![Miss Represented: Dr. Angel Bhathal [Episode 55] — Miss Represented cover](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/39169714/39169714-1696131096599-2e233f7afb36.jpg)
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- [00:01]
A
Dive into summer with Vizkaya Swimwear. Stylish, comfortable, unforgettable. Make a splash with Vizkaya Swimwear. Discover your beauty with Lady Code cosmetics. Bold colors, flawless finishes. Unleash your confidence with Lady Code. Hello, and welcome back to Misrepresented. I'm your host, Lisa Opie, and Today's guest is Dr. Angel Batal. Dr. Angel Batal is the first generation Indian Canadian and the first woman with her doctorate to become Miss Swimsuit USA International. She hopes to inspire women and girls to not be afraid to step out of the box. Angel holds her doctor of pharmacy and has served to advance patient care in hospitals, pharmacies, and not for profits. Angel is also an advocate for Plan International, where she has planned and hosted events in support of raising funds and awareness for gender equality and literacy internationally. Angel speaks French, Punjabi, English, and Japanese and has traveled to 47 countries. So welcome, Angel. How are you?
- [01:06]
B
I'm so good. Thanks for having me, Lisa.
- [01:08]
A
Of course. I need to talk about our outfits because we're dressed by Pink Apple today. And I love what you picked out. It's new. It's my first time seeing it.
- [01:16]
B
I love it, too. It's filled with rhinestones. Perfect for a pageant queen. And it even has a little feather trim, which makes it so fun.
- [01:26]
A
Yeah. So a lot of people, like, stay away from, like, the sparkly rack. And you went straight, straight to it. I did. Like, that's a queen right there.
- [01:32]
B
Yes. I walked straight into it. And then the other thing I really loved about it is it has, like, almost like this very formal, professional blazer, like, neckline. And I think it just kind of shows a little bit of my personality, too. I have, like, my little professional side, but then there's also the side that's a beauty queen.
- [01:48]
A
It's, like, perfect for today. It's, like, such a misrepresented look. I love that. So I want to start with Miss Swimsuit usa, because that pageant, I think I've known about it since, like, 2013, and I've always wanted to compete. So since you've competed and you won, tell me all about the whole experience.
- [02:05]
B
Oh, my God. I feel like you would be a perfect Miss USA International.
- [02:09]
A
I'm, like, 50 in pageant years, you know? I mean, girl, I am, too. I am.
- [02:13]
B
Literally, I am too. What I love about it is actually the fact that you just get to do so many things in the week that you're competing. You are doing photo shoots. You're also connecting with the judges, which are the sponsors and the VIPs all week long. And it's because it's in Mexico at an all inclusive. Every single day, you're getting the chance to build those connections and show your personality. Whereas a normal pageant, you just go and do maybe like a three minute interview. And it's so easy to just, you know, stage something in three minutes. But who you truly are is. Is going to be shown when you're with people every single day for a whole week. Yeah. So there's like excursions, like we even did a fun excursions. Swimming with dolphins, ziplining. So people's personalities will come out. And how you interact with everybody else is also something. And it's just really special to be able to achieve something like win Swimsuit USA International. Because I think it's just there's so much of not only modeling, but also your personality. And as you know, in modeling, in pageants, your personality is always what's going to lift you up. Right. You could be the most beautiful girl, you could have the best photos, you could be the fiercest walk on the Runway. But I think it's really your personality, your ability to connect and be authentic, which is something that is totally immeasurable, but will really lock in just, you know, winning Everybody's hearts. Right.
- [03:38]
A
100%. Because I feel like at that level, everyone's gorgeous. Right? Everyone can walk. They're stunning. They're all models. So, like, what sets you apart is definitely your personality, which I think was like an advantage because you get to hang out with the judges and kind of like really get to know them. So I kind of like that format. Even though I'd be super nervous.
