A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes solely so, but most modern beauty pageants have since expanded to also judge contestants based on "inner beauty"—their individual traits and characteristics, including personality, intelligence, aptitude, moral character, and charity. Though typically perceived as a female-oriented competition, male beauty pageants also exist, as do child beauty pageants for youth.
The term beauty pageant refers originally to the Big Four beauty pageants: Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Earth. Thousands of beauty contests are held annually, but the Big Four are considered the most prestigious, and are widely covered and broadcast by news media. The earliest formal beauty pageants were held in the 19th century, although similar informal events date back to at least the post-classical period. Modern beauty pageants were first established in the early 20th century, with their popularity later boosted by the establishment of international pageants in the mid-20th century. Reforms of pageants in the 21st century marked a shift from primarily focusing on physical appearance to placing more weight on other characteristics.
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. The organizers of each pageant may determine the competition rules, 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, such as formal wear, swimsuit, sportswear, or designer clothing. Possible awards of beauty contests include titles, tiaras, crowns, sashes, bouquets, scepters, savings bonds, scholarships, and prize money. The winner of a beauty contest is generally called a beauty queen for female pageants and a beauty king for male pageants. Pageant titles are often subdivided into Miss, Mrs. or Ms., and Teen, to clearly identify the difference between pageant divisions. The rankings of the contestants are referred to as placements.
History Ancient history or () were ancient Greek beauty contests celebrated around Greece. One notable example was on the island of Lesbos, where women gathered in the sanctuary of Hera and a prize was awarded to the fairest among them. Another occurred in Arcadia during a festival honoring Demeter Eleusinia, where women known as Chrysophoroi (Χρυσοφόροι; "gold-bearers") competed. Athenaeus mentions Tenedos alongside Lesbos, suggesting similar beauty festivals were held there as well. In addition, he mentions that a beauty contest was held in Elis and involved only men, the most handsome received a suit of armor, dedicated it to Athena and was ceremonially adorned and escorted to the temple by his companions.A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John Murray, London, 1875, CallisteiaA Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), CallisteiaHarry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898), CallisteiaThe American Cyclopaedia, Callisteia
In addition to these aesthetic contests, there were other competitions in ancient Greece that blended beauty with physical excellence. These were the Euandria (εὐανδρία) and Euexia (εὐεξία), both part of agonistic festivals. The Euandria was likely a display of masculine beauty where physical size and strength played a key role in judging. The Euexia, by contrast, resembled a modern physique or fitness competition. It emphasized symmetry, muscle tone, posture, and overall health and vitality, rather than sheer bulk.Male « Beauty » contests in Greece : The Euandria and Euexia, N. B. Crowther, L'Antiquité Classique, Année 1985, 54, pp. 285-291
Early history
European festivals dating back to the Middle Ages provide the most direct lineage for beauty pageants. For example, English May Day celebrations always had the selection of a May Queen. In the United States, the May Day tradition of selecting a woman to serve as a symbol of beauty and community ideals continued, as young, beautiful women participated in public celebrations.
A beauty pageant was held during the Eglinton Tournament of 1839, organized by Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton, as part of a re-enactment of a medieval joust that was held in Scotland. The pageant was won by Georgiana Seymour, Duchess of Somerset, the wife of Edward Seymour, 12th Duke of Somerset, and sister of Caroline Norton, and she was proclaimed as the "Queen of Beauty". Beauty contests became more popular in the 1880s. In 1888, the title of 'beauty queen' was awarded to an 18-year-old Creole contestant at a pageant in Spa, Belgium. All participants had to supply a photograph and a short description of themselves to be eligible to enter and a final selection of 21 was judged by a formal panel. Such events were not regarded as respectable. In 1880, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, held the first recorded beauty pageant in the United States, searching for "the most beautiful unmarried woman in our nation" and awarding her the title of Miss United States.
National and international pageants
Beauty contests came to be considered more respectable with the first modern "Miss America" contest held in 1921. The oldest pageant still in operation today is the Miss America pageant, which was organized in 1921 by a local businessman to entice tourists to Atlantic City, New Jersey. The pageant hosted the winners of local newspaper beauty contests in the "Inter-City Beauty" Contest, attended by over one hundred thousand people. Sixteen-year-old Margaret Gorman of Washington, D.C., was crowned Miss America 1921, having won both the popularity and beauty contests, and was awarded $100.
