Beauty pageant

The winners of the International Pageant of Pulchritude 1930 competition

A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now moved towards including inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, talent, character, and charitable involvement, through private interviews with judges and answers to public on-stage questions. Pageant titles are subdivided into Miss, Mrs. or Ms., and Teen – to clearly identify the difference between pageant divisions.

The term beauty pageant refers originally to the Big Four international beauty pageants. Hundreds and thousands of beauty contests are held annually,[1] but the Big Four are considered the most prestigious,[2] widely covered and broadcast by media.[3] For example, The Wall Street Journal,[4] BBC News,[5] CNN,[6] Xinhua News Agency,[7] and global news agencies such as Reuters,[8][9] Associated Press[10] and Agence France-Presse[11][12] collectively refer to the four major pageants as "Big Four" namely: Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Earth.[13][14][15]

The organizers of each pageant may determine the rules of the competition, including the age range of contestants. The rules may also require the contestants to be unmarried, and be "virtuous", "amateur", and available for promotions, besides other criteria. It may also set the clothing standards in which contestants will be judged, including the type of swimsuit. Possible awards of beauty contests include titles, tiaras, crowns, sashes, bouquets, scepters, savings bonds, scholarships, and prize money. Some pageants have awarded college scholarships to the winner or to multiple runners-up.[16]

Beauty pageants are generally multi-tiered, with local competitions feeding into the larger competitions. For example, the international pageants have hundreds or thousands of local competitions. Additionally, beauty pageants offer a diverse variety of competitions. Child beauty pageants mainly focus on beauty, gowns, sportswear modelling, talent, and personal interviews. Adult and teen pageants focus on makeup, hair and gowns, swimsuit modelling, and personal interviews. A winner of a beauty contest is often called a beauty queen. The rankings of the contestants are referred to as placements. Male beauty pageants exist too. Male beauty pageants have the standard pageant trappings, including swimwear, evening wear, and interviews.[17]

  1. ^ "An international beauty pageant where everyone's pet cause is the environment". Latina News. Latina Lista. 27 August 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  2. ^ Ornos, Riza (30 September 2013). "Philippines, Brazil And Venezuela: Three Countries To Win The Big Five International Beauty Pageants". International Business Times. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  3. ^ Kanja, Kirstin (20 December 2019). "Beauty with a purpose: What it means to be Miss World, Miss Universe". Standard Media. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  4. ^ Jun, Kwanwoo (2 December 2013). "Lost in Storm's Debris: A Beauty Pageant". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  5. ^ Amee, Enriquez (2 February 2014). "Philippines: How to make a beauty queen". BBC News. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  6. ^ Cabato, Regine (27 January 2017). "How a country hosts a Miss Universe pageant". CNN. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Myanmar's beauty queen to take part in Miss World pageant 2018 in China". China News. Xinhua News Agency. 3 November 2018. Archived from the original on 31 December 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  8. ^ Banerji, Annie (30 May 2019). "Indian beauty pageant draws flak for unfair portrayal of women". Reuters. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  9. ^ "The Philippines earns another crown". Reuters News. Reuters. 13 December 2013. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  10. ^ Willett, Megan (3 December 2019). "How the Miss Universe pageant has evolved over the last 67 years". Insider. Associated Press. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  11. ^ Joel, Guinto (13 March 2015). "PH Cinderellas 'duck walk' to world stage". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  12. ^ Joel, Guinto (12 March 2015). "In beauty pageants, Philippines' modern day Cinderellas seize world stage". GMA News Online. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  13. ^ "Những scandal của Miss World". Vietnam News. Vietnam Express. 8 October 2008. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  14. ^ Ibrahim, Lynda (13 September 2013). "The misses and missuses of the world". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  15. ^ Lowe, Aya (25 January 2016). "Philippines' Miss Universe returns home, ignites dreams". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  16. ^ "23rd Annual Miss Teenage California Scholarship Program". Miss Teenage CA. Archived from the original on 25 June 2001.
  17. ^ "The Wild World of Men's Beauty Pageants". Town & Country. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.