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 … See more

Major international contests for women include the yearly Miss World competition (founded by Eric Morley in 1951), Miss Universe (founded … See more

Diversity of contestants and winners have both increased since the inception of beauty pageants. In 1945, Bess Myerson, an American … See more

There have been numerous scandals in the beauty pageant industry and they continue to emerge as beauty pageants become more known … See more

In the Beginning
European festivals dating back to the medieval era provide the most direct lineage for beauty … See more

Dethronements and resignations are rare for the Big Four pageant winners, but when it does occur, it creates media attention. See more

Critics of beauty pageants argue that such contests reinforce the idea that girls and women should be valued primarily for their physical appearance, and that this puts tremendous pressure on women to conform to conventional beauty standards by spending time … See more