Beauty pageants: why we can all be beauty queens
Beauty pageants, believe it or not, are making a huge comeback and are doing so in a rather unconventional fashion.
The contests, which are based mainly on the physical beauty of its contestants, are once again proving popular after being the source of endless criticism and controversy since the 1970s. The resurgence of such competitions should come as no surprise, especially in the Western world, where consumers are spending billions on cosmetic surgery each year.
But do not be fooled. The beauty queen comeback is not just about stunning six foot blondes strutting around in high heels. No longer is the world of beauty pageants confined to competitions such as Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss America or Miss Bondi. Today, quirky competitions like Miss International Queen and Miss Fat South Africa are taking centre stage.
Recently, Miss International Queen crowned its third transsexual beauty, Mexico's Erica Andrews. Held in Bangkok, the event attracted 25 million television viewers in Thailand alone, with viewers treated to all the trappings of a conventional beauty pageant with swimsuit and evening wear rounds. Phillip Cornwel-Smith, author of "Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture" explains that beauty contests, transgender or otherwise, are popular in Thailand because of the importance its people place on beauty. "Surface impressions count for much more than they do in the West," he said.
In the West, 'super-slim' is no longer a pre-requisite for some beauty pageants, especially when it comes to those of the reality television variety. Mo'nique's F.A.T chance, the annual beauty pageant for 'fabulous and thick' women is the number one rating program on Americas Oxygen Network. Host, larger than life actress and comedian, Mo'nique says the show is all about proving that big girls can have as much fun as small girls. "I came to show the world that big women are beautiful. This season we have killed every myth that society says and what a fat girl can’t do... the biggest one for me was the horse back riding. I’m not too heavy for him... get that out of your mind."
The competition explodes conventional beauty standards, with size 14 (size 18 Australian) plus women modeling casual wear, evening gowns and lingerie. The women, vying for a first prize of $50,000 (US), are not only F.A.T, but racially diverse and range widely in age, with some sporting tattoos and buzz cuts.
Across the Atlantic in South Africa, 'fabulous and thick' women work it on the catwalk in the annual Miss Fat South Africa pageant. In this competition, no one wears less than a size 16; the bigger you are the better your chances of winning. Miss Fat South Africa reinforces traditional African notions of beauty which regard fat as the beauty ideal for women. True, plus size and transsexual beauty pageants are strange, yet weirder competitions do exist.
Enter Thailand's Miss Jumbo Queen, an annual pageant which selects the entrant who best exhibits the characteristics of an elephant. Contestants are judged on grace, elegance and size, with the winner going on to help promote elephant conservation causes.
Whilst good old Miss Universe is regaining popularity, the new unconventional breed of beauty pageant is provoking just as much public interest, if not more. With beauty pageants for transsexuals, full figure women and elephant look-alikes already in full swing, it makes one wonder what could be next - pageants for midgets, amputees, or celebrity look-alikes perhaps? Regardless of what is in store one thing is already clear; beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.
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