Despite having been part of our lives for a long time, beauty pageants have come in for heavy criticism in recent years for objectifying women and reducing them to being judged only on their outward appearance. Despite reforms aimed at improving social perception and what constitutes “beauty”, they remain controversial.

So, when Angel Chong Nga-ting, a 24-year-old local district councillor, decided to put herself out there and enter the contest for the title of Miss Hong Kong, some in the community lost their mind.

Chong has every right to make such choices. She is an adult and can do so without needing to seek approval. Or don’t we actually believe it when we tell the girls and women in our lives that they can be whatever they want and to chase their dreams?

Chong’s decision to withdraw from the pageant is probably the result of pressure from her political party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB). Veteran political commentator Sonny Lo Shiu-hing said, “Having a district council member suddenly run for the Miss Hong Kong Pageant does not look good for the party’s image and its preparation for the election. From the perspective of the largest political party [in Hong Kong], it expects party members to stick to party discipline.”

The problem with this is that, last time I checked, competing to be Miss Hong Kong was still perfectly legal, even for district councillors. The judgment is being passed because Chong’s entry “looks bad” for the DAB’s image, party discipline and – according to Chong, who said she pulled out to protect the district council’s image – the council itself.