In May 1920, promoter C.E. Barfield of Galveston, Texas, organized a new event known as "Splash Day" on the island. The event featured a "Bathing Girl Revue" competition as the centerpiece of its attractions. The event was the kick-off of the summer tourist season in the city and was carried forward annually. The event quickly became known outside of Texas and, beginning in 1926, the world's first international contest was added, known as the International Pageant of Pulchritude. This contest is said to have served as a model for modern pageants. It featured contestants from England, Russia, Turkey, and many other nations and the title awarded at the time was known as "Miss Universe". The event was discontinued in the United States in 1932 because of the Depression (the international competition was revived briefly in Belgium).
The popularity of the Miss America pageant prompted other organizations to establish similar contests in the 1950s and beyond. Some were significant while others were trivial, such as the National Donut Queen contest. The Miss World contest started in 1951, Miss Universe started in 1952, as did Miss USA. Miss International started in 1960. Miss Asia Pacific International, which started in 1968, is the first and oldest beauty pageant in Asia. The Miss Black America contest started in 1968 in response to the exclusion of African American women from the Miss America pageant. The Miss Universe Organization started the Miss Teen USA in 1983 for the 14–19 age group. Miss Earth started in 2001, which channels the beauty pageant entertainment industry to actively promote the preservation of the environment. These contests continue to this day.
Major beauty pageants
Major international contests for women include the yearly Miss World competition (founded by Eric Morley in 1951), Miss Universe (founded in 1952), Miss International (founded in 1960), and Miss Earth (founded in 2001 with environmental awareness as its concern). These four are considered the biggest and most well known pageants, the four largest and most famous international beauty contests for single or unmarried women (except Miss Universe).
Big Four International Beauty Pageants
FoundedPageantOrganizerHeadquartersBikini allowedBikini regulation 1951 Miss World Miss World Organization London, England 1951–2014; 2023–present 1951: The first winner, Kiki Håkansson from Sweden, was crowned in a bikini. Countries with religious traditions threatened to withdraw delegates, and Pope Pius XII condemned the crowning as sinful.1952: Swimsuits toned down to more modest designs.1996: Miss World contest was held in Bangalore, India, but the swimsuit round was shifted to Seychelles because of intense protests.2013: The swimsuit round was dropped because of Islamist protests in Bali, Indonesia, where the contest took place. 2015: The Beach Fashion segment of the pageant was dropped. 1952 Miss Universe JKN Legacy Inc.JKN Global Group (50%)Legacy Holding Group USA Inc. (50%)Samut Prakan, ThailandNew York City, United StatesMexico City, Mexico 1997–present 1952: Bikinis banned.1997: Contestants allowed to wear bikinis.2021: Bikinis made optional. Contestants are allowed to wear burkinis during swimsuit competition. 1960 Miss International International Cultural Association Tokyo, Japan 1960–2022 1964: Bikinis made mandatory. 2023: The swimsuit parade to replaced by Lingerie parade. 2001 Miss Earth Carousel Productions Manila, Philippines 2003–present 2003: Vida Samadzai from Afghanistan participating in a bikini caused an uproar in her home country.Asia: Afghanistan: Anti-Pageant Judges, The New York Times2017: The "Beauty of Form and Figure" preliminary judging in Miss Earth 2017 was introduced where the delegates walked in white two-piece bikinis while their faces were covered by a white veil to focus the judgment on the body figures in this portion.
Big Four dethronements and resignations Dethronements and resignations are rare for the Big Four pageant winners, but when it does occur, it creates media attention.
The Miss World pageant has had 3 cases of dethronement or resignation instances: In 1973, Marjorie Wallace from the United States, who was crowned Miss World and once stated that "as Miss World I can get laid with any man I pick", dated a string of celebrities including George Best. She was dethroned three months after she was crowned. In Miss Universe, Oxana Fedorova of Russia was crowned Miss Universe 2002 and was dethroned four months later, as she was unable to fulfill her obligations. She was the first to be dethroned in the history of Miss Universe. She was replaced by first runner-up Justine Pasek of Panama. After being crowned Miss Wales and then Miss United Kingdom, Helen Morgan, competed and won Miss World 1974. However she was discovered to be a mother and was named in a divorce case. This led to her resigning four days after she was crowned. She was replaced by first runner-up of South Africa, Anneline Kriel. Gabriela Brum of Germany had the shortest reign in Miss World history when she resigned her title 18 hours after being crowned Miss World 1980. She indicated that her boyfriend disapproved of the contest, but it was later revealed that she had posed for naked photographs; she later relocated to the United States and modelled nude for Playboy. Second place Kimberley Santos of Guam replaced Brum by default.