- [03:55]
B
Oh, my gosh. I would not be nervous. Especially you. You're like. You are. You've got an amazing personality of so much accomplishments and you're also so sweet. And of course, with pageants and you know, this is that you make so many lifelong friends. And I think it's just being able. Even if you, you know, even if you walk away from a pageant with just one friend. Right. That's winning itself. And I've met so many of my best friends through pageantry. Even just last November, I went to Cabo to celebrate one of my girlfriend's weddings. It was a destination wedding. We don't even live in the same city. And the fact that pageantry can bring people together and open up opportunities for girls is something that I find so rewarding. Unless you've been in pageants. Right. You may not know this. There's so many misconceptions, so many.
- [04:42]
A
So what led you to start, like, competing in pageants. Did you start@Swimsuit USA, or did you do other ones as well?
- [04:47]
B
Oh, I started so many years ago. I started 23 years ago.
- [04:52]
A
No, wait, how old are you? You're 23?
- [04:55]
B
Yeah, I started in the womb.
- [04:57]
A
Just kidding.
- [04:57]
B
No, I did. I started as a teenager, actually, at the age of 15.
- [05:00]
A
Okay.
- [05:01]
B
And we were talking a bit about this on the show before we started, and I was a little bit nerdy. Like, I was a girl you would want to have as your partner for the science fair project. I had, like, all the straight A pluses and all my classes, and I was so good at science fair experiments. So I was a little nerdy. I had my little Steve Urkel glasses, and I was. I mean, like, now looking back, I'm like. I was, like, a little endearing and adorable, but I needed to do something like pageants to get me out of my shell. I was very shy, and I think it was also just growing up in the Midwest of Canada. I grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba. There wasn't a whole lot of diversity.
- [05:42]
A
You're the first person I've met from Manitoba, like, ever in my life, and I meet a lot of people.
- [05:48]
B
That's so cool. I know there's not a lot, so.
- [05:49]
A
I'm sure it's a small community.
- [05:52]
B
It's definitely growing. But I think people try to stay away from Winnipeg because of winter, Peg.
- [05:58]
A
It's so cold.
- [06:00]
B
And so when I was living there, growing up there as a little girl, there wasn't a whole lot of diversity. And I experienced, obviously, some bullying and racism at an early age.
- [06:09]
A
We had this. Oh, my God.
- [06:11]
B
Yeah. And it was going into pageants that got me out of my shell. It's so funny because now when people probably see us, they could never expect that we were shy. We, you know, we were bullied. Yeah.
- [06:23]
A
We never fit in.
- [06:24]
B
I was like, a nerd. I wasn't, like. I wasn't a pageant girl at that point. Yeah.
- [06:28]
A
I don't even believe you right now.
- [06:30]
B
And so. And I. And it's just so beautiful to see how starting my first teen pagement gave me so much confidence, and it brought me to where I am today. And it also just gave me an ability to accept my own self, the way my appearance was, but also culturally. Right. Growing up in a city where there wasn't a lot of diversity, you didn't see a lot of girls that look like you. But when I got to see that there were other pageant queens from all over the world, and you know, seeing India win Miss Universe was one of the reasons why I had started my pageantry journey in a teen division. But then I continue to do them and I just fell in love with them. I competed Miss Universe Canada, competed at Miss Universe India. I did Miss World Canada, Miss Earth Canada and Swimsuit USA International was also one of the pageants I did. But it's been 23 years of pageants and I've won pageants, I've placed in pageants, I've been runner ups and I'm just so fortunate of every experience and I think I could look back and see that it's so much more than winning. It really is. I think when you win it's amazing, but it's really recognizing that it's your own personal growth and nobody else can measure that besides yourself. And I think regardless of where you are, regardless of how you place or if you win or not, it's all about your own inner self work. And until you really master that, that's, you know, that's when you win.
