 hour flight, I was ushered directly to a large function room where all 81 contestants were busily trying on swimsuits and dresses or getting their hair and makeup done in preparation for the official photos. It was obscenely hectic and my insecurities ran wild as I took in my opposition. We were measured and placed in height order (at 174cm, I was the eighth shortest of the 81 girls), chaperones were assigned, and eventually, we were taken to our rooms.

Over the next week, publicity engagements took up every waking moment. It was up at 6am, home by midnight, and in bed at 2am, every day. I was exhausted. Yet as the night of the pageant arrived, the atmosphere amongst the girls began to change. What had started out as a mixture of excitement, haughty confidence, and slight aloofness had gradually become a genuine respect for and interest in each other. We no longer whispered about who would make the top twenty. My own crippling insecurity had also vanished without me even noticing, and I found myself overwhelmingly grateful just to be a part of such an event. This feeling seemed to be echoed by the other girls, and talk became deeper and more profound as we all realised that what we were experiencing was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.

Very few people in the world are given the opportunity to interact with people from 81 different countries at one time. The closest comparison would be a United Nations meeting, and this thought absolutely blew my mind. Some of the girls’ stories were unbelievable, too. One contestant had been in hiding for 3 days prior to getting snuck out of the country in order to compete in Miss Universe, as a war was raging all around her and it was illegal for her to leave the country and enter a pageant. Other contestants were hoping to use their newfound celebrity to help feed their families. Although it is a massive cliché, it really didn’t matter who won Miss Universe. We were all chosen as representatives of our own country; each of us unique and beautiful for our differing cultures, languages, and individual traits, and each of us with our own unique story.

All of this reminded me of my own circumstances, incredibly fortunate – blessed, even – to be living in one of the most easygoing and breathtakingly beautiful countries in the world. I grew up bushwalking and camping right across the East Coast, from the blood red earth of Central Queensland to the misty forests of Tasmania.

I’ve seen a wall of Glow Worms light up our campsite, woken up to dingoes howling at dawn, and had wild dolphins swim alongside me. But more importantly, I’ve experienced the unwavering kindness and cheeky humour of a typical Aussie, whether it’s fishing with the locals down in Arno Bay in South Australia or ordering Thai up in Randwick.

The funny thing is, it took a group of young women from all around the world to make me realise what an incredible country I live in. It took Miss Universe to make me see what being Miss Australia is all about.

Erin McNaught is an Australian television personality and former beauty pageant titleholder who won 2006 Miss Australia and represented Australia in the Miss Universe 2006 competition. Erin has hosted Channel Ten’s Cybershack, featured on ‘Neighbours’ and currently is an acclaimed MTV VJ host.