Miss World - 1951

Introduction

Miss World is an annual international beauty pageant. Eric Morley of the UK created the pageant in 1951, making it the oldest of the existing global beauty pageants.

Miss World is also one of the Big Four international pageants, besides Miss International, Miss Universe and Miss Earth. Karolina Bielawska, hailing from Poland, was crowned Miss World 2022, on 16 March 2022.

Table of Contents

• Details
• History
• Theme
• Registrations
• Celebrities
• Schedule 
• Conclusion

Details

History

Miss World was originally envisioned as a mere bikini contest by Eric Morley for the Festival of Britain in 1951. This was done hot on the heels of the launch of bikini, which, at the time, was largely considered immodest.

Morley had initially planned the event to promote bikinis. Even the first-ever winner of the contest, Kerstin Hakansson, wore a bikini when she was crowned, which added to the ire of those against the piece of clothing.

However, this event became widely popular among the press, and it was the press that first dubbed it “Miss World”.

While initially planned as part of the Festival of Britain, following this event’s success, Morley turned it into an annual event and even trademarked “Miss World”.

Regardless, bikini’s inclusion in the event was not well received. Many countries with cultures opposed to scant clothing threatened non-participation, and even the Pope condemned it.

As a result, bikinis were replaced with less-revealing swimwear in future editions. Further, in 1976, evening gowns replaced swimwear for the crowning ceremony, making Kerstin Hakansson the only Miss World ever to wear a bikini at crowning.

Miss World grew in popularity when BBC began to broadcast the pageant and televisions became largely commonplace in British households.

In fact, it was one of the most-watched shows in the UK during the 1960s and 70s. However, controversy dogged it even then.

Many feminists objected to the pageant’s objectification of women and even attacked the London premises of Miss World in 1970.

Following these events, Miss World added tests of personality and intelligence and rebranded itself with the “Beauty with a Purpose” project in 1972.

Regardless, BBC1 declared in 1984 that it’d stop the screening of pageants, including Miss World, after Miss Great Britain called them an “anachronism” in an age of equality.

Further, in 1976, South Africa sent a white and a Black representative, when the country was deeply mired in apartheid.

Miss World subsequently blocked South Africa from participating until apartheid back home blew over. South Africa resumed its participation in 1991 for the first time since 1977.

One of the biggest controversies in the history of Miss World, however, was in 2002, when Abuja, Nigeria, was selected for the finals.

Many European titleholders had demanded their governments to back Amina Lawal’s cause after she was sentenced to death by stoning for adultery.

Further, Kathrine Sorland, hailing from Norway, had boycotted the event, and several participants from nations like Denmark, Kenya, Belgium, Panama, Switzerland and Spain followed suit.

Troubles did not end there. Following the Miss World finals, a Lagos-based newspaper wrote a controversial piece about Prophet Muhammad selecting his wives from among the participants if he were alive.

This sparked intense communal violence in Kaduna, Nigeria, where more than 200 lives were claimed and many religious buildings were destroyed.

After this unfolded, the event was moved back to London, and many participants who had earlier boycotted returned, including Kathrine Sorland, who went on to become a semi-finalist.  

Just prior to this event, however, in 2001, Agbani Darego of Nigeria was crowned Miss World, making her the first Black African woman to win the title.

Theme

Miss World has no specific theme, except for its hallmark “Beauty with a Purpose” project, aiming to advance social causes.

Miss World sees delegates from across the globe. Most nations, like India, send the winners of their respective beauty pageants to Miss World as their representative.

Miss World also has several “fast-track” competitions, winning which allows participants to secure a place in the quarter or semi-finals.

The Beauty with a Purpose project, established in 1927, awards the candidate with the most important and relevant charity project in her respective country.

The winner gets a ticket to quarter final since 2005. To date, Manushi Chillar is the first and only one to win Miss World after winning Beauty with a Purpose.

Meanwhile, Miss World Talent is a competition where candidates can show their respective talents, and winning it will book a berth in the semi-finals.

Other such events that grant a place at the semi-finals include Miss World Sports Challenge and Multimedia Award.

Another such event was Miss World Beach Beauty; however, it was discontinued in 2015.

Besides these, all candidates have to qualify through the head-to-head round, where participants have to answer what their contributions to their countries have been so far and how they plan to scale it to a global level.

In the final round, candidates are scored based on their overall performance during the entire Miss World event.

Registrations

Play

To qualify for Miss