PETALING JAYA, Oct 16 ― Mastering a catwalk can make or break a model’s career.
Sadly, for Dewi Remaja 2019 contestant Farzana Zainul, her inability to strut on the catwalk left her out of the running at the finals of the famed beauty contest.
Farzana, who is both a model and commercial actor, tripped up three times yesterday on the runway during the final selection for the Top 12 finalists of Dewi Remaja 2019.
She was still smiling after the fall, i wouldve cried. She should be crowned for her bravery 👸🏻 #dewiremaja #majalahremaja pic.twitter.com/GCqcK47EIJ
— Leena Johan (@LeenaJohan) October 15, 2019
Farzana was one of the Top 20 contestants on the show, but after falling over multiple times, saw herself not selected as one of the finalists.
Despite her mistakes, Farzana put on a strong face as she got up each time after a fall and carried on with a smile on her face.
“It wasn’t because of my shoes, I’ve worn these shoes for over a year and I feel like they are the most comfortable pair that I own,” Farzana told Malay news portal Gempak.
“Actually, it’s because the carpet on the stage had holes in it, even Dewi Remaja judge Scha Al Yahya almost fell down when she walked on it. “
She added that she was disappointed by her performance, as she was unable to show off her abilities and carry out her best catwalk, but accepted that it was just her fate.
“It’s all down to fate, even though I had to endure the pain of falling down multiple times, I just smiled and got on with it,” said Farzana.
“But I would like to thank the Hero Remaja alumni, Harris Annuar, for helping me get back on my feet after I fell down the third time.”
Recordings of Farzana’s fall have made its rounds on social media, with over 4,000 shares and 3,000 likes alone on Twitter, but the Bachelor of Economics student said that she wants to remain positive even if many people have seen her fall.
“I’m not fond of negative things, I know the video is going viral on social media, and if possible, I wouldn’t want people to say distasteful things, but what can I do? It already happened,” said Farzana.
“So, for now, I’ll just try to stay positive, and hope that there is some kind of lesson I can take away from it.”
She also mentioned that she was sad and disappointed not to make it into the Top 12, but that she would continue to support her fellow friends and contestants.
Farzana said that although she is out of the competition, she would continue with her studies and look for other opportunities in the entertainment industry, as she won’t let this incident rule over her career.
Because of her positive attitude and her determination to carry on despite falling down, many social media users have poured in messages of praise and support for Farzana.
Social media user Leena Johan, who shared the video on Twitter, said that Farzana should be “crowned for her bravery” because she was still smiling after the fall, while other users also sympathised with her for her determination.
“If it happened to me I would’ve lost all my self-confidence, I might even have gone backstage to cry,” wrote a user.
“I was there and I interviewed her as well, that stage was not stable, and it seemed like there were a few holes in it, even Scha almost tripped,” wrote another user.
Other users were equally quick to defend Farzana as they said that they were amazed at how confident she is and that she handled her emotions well in front of the audience and press.
Dewi Remaja 2019 is set to air every Saturday at 9pm, starting October 26, on Astro Ria (CH 104) and Ria HD (CH 123), with Amelia Henderson as host, and Scha Al Yahya and Yusry Abdul Halim as judges.
