Ris Low
Encyclopedia
Ris Low was crowned Miss Singapore World 2009 on 31 July 2009. She stepped down on 29 September 2009 after her previous credit fraud case was revealed. She is currently taking up a diploma in Health Science, Hospitality and a diploma in Nursing at the Management Development Institute of Singapore
.
Low was ranked as one of the 25 most influential people or groups in Asia in 2009 by a division of the United States news network CNN. She was also being appointed as a condom
ambassador, to raise awareness about safe sex
.
Low has been criticized for her English-language skills. The organiser of the Singapore franchise of the Miss World
beauty pageant, ERM World Marketing, defended Low's winning of the crown. A representative said that Low had performed excellently throughout the competition and won eight special awards. The representative also claimed that a one-off fashion interview had misled the public into believing she spoke English poorly. During the final competition, "[Low] spoke perfectly good English, had a good answer, and performed very well to impress the eleven judges that she was good enough to win."
in May 2009, and was sentenced to two years' probation
. She faced five charges of misappropriation, cheating using illegally obtained credit cards, and impersonating their users' identities prior to winning the title of Miss Singapore World 2009. Low claimed she was unaware of the fact that she needed to declare the offense, and only declared it two months after the pageant when she was required to sign a contract. Legal issues may be involved if Low needs to travel, and she may have her title revoked. ERM World Marketing declined to comment on the issue, although an employee was quoted to have said "Singaporeans did not pay for (Ris Low)" when asked if Ris would keep her crown.
, and appointed the runner-up Pilar Arlando
.
on the Shan and Rozz show. There was a big outcry, both towards the radio station's decision as well as Low's poor English during the show. In the end, the station announced that it was an April Fools' Day
joke publicising Burger King
's new burger, the Angry Whopper.
in a phone interview that she has bipolar disorder
. In a subsequent interview published by The Sunday Times, she revealed that she got her bipolar disorder officially diagnosed after heeding a suggestion by her lawyer to get a medical check up in the hopes of distancing herself from her wrong doings. She said it requires medication and psychiatric visits. She revealed that she has had the urge to steal since young and stole Pokemon
cards once in Primary One. The act provided her with a sense of achievement: "that you've done something and you got away with it." Her mother detected the problem when she noticed the growing collection of toys and taught her to count to ten and walk away when faced with the urge.
and groped her breast. Although she has since filed a police report, the incident was met with skepticism by netizens, and many believed it was a publicity stunt.
Management Development Institute of Singapore
The Management Development Institute of Singapore , founded in 1956, is Singapore's oldestnot-for-profit professional institute for lifelong learning....
.
Low was ranked as one of the 25 most influential people or groups in Asia in 2009 by a division of the United States news network CNN. She was also being appointed as a condom
Condom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
ambassador, to raise awareness about safe sex
Safe sex
Safe sex is sexual activity engaged in by people who have taken precautions to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS. It is also referred to as safer sex or protected sex, while unsafe or unprotected sex is sexual activity engaged in without precautions...
.
Crowning
Low participated in Miss Singapore World 2009 and was crowned Miss Singapore World on 31 July 2009. In addition to winning the crown, she was also named the following: Miss Community Ambassadress 2009, Miss Lumiere Ambassadress 2009, Miss Best Dressed 2009, Miss Dazzling Eyes 2009, Miss Photogenic 2009, Miss Crowning Glory 2009, and Miss Best in Catwalk 2009.Low has been criticized for her English-language skills. The organiser of the Singapore franchise of the Miss World
Miss World
The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...
beauty pageant, ERM World Marketing, defended Low's winning of the crown. A representative said that Low had performed excellently throughout the competition and won eight special awards. The representative also claimed that a one-off fashion interview had misled the public into believing she spoke English poorly. During the final competition, "[Low] spoke perfectly good English, had a good answer, and performed very well to impress the eleven judges that she was good enough to win."
Credit fraud
On 25 September 2009, it was revealed that she had been convicted of credit card fraudCredit card fraud
Credit card fraud is a wide-ranging term for theft and fraud committed using a credit card or any similar payment mechanism as a fraudulent source of funds in a transaction. The purpose may be to obtain goods without paying, or to obtain unauthorized funds from an account. Credit card fraud is also...
in May 2009, and was sentenced to two years' probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
. She faced five charges of misappropriation, cheating using illegally obtained credit cards, and impersonating their users' identities prior to winning the title of Miss Singapore World 2009. Low claimed she was unaware of the fact that she needed to declare the offense, and only declared it two months after the pageant when she was required to sign a contract. Legal issues may be involved if Low needs to travel, and she may have her title revoked. ERM World Marketing declined to comment on the issue, although an employee was quoted to have said "Singaporeans did not pay for (Ris Low)" when asked if Ris would keep her crown.
Stepping down
After initially resisting calls to give up her crown, Low voluntarily stepped down on 29 September 2009. She felt that it would be better for everyone and that giving up the crown was the best choice she could make. ERM said it would interview a new representative to represent Singapore at Miss World 2009Miss World 2009
Miss World 2009, the 59th Miss World pageant, was held on December 12, 2009 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. 112 contestants from all over the world competed for the crown, marking the biggest turnout in the pageant's history...
, and appointed the runner-up Pilar Arlando
Pilar Arlando
Pilar Carmelita Anastasia Arlando holds the title of Miss World Singapore for 2009-2010.-History:Arlando was raised in Singapore, but has always had questions about her unique heritage. Her father is of Chinese-Indian descent while her mother is of Portuguese-Indo-Chinese-Dutch descent...
.
Business Venture
In December 2009, the 19-year-old began looking for sponsors for brand new three-in-one beauty pageant for Singapore. She had started to send out email messages to potential sponsors, such as malls and event organisers, spelling out details for the proposed event in the middle of 2010. The selling point, she wrote, is that three winners will be crowned at the same event – Miss Singapore, Mr Singapore and Mrs Singapore.Radio DJ
From the 29 to 31 March 2010, local radio station 987FM announced that they would put Low as a DJDisc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
on the Shan and Rozz show. There was a big outcry, both towards the radio station's decision as well as Low's poor English during the show. In the end, the station announced that it was an April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness...
joke publicising Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
's new burger, the Angry Whopper.
Bipolar disorder
On 26 September 2009, Ris Low revealed to The Straits TimesThe Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
in a phone interview that she has bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
. In a subsequent interview published by The Sunday Times, she revealed that she got her bipolar disorder officially diagnosed after heeding a suggestion by her lawyer to get a medical check up in the hopes of distancing herself from her wrong doings. She said it requires medication and psychiatric visits. She revealed that she has had the urge to steal since young and stole Pokemon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
cards once in Primary One. The act provided her with a sense of achievement: "that you've done something and you got away with it." Her mother detected the problem when she noticed the growing collection of toys and taught her to count to ten and walk away when faced with the urge.
Molestation incident
On 17 March 2010, Low claimed that a stranger pulled down her tube topTube top
A tube top is a shoulderless, sleeveless "tube" that wraps the torso. Such a top is generally very tight over the breasts in order to prevent the garment from falling...
and groped her breast. Although she has since filed a police report, the incident was met with skepticism by netizens, and many believed it was a publicity stunt.