- [07:52]
A
That's so true. You don't need a sashing crown to win a pageant. And I've definitely experienced that. I've never won a pageant actually. Oh my gosh. But I've definitely developed myself in the process and I feel like I've won 24. Of course. Yeah. So tell me some misconceptions about pageants and just set the record straight.
- [08:11]
B
I'd love to do that. I think the biggest misconception about pageants is actually when it's from the external world that hasn't actually done a pageant or understood or judged or been a part of pageant. There's so many misconceptions. I think that there's also this conception that when you do a pageant that this is, you know, your full time career, you won't be able to maintain a professional life. But that is so untrue. So many pageant women are accomplished professional women within their own industries and fields. And it always like, it's always sad to see that the world still sometimes doesn't completely accept a woman to be in more than one space. I want to be able to be in healthcare and pharmacy, but I also want to be able to do pageants and modeling. Like I think that as much as in pageants, we love that, we think that that is so admirable.
- [09:04]
A
But in the real world, to be a professional and to have aspirations, it's like part of pageantry. So yeah, it's so crazy when people are like, oh, it's Just based on looks or even with, like, with the recent Miss Denmark winning, they're only talking about her looks, and they're like, beauty is back. And I'm like, oh, my gosh, these people have no idea what pageants are actually about.
- [09:24]
B
That's so true. And I think so the misconceptions are usually from the outer world, not involved in pageants. And, you know, it does. It does, I feel, limit contestants sometimes because they might be in their professional fields and they have to worry about the stigma. Is that okay? Well, if, you know, if my profession or my field, what will they think about me competing in pageants? But I think at the end of the day, it's like anything in life, people are going to have open minds, and then there's going to be people with judgments. Right. And you have to just continue to maintain who you are as an individual, as a professional. And, you know, I think that your actions will always speak louder than judgments. And if you know that within yourself, that's all that really matters.
- [10:07]
A
That's so true. So now I want to talk about your professional life, because you're pretty impressive, Dr. Angel. Tell me everything that you're doing in the healthcare industry.
- [10:15]
B
Yes. So I actually started pharmacy many, many years ago. My grandmother was quite ill. She had heart failure and chronic kidney disease. I became her caregiver. Although when I was a little girl, she was caregiving for me, and our roles were first. And it was as she got older, I started to see. See the role that the pharmacist played in healthcare. And she was on many medications, and there was many medications that had side effects. And I did see her health decline. And it was really being able to understand that as a pharmacy professional, I would have the ability to advocate for my grandmother. I had an interest in chemistry. I talked a little bit about people wanting to be my science care partner. And it was because I was really good at sciences, of course. And I think it was just when I was able to do something that not only was an inspiration to me because I could help my grandmother, but it was also recognizing that my mother and my grandmother, when they were raised in India, they didn't have the same access to education as I did. My grandmother was literate. My mom was pulled out of middle school simply because they were girls. In India, it wasn't normalized to go do university educations for every woman there. And so my education represents so much to me. It's like the education that my grandmother was deserving of, my mother was deserving of, and still, so many women are deserving of any opportunity want to pursue. I know right now we have progressed with gender literacy, but there's still so many spaces where we don't have gender equity still. But it's so symbolic just to be able to represent that progression generationally. And of course, when I was caregiving for my grandmother and I just became interested in medicine and how we can make changes and improve lives, but also improve quality of lives. And so that was so useful for me to have as education because when my grandmother's health was declining, I really got a chance to advocate for her, make changes for her. She got to live a couple extra years with me. She actually passed away a week before my licensing exam to become a pharmacist. So it was definitely one of the most life changing moments of my life. But it's through that I recognize the importance of empathy. And as a healthcare professional, just being able to provide empathy to patients that weren't my family members was something that allowed me to realize that we need to make sure that we treat every patient the way we would want our own family member. Because healthcare oftentimes gets so broken down and fragmented and the actual human, yeah, the human side of healthcare gets lost. So when you could bring back compassion, I think that sometimes that's all you need to do to bring in the true compassion and care and make somebody feel like you could literally lift up somebody's day, even if they're at a really terminal condition in their health. And we could apply empathy to everything, not just health care, but it's definitely a skill set that my grandmother inspired in me and it also inspired my profession as well.
