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.
Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization. Along with Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Earth, it is one of the Big Four beauty pageants.
Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020, when the organization announced it was licensing operation of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants to Crystle Stewart, Miss USA for 2008 prior to her suspension in October 2022, thus returning the said pageants to the Miss Universe Organization. The pageants are now operated by Laylah Rose.
Chelsi Mariam Pearl Smith was an American actress, singer, TV host and beauty queen who was crowned Miss USA 1995 and Miss Universe 1995. Smith was the third Miss USA of African-American origin, after Carole Gist (1990) and Kenya Moore (1993), in addition to being the sixth American woman to win Miss Universe and the first since Shawn Weatherly was crowned Miss Universe 1980.
The Miss Hawaii USA competition, previously known as Miss Hawaii Universe, is a beauty pageant that selects the representative for the state of Hawaii in the Miss USA pageant.
Judi Andersen Harrison is an American actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 1978. Andersen was born in Honolulu, and attended Punahou School before moving to Millbrook, New York to study fashion design at Bennett College.
Amy Kleinhans-Curd is a South African model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss South Africa 1992, the first person of colour to win in the history of South Africa. She placed Top 5 to Miss World as Miss World Africa on 12 December 1992. Kleinhans also appears on the Afrikaans language South African reality show Die Real Housewives van die Wynlande.
Ksenia Vladimirovna Sukhinova is a Russian tv host, model and former beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss World 2008. She was the second Russian woman to be crowned Miss World, and had previously been crowned Miss Russia 2007.
Ada Cecille Perkins Flores was a Puerto Rican model and beauty pageant titleholder who represented Puerto Rico at the Miss Universe 1978 pageant.
Miss South Africa is a national beauty pageant in South Africa that selects South African representatives to compete in one of the Big Four international beauty pageants Miss Universe, and also selects another representative to participate in Sub-major international pageant Miss Supranational. The Miss South Africa organisation resorted to a contemporary format in selecting representatives which was inaugurated in 2018. Following their newer method, both a Miss World South Africa and a Miss Universe South Africa were selected as representatives. From 2021 onwards, the winner of Miss South Africa will be competing in Miss Universe, and Miss Supranational. The current Miss South Africa 2024 is Mia le Roux. On May 11, 2023, the Miss South Africa Organisation has lost its license as a Miss World licensee holder to Carol Bouwer Productions, which has taken over the license of Miss World South Africa pageant.
Chloé Mortaud is a French model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss France 2009. She had previously been crowned Miss Albigeois Midi-Pyrénées 2008, becoming the first and only woman from Midi-Pyrénées to be crowned Miss France.
Nelly Ahmadi Kamwelu is a Tanzanian model and beauty pageant titleholder who won the Miss Universe Tanzania and Miss Southern Africa International titles in 2011.She represented her country in Miss Universe 2011 in São Paulo, Brazil, Miss International 2011 in China, Miss Earth 2011 in Manila, Philippines, and Miss Tourism Queen International in China.
Miss USA 2017 was the 66th edition of the Miss USA pageant, held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 14, 2017.
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 the second Miss Universe winner from South Africa, following Margaret Gardiner, who was crowned Miss Universe 1978.
Kára McCullough Temple is an American beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 2017. As Miss USA, McCullough represented the United States at Miss Universe 2017, where she placed in the Top 10.
Alina Danelle Mansur is an Aruban model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Aruba 2017 and represented her country at Miss Universe 2017.
Davina Bennett is a Jamaican model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Jamaica Universe 2017. She represented Jamaica at the Miss Universe 2017 pageant where she was placed second runner-up and the first black woman to be placed rocking her natural afro hair in the Miss Universe competition.
Zozibini "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 and the first black South African woman to win the title.
Shudufhadzo Musida is a South African model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss South Africa 2020. She is the second title holder from the province of Limpopo - the first being Bokang Montjane. She is the first title holder whose first language is Venda, and was selected to represent South Africa in Miss World 2022. Musida is the first bald woman to win Miss South Africa. She is a dedicated advocate and spokeswoman for mental health awareness and empowering women and children.
