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 Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand-based Miss Universe Organization. Along with Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Earth, it is one of the Big Four beauty pageants.
Barbara Elaine Peterson Burwell is an American philanthropist and beauty pageant titleholder. After being crowned Miss Minnesota USA 1976, she competed at Miss USA 1976, becoming the first woman from Minnesota to win the title. Afterwards, she represented the United States at Miss Universe 1976, where she was unplaced.
Chelsi Mariam Pearl Smith was an American actress, singer, TV host, and beauty pageant titleholder, 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.
The Miss Angola is a national beauty pageant in Angola. The pageant was founded in 1997 where the winners were sent to Miss Universe. In 2022 the brand of Miss Angola also used the name of Miss Angola Universo or Miss Universo Angola, this aims to be the organization's concern to the Miss Universe competition.
Ada Cecille Perkins Flores was a Puerto Rican model and beauty pageant titleholder who represented Puerto Rico at the Miss Universe 1978 pageant.
The 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 2023 is Natasha Joubert. 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.
The 15th annual Nuestra Belleza México pageant, was held at the Arena Monterrey of Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico on September 20, 2008. Thirty-three contestants competed for the national title, which was won by Karla Carrillo from Jalisco, who later competed in Miss Universe 2009 in The Bahamas. Carrillo was crowned by outgoing Nuestra Belleza México titleholder Elisa Nájera. She was the second Jalisciense to win this Title.
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 Miss USA pageant. It was held on May 14, 2017 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Terrence J and Julianne Hough served as hosts, while Ashley Graham also returned as backstage host, all for a second consecutive year. Brett Eldredge, Pitbull, and the cast of Michael Jackson: One by Cirque du Soleil performed.
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 ten.
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 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 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.