- [13:24]
A
Is there a specific case with a patient where you like truly change their lives through your work?
- [13:30]
B
Yeah, I think that there was. There was a case where there was this one man who was a regular patient in her pharmacy and he came in every single day. And I just remember, you know, being able to be there and develop the rapport of understanding his health conditions. But even when his health was declining, like still checking in, still advocating for changes and not giving up on a person regardless of their condition, I think that's so important is that regardless of how bad your health gets, you always still need somebody to advocate for you, even if you're at your end stages of your life. And I wish that everybody could have that advocacy because that's something that not everybody has sometimes in healthcare system around the world. Right. And some people don't even have access to health. But when you're able to Advocate for somebody during the times that they're well, but also during the times where their health is declining as they're aging. I think that's something that's really beautiful.
- [14:29]
A
Yeah, definitely. So you do so much more than that. You also work with Plan International. So tell me about your work with that organization.
- [14:36]
B
Yes. Plan International is a really special organization to me because I think it ties so nicely into my family lineage. And I told you earlier about how my grandmother and my mother didn't have equal access to education. And a lot of the work that International does is to advocate for gender equity. And so this is with respects to equal access to education, but it's even more than that. They even advocate for human rights. And my grandmother had a child marriage. And so the work that they do in human rights to having equal access is beyond just human rights and healthcare. It's also for opportunities for women. And it just provides so much empowerment. And I think when you uplift a woman, you can uplift an entire village. And I think that's so beautiful, is when we see more women thriving in whatever field they desire and developing a future generation of female leaders.
- [15:32]
A
I love that. How can our audience get involved with Plan International?
- [15:35]
B
So Plan International has branches all around the world. So there is a branch in Canada, for example. So it'd be Plan International Canada. There's one the US there's always a branch that's in your country. And there's also some local work that you might be able to do as well. So I would. I would advocate to reach out to your local branch, but anybody can be able to develop their own fundraiser. So I did a lot of fundraisers where I did dance workshops, I did auctions. I did many different events so that we could be able to bring that equal access to education through fundraising, but also through community awareness.
- [16:10]
A
That is so amazing. Okay, so growing up, we were both bullied for our ethnicity. And I want to talk about breaking cultural stereotypes, because it's something that we've both dealt with.
- [16:21]
B
Oh, yeah, definitely. I think even being right now, Miss Swimsuit USA International is such a opportunity for me to break a cultural stereotype. Growing up in the Indian family, it was so conservative. My parents would tell me, my sister, to put a T shirt on top of our swimsuits. So the fact that I'm here now as Miss Swimsuit USA International, it just even shows generational progression. Right. Like, it's okay for women to be in a swimsuit, and you could still be smart, you could still be intelligent and a philanthropist. And I just think that whenever we're able to break our own cultural stereotypes, we also provide more opportunities for future generations, regardless of what their ethnic backgrounds are.
- [17:02]
A
Absolutely. Like you said earlier when you saw India when Miss Universe, that inspired you to do pageants. So now these little girls are looking up to you as Miss Swimsuit usa. You're the first Swimsuit usa, Right. Of Indian and Canadian descent.
- [17:13]
B
Yes.
- [17:13]
A
With a doctorate. Like, you just broke so many barriers there. So that's so amazing. I'm so proud of you. So the next talking point is living your own timeline, regardless of your age, which I feel like I'm 50 in pageant years. Right. So I'm like an older lady now, especially being an influencer. I feel like it's really hard with my age, just like, kind of accepting that. But what about you? Because I thought you were 23.
- [17:38]
B
I'm in my 30s.
- [17:40]
A
Me too.
- [17:40]
B
But I think you look like a spring chicken.
