Lin Evans Keo is getting ready to represent New Zealand in the Ms United International beauty pageant in Last Vegas this June, but her life wasn’t always catwalks and sparkling dresses. As a child, Lin was homeless and has lived through abusive relationships, but she’s come out strong and willing to give back.
Images Mark Miller
It’s always easy to spot Lin in a crowd and it’s not because she is the only one wearing heels and statement earrings; it’s the underlying pain that is suddenly broken with her big beautiful smile that makes her stand out.
Her story would turn anyone’s hair grey. Lin was born in Cambodia. Her mother was a housekeeper for prostitutes; her father a soldier who died at war. Lin’s ‘home’ was the space under the stairs of a butcher shop. Starving, abused and beaten by awful people, Lin despaired of ever having a better life, but then along came Tim who was working in the American Embassy in Cambodia. Tim adopted Lin and her six sisters and a decade of serene happiness followed.
But then Lin fell in love and found herself in an abusive relationship. “He was awful to my son and me. He manipulated me and totally destroyed my self-esteem. He didn’t want me to grow and wouldn’t allow me to dream. I wasn’t myself any longer.”
They had moved to New Zealand and fortunately, Lin found the strength to leave the relationship and took her son with her.
Her recipe to heal her wounds lay in beauty pageants. Competing became Lin’s way to prove to herself, and others, that she was strong, brave and worthy of love.
With her very first pageant, Lin returned to Tauranga with a crown and the title of Ms Earth New Zealand 2016. Later that year she flew to Las Vegas to represent New Zealand on an international level.
“Beauty pageants are no longer those stereotypical cat fights with fake ideas anymore. It’s an era of true beauty from within, a way to open up to who you really are, to find new friends and to become a better version of yourself,” says Lin.
“To be accepted as a participant these days, you need to start by giving back – to the environment, as in Ms Earth, for example, or to the community, as in Ms United International. Anyone can compete but you’ll only be invited if you’re doing enough for your community and people, and supporting the cultural diversity of your country.”
As a result of her own active social work in Tauranga Lin was recently approached by Ms United International to represent New Zealand in 2019.
GIVING BACK TO HER COMMUNITY
Fluent in Cambodian, Chinese and Vietnamese, Lin serves as a translator to many Cambodian refugees in New Zealand. “They often don’t speak English very well or don’t know the local laws and regulations and can’t represent themselves in difficult situations.”
Currently Lin is working with a woman from Rotorua who was beaten by her husband and ran away from home. She is now trying to get custody of her two children and, as the Police were unable to get enough information because of the language barrier, they turned to Lin for help.
To show compatriots that there is local help and support, Lin joined forces with Multicultural Tauranga to start a series of seasonal events, bringing Cambodians together. “I had no idea there were so many of us here! I knew, maybe, 10 people … but over 80 Cambodians turned up at our first event.
For many, it was a rare chance to hear their own language, indulge in some specialty Cambodian dishes and to finally feel protected and cared about.
“I certainly have scars. I have shadows from my past and I know what it’s like to be empty, to feel hopeless and trapped. But I also know there is always a way out and I’m doing everything I can to show that way to others. I want people to know that I will be there for them. And I want to show that a bird that has been kept in a cage its whole life, can still fly free one day. That happened in my life and can happen to them too!”
