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As an activist, Sophia Sarkis is no stranger to delivering passionate speeches through a microphone.
But this week, she’s doing it in a sash and 6-inch high heels.
The mother-of-three is a finalist in the Mrs Universe Australia pageant, a competition for women who are or have been married.
“This is not about beauty … I entered into this competition because I wanted to be the voice for my people,” she said.
Ms Sarkis was born in Burma — now known as Myanmar — but has lived in Australia for the past 28 years and calls Western Sydney home.
After February 1 last year, when a military junta wrested control of her home country and jailed Myanmar’s democratically elected leaders, Ms Sarkis emerged as one of the most outspoken voices against the coup.
“Some people will join the People’s Defence Force and pick up the guns and fight. And some people will go on the street, shouting and chanting for democracy,” she said.
“But for me, I’m living in a country where I can speak freely.
“Yes, I may be wearing a beautiful gown and representing myself at a beauty pageant, but I use this platform to speak up for the country.”
Ms Sarkis is not alone in using beauty and fashion to shed light on the ugly truth of military rule in her homeland.
Burmese beauty queens have used their platforms to raise awareness about the dire situation in the country, and the issue was recently brought into sharp focus on the runway during New York Fashion Week.
But speaking out can be risky — on a global stage last year, Miss Grand Myanmar Han Lay gave an emotional speech about how people were dying under military rule.
Last month, she was detained in Thailand. Human rights groups feared she could be deported to Myanmar where she faced danger and arrest, but she was swiftly granted asylum in Canada.
Ms Sarkis said members of her family have had to go into hiding due to her activism, but she won’t be deterred.
“One of the reasons I keep going in this fight is for my dear friend Phyo Zeya Thaw, whose life was taken unfairly,” she said.
The former rapper and politician was executed in July along with three other political prisoners, sparking worldwide outrage.
“My heart was broken. He was only 41. And he doesn’t deserve — nobody deserves — to get hanged, especially in this century.
“I want to avenge his death. His death will be not forgotten by me or other people.”
Burmese prints grace New York runway
As a fashion designer, Ingjin San swore she’d never wear a black T-shirt on the runway — she always wanted to express her style and show off her collection.
“I never wanted to wear a plain black T-shirt … but, for my show this year, I did exactly that,” she said.
At New York Fashion Week, she wore the simple garment emblazoned with the words “EVERYTHING WILL BE OK”.
It was to honour the memory of Kyal Sin, also known as “Angel”, who was wearing a black T-shirt with the same phrase when she was shot dead while protesting against the junta in the weeks following the coup.
“We all were so heartbroken. She was only 19 years old. She didn’t do anything wrong,” Ms San said.
On the runway, Ms San also flashed the three-finger salute — a gesture from the Hunger Games that has come to symbolise the youth resistance to military rule in Myanmar.
“I wanted to speak out about the story behind it, and I wanted to honour all the young people inside Burma … still fighting this dictatorship in this revolution,” she said.
“I really wanted to show them my support and I want them to know that I am with them.”
It’s why her entire New York Fashion Week collection has a Burmese twist — her models were dressed in colourful patterns evocative of her homeland.
They unfurled banners with messages including; “Justice for Burma”, “Hold Myanmar junta accountable” and “Fashion is inherently political”.
“My whole collection is dedicated to Burma. I really wanted to use something authentic … so I decided to use acheik,” she said.
It’s a traditional textile pattern often worn on floor-length garments called longyi at weddings and ceremonies, featuring motifs of rolling waves, floral vines, or clouds and lightning.
But Ms San’s designs have a modern slant, combining the material with creative cuts and striking silhouettes.
“I wanted to present it in the way that people have not seen … I wanted to mix it with Western culture.”
Watching the country fall into the grips of the military brought back traumatic memories of past coups and revolutions for Ms San.
It was disheartening to see the crisis in Myanmar fall off the world’s radar, but her designs brought the issue to a new audience in fashion circles.
“I am trying to be true to myself. I love fashion, I love creating, and I love making clothes,” she said.
“I really wanted to speak out about it the best way I know how.”
Fighting for democracy in a glitzy gown
The mantra of “world peace” has become something of a cliche in the beauty pageant realm.
It’s one that rings hollow for Sophia Sarkis in light of the violence engulfing her country.
In recent years, there was hope for Myanmar’s fledgling democracy under Aung San Suu Kyi, but now many of the country’s youth have fled to the jungle and taken up arms against their military oppressors.
“I cannot imagine my kids leaving me and … picking up guns, going to the training, and ready to die for the country,” she said.
“As a mum, it would break my heart severely. I would probably join with them because enough is enough. This military ruling has to stop.”
Ms Sarkis has spoken at rallies, met with politicians and spoken at a parliamentary hearing, but she says this has not resulted in concrete action.
The figures are grim: more than 2,300 people have been killed by the junta since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, and more than 15,000 have been arrested.
More than 1.3 million people have been displaced, 28,000 homes have been destroyed and villages have been burned to the ground.
Last month, Australian economist Sean Turnell, an advisor to Aung San Suu Kyi, was sentenced to three years in prison by a military court in a trial Human Rights Watch described as “politically motivated” and a “cruel injustice”.
Ms Suu Kyi, 77, is facing 26 years in prison and counting, with the latest in a long string of jail sentences handed down to her this week.
But Ms Sarkis said speaking about bombings, burning villages and conflict has often been met with silence and can leave the general public depressed or overwhelmed.
“Every morning, I wake up with a thought, how can I help my country? How can I save my country? What can I do?
“The public don’t like to hear all about politicians … because it is quite boring.”
She decided to mix “fashion with passion” and hopes a bit of glitz and glamour will help her cut through with a deeper message.
“We need help. We want people from other communities to support, to come and join us, to make as much noise as we can for the Australian government to take action against the military junta.”
Ms Sarkis and other activists want to see concrete steps taken.
Australia should recognise the National Unity Government (a coalition of elected politicians, anti-coup protesters and ethnic group leaders) and not engage with the military, Ms Sarkis said.
“The Australian government should put sanctions against military — this is very important,” she said.
“They use that money to buy the weapons to kill our people, our innocent people.”
She also wanted to see the government offer more humanitarian visas for refugees who fled and who were stuck at the Thai border.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it rejected the conviction of Professor Turnell and that sanctions against members of the military regime “remain under active consideration”.
“It would not be appropriate to discuss specific persons or entities that may be under consideration for sanctions,” a DFAT spokesperson said, adding it “could provide prior notice to possible targets, allowing them to move any assets outside the Australian jurisdiction”.
The Mrs Universe Australia coronation event will take place on Friday, October 21.
Other contestants are also using the opportunity to highlight causes close to their hearts — from speaking out about surviving domestic violence to advocating for children with autism.
Regardless of whether she takes home the crown, Ms Sarkis has already been given the honorary title of Mrs Universe Myanmar in recognition of her activism and in light of the dire situation in the country.
“For me, it’s no longer important whether I win the crown or I don’t,” she said.
“I’m still going to help and fight for the country to bring justice, until democracy is restored.”
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