- [17:43]
A
So do you.
- [17:44]
B
You are not. You are so much. You're not 50 to me at all. You are not 50 to so many people. I think that our age is something that we need to accept individually on our own. And I think that it's challenging when you have society trying to develop a new age of everybody trying to stay youthful and look young, and everybody's promoting youthfulness. But I think what's really important is that we recognize that with age, we're also developing so much wisdom, and it's so much more than looking youthful. I think it's about feeling youthful. And I think that whenever I decide to do an opportunity, whether it's another pageant, modeling or anything for that matter, I try to think of it that I want to do it regardless of how old I am. Even if others might be like, don't you think you might want to retire pageants now? This is probably a good time to stop. Well, if I did that, I, you know, I wouldn't be missing C USA International this year. I think it's so much more than what we think it is. And it's so in our own minds, we develop whatever limitations we want to. If we think that we can only do a certain field, industry or sport until a certain age, of course, there's some physiology that would support that. But I think that if you have the willingness, the motivation, and the belief that you can do it, you just have to keep going. Right. Nothing is going to stop you, only yourself. And if you're automatically be like, actually, I should stop now. I'm too old to do this. Yeah, that's the perfect reason why you will stop.
- [19:15]
A
Because I feel like I'm too old to do Swimsuit usa, so I'm feeling so inspired. Like, you're inspiring.
- [19:19]
B
Oh, my gosh.
- [19:21]
A
I've always wanted to do it. I'm like, wait, that's like such a good system. It just looks like so much fun, you know? Like, is it like a pageant even? It's more like a big party.
- [19:30]
B
No, it's actually. It's still a pageant. It's a pageant and it's a vacation. But I think it's your experience of what you want to make of it. Right. And I know that I like, I. Last year when I went, I was working, like, hard. I think I was doing eight photo shoots a day like I was. But I did that on my own. I didn't have to schedule all those side shoots. And so this year I didn't schedule so many side shoots because I wanted to focus on just being present, connecting with people and just, you know, not wearing myself down. Because I think that there's a part of pageantry where we feel like we have to continue to push ourselves, control every little detail, and get so obsessive about an outcome and that we lose being in the present moment. And I think when you're really present and you're just enjoying, you can have the best experience. So I. I think that you'll still feel like there's a side of, you know, making it like a full on pageant or making it like a vacation, but it's whatever you want it to be.
- [20:27]
A
There's so much truth to that. I feel like when I was, like, having fun and just letting go and enjoying the pageant, focusing on making friends and being myself, that's when I actually placed higher. And if I was too serious and had these coaches and did everything I was told to do, I wouldn't even place, like, I would do terrible because I wasn't myself.
- [20:44]
B
Yeah.
- [20:44]
A
So that's so true. Okay, so we're gonna go to wrap up the show with the this or that portion.
- [20:51]
B
Okay.
- [20:52]
A
So excited. These are kind of customized to you.
- [20:55]
B
Oh, my God. So fun.
- [20:57]
A
Okay. Crown or lab coat? Crown.
- [21:01]
B
Really?
- [21:01]
A
I love that. Passport stamps or pajama days?
- [21:05]
B
Passport stamps.
- [21:07]
A
Oh, yeah. How many countries have you traveled to?
- [21:10]
B
I think 43.
- [21:12]
A
Where's your favorite?
- [21:13]
B
43. South Africa is my favorite.
- [21:15]
A
Really?
- [21:16]
B
I love it. The safari. Yeah. I think you've been there too. I think I saw on social media. Right.
- [21:21]
A
Not South Africa, but it's my favorite too.
- [21:23]
B
The safari.
- [21:24]
A
Like, I would do that over here.
- [21:25]
B
Oh, my God. I love it.
- [21:26]
A
Yes. I agree. Africa is the best. High heels or comfy sneakers?
- [21:32]
B
Heavy sneakers.
