A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include 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. The term beauty pageant refers originally to the Big Four international beauty pageants.
Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Miss International, and Miss Earth, it is one of the Big Four international beauty pageants.
Robin Morgan is an American poet, writer, activist, journalist, lecturer and former child actor. Since the early 1960s, she has been a key radical feminist member of the American Women's Movement, and a leader in the international feminist movement. Her 1970 anthology Sisterhood Is Powerful was cited by the New York Public Library as "One of the 100 Most Influential Books of the 20th Century." She has written more than 20 books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, and was editor of Ms. magazine.
Heather Leigh Whitestone McCallum is a former beauty queen and conservative activist who was the first deaf Miss America title holder, having lost most of her hearing at 18 months.
Mpule Keneilwe Kwelagobe is a Motswana investor, businesswoman, model, and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1999. She was the first black African woman to win one of the Big Four international beauty pageants, the first woman from Botswana to win, and the first from a nation making their debut in nearly four decades. Kwelagobe had previously been crowned Miss Botswana 1997 and Miss Universe Botswana 1999, and competed in Miss World 1997.
Diana Hayden is an Indian actress, television host, model and the winner of Miss World 1997 pageant. She is the third Indian woman to win the title of Miss World. She also won three subtitles during the pageant and is the only Miss World titleholder to do so. In 2008, she was a celebrity contestant in the reality show Bigg Boss.
Charlotte Makgomo Maxeke was a South African religious leader, social and political activist; she was the first black woman to graduate with a university degree in South Africa with a B.Sc. from Wilberforce University Ohio in 1903, as well as the first black African woman to graduate from an American university.
Helen Elizabeth Morgan is a British actress, model, TV Host and beauty queen who won the 1974 Miss Wales, Miss United Kingdom and Miss World pageants. Morgan became the first winner to resign, and the second not to finish her reign as Miss World.
Janaye Michelle Ingram is a political organizer from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
Ashley Harder is a former beauty queen from New Jersey. Ashley had held the title of Miss New Jersey USA and was to compete for the Miss USA title in 2007 before she resigned due to her pregnancy. She works for WPSG, a CW TV affiliate in Philadelphia as one of the 3 hosts of the show "The CW Crew" according to the WPSG website.
Dora Mwima, also Dorah Mwima is a beauty pageant contestant who was crowned Miss Uganda 2008 at the age of 18 years. She represented Uganda in Miss World 2008 in South Africa.
Leila Luliana da Costa Vieira Lopes Umenyiora is an Angolan model and beauty queen best known for having been crowned Miss Universe 2011. She had previously won Miss Angola UK 2010 and Miss Angola 2010.
Miss International Queen is the world's biggest beauty pageant for transgender women. The pageant was conceived in 2004 and named the largest and most prestigious by CNN original American documentary television series This Is Life with Lisa Ling aired on 26 November 2017.
Ariana Mamiko Miyamoto is a Japanese model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Japan 2015. She represented Japan at the Miss Universe 2015 pageant and placed in the top 10. She was the first hāfu (mixed) woman to be Miss Japan.
Atong Demach is a South Sudanese businesswoman and beauty queen. She won the Miss World South Sudan 2011 title and was later crowned as Miss World Africa and Miss World Top 7 in Ordos, China. The South Sudanese queen is the first representative of South Sudan to Miss World and the first to win the title of Miss World Africa. She now works as the government of South Sudan's ambassador for culture and a public relations advisor to the government of Japan.
Miss Sahhara is a British Nigerian beauty queen and human rights advocate.
Demi-Leigh Tebow is a South African model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 2017. She was crowned Miss South Africa 2017, and is the second Miss Universe winner from South Africa, following Margaret Gardiner who was crowned Miss Universe 1978.
Miss & Mister Deaf World (MMDW) is an international beauty pageant which crowns young deaf women "Miss Deaf World" and young deaf men "Mister Deaf World" every year, usually in Prague, in the Czech Republic.
Zozibini Tunzi, also known as Zozi Tunzi, is a South African model, actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe 2019. Tunzi had previously been crowned Miss South Africa 2019. She is the third woman from South Africa to win the title, and the first black woman since Angolan Leila Lopes was crowned Miss Universe 2011.
Lalela Lali Mswane is a South African model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Supranational 2022. She was previously crowned Miss South Africa 2021 and represented South Africa at Miss Universe 2021, placing second runner up.
