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“I’m not good-looking, I gain weight easily; why force myself into acting?”

Her family supports her choice, she said.

According to HK01winners and runners-up in the TVB-organized pageant have traditionally been steered toward acting for more than 50 years. But Stanton said Monday she is instead building a career as a finance-sector MC, a field she enjoys and has experience in from her previous job at a U.S. securities firm.

Stanton, 26, was born to a Chinese mother and British father. Her father and grandfather both studied at the University of Cambridge in Britain, and she followed in their footsteps before working in the U.S. and later returning to Hong Kong to work at a bank. She resigned from her job to focus on competing in Miss Hong Kong, hoping to test her limits.

She has never viewed her appearance as an advantage, she said. In the pageant finale in August she said: “I may not be the most beautiful contestant, but I am definitely hardworking, determined and sincere.”

Beauty pageants should help women recognize that “beauty is not only about appearance, but also about character,” she added.

In past decades even top-20 contestants in the pageant would often rise to stardom. Notable alumni include Angie Chiu, the 1973 third runner-up, who became a prominent figure in Asian cinema, Maggie Cheung, the 1983 first runner-up, who went on to international acclaim, and Anita Yuen, Miss Hong Kong 1990, who became a major award-winning actress.

Others like Cherie Chung and Chingmy Yau also launched successful acting careers despite not capturing the crown.

But Sina points out that in the past decade few Miss Hong Kong titleholders or runners-up have made significant progress in movies. It is now more closely associated with high academic achievements. Miss Hong Kong 2021 Sabrina Mendes de Assunção, of Chinese and Portuguese descent, holds a biology degree from the University of Toronto.

The first runner-up that year, Carina Leung graduated in hospitality management from the University of Surrey in the U.K. before getting a master’s degree in market management.

Louisa Mak, the 2015 Miss Hong Kong, got a law degree from the University of Cambridge and is now a corporate consultant.

This year’s winner, Stacey Chan, is pursuing a PhD in education at the University of London. She graduated from the University of California and got a master’s degree in technology management from Columbia University.