- [21:34]
A
Pink dresses or power suits?
- [21:36]
B
Power suits.
- [21:38]
A
Pink dresses. Maybe sparkly dresses?
- [21:40]
B
Maybe like sparkly power suits.
- [21:42]
A
I love that. Yes. Or like this. Yeah.
- [21:45]
B
Or this outfit.
- [21:46]
A
Beauty queen or bookworm?
- [21:48]
B
Beauty queen.
- [21:51]
A
Breaking rules or making rules?
- [21:53]
B
Making rules.
- [21:55]
A
Girly girl or boss babe?
- [21:56]
B
Boss babe.
- [21:59]
A
Speaking four languages or mastering one? I know the answer.
- [22:02]
B
Speaking four languages?
- [22:03]
A
Yeah. What are the languages you speak?
- [22:05]
B
My first language is Punjabi and then English, of course. And then I went to French immersion.
- [22:11]
A
Oh, my gosh.
- [22:12]
B
So in French and then the fourth was Japanese because I love Japanese anime so much.
- [22:16]
A
I love that. Oh, my gosh. We should have done this in Japanese. Okay. Some basic ones. East coast or west coast? I'm just curious.
- [22:25]
B
East coast.
- [22:27]
A
Road trip or fly?
- [22:28]
B
Fly.
- [22:29]
A
Photo shoot or fashion show?
- [22:33]
B
Photo shoot. Yay.
- [22:35]
A
Hair or makeup?
- [22:37]
B
Makeup.
- [22:38]
A
Shopping online or in person?
- [22:40]
B
Shopping online.
- [22:41]
A
Reels or Tick Tock?
- [22:43]
B
Reels.
- [22:44]
A
Yeah, same. Do you think TikTok's gonna get banned?
- [22:47]
B
You know, I lost my Tick Tock password, so.
- [22:50]
A
So let's hope it gets banned so we don't have to worry about it anymore.
- [22:54]
B
And I can't get into it.
- [22:56]
A
Oh, my God.
- [22:56]
B
So what had actually happened? My password was with my Facebook, and then my Facebook got hacked. Oh. And now I can't remember what the actual password for Tick Tock was because I kept doing the Facebook login. And it was just really sad for me because all my grandmother's photos were on my Facebook. Yeah. And so I'm like, oh, whoever did.
- [23:13]
A
This, it's like, so mean. There's no customer service at Facebook.
- [23:16]
B
Yeah.
- [23:17]
A
You can't really talk to them.
- [23:18]
B
I know. And I asked them, and they disabled my account. So I can't even log into my TikTok even if I want to, because I don't have my. My Facebook won't log in anymore. So I don't know my Tick Tock. But I really hope that gets banned. So. I'm just kidding.
- [23:29]
A
No, no.
- [23:29]
B
Honestly, I don't need to worry about.
- [23:30]
A
That small part of me that hopes Tick Tock gets banned because I'm tired of having so many social media accounts to run. I'm like, give me a break. Like, let's just focus on one.
- [23:38]
B
Right.
- [23:39]
A
And, you know, I'm a millennial, so I do like Instagram and I can just stick to that.
- [23:43]
B
Exactly.
- [23:44]
A
Is a lot of pressure. And I've had, like, my viral videos. I do enjoy it.
- [23:48]
B
Yeah.
- [23:49]
A
You know, I wouldn't mind if I just lost one out.
- [23:51]
B
Right. And I don't know if we could post this segment then on TikTok then.
- [23:55]
A
No, it's okay. We don't do that. I'm too busy for that.
- [23:59]
B
Okay, cool.
- [23:59]
A
Oh, my gosh. Well, thank you so much for coming on. Where can our audience follow you on social media?
- [24:03]
B
They can follow me at angelbattel. A N G E L B H A T H A L on Instagram.
- [24:10]
A
Awesome. Thank you so much.
- [24:12]
B
Thanks for having me.