Ris Low
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28 May 1990
Ris Low | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ris Low Yi Min 28 May 1990 Singapore |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Title | Miss Singapore World 2009 |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eye color | Brown |
Ris Low Yi Min (Chinese: 刘依敏) is a Singaporean beauty pageant titleholder. Low was crowned Miss Singapore World 2009 on 31 July 2009.[1] She stepped down on 29 September 2009 after it emerged that she was involved in a credit card fraud case.[2][3] She took a diploma in Health Science, Hospitality and a diploma in Nursing at the Management Development Institute of Singapore.[4]
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.[5] She was appointed as a spokesperson by a condom company, to raise awareness about safe sex.[6]
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.[7]
In 2009, a Razor TV video interview with Low went viral online. Low was criticised for her English-language skills. The organiser of the Singapore franchise of the Miss World beauty pageant, ERM World Marketing, defended Low's win. A representative said that Low had performed excellently throughout the competition and won eight special awards. The representative also claimed that the 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."[3]
Credit fraud
On 25 September 2009, it was revealed that Low had been convicted of credit card fraud 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.[8] Low claimed she was unaware of the fact that she needed to declare the offence, 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 [Low]" when asked if Low would keep her crown.[9]
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 2009,[2] and appointed the runner-up Pilar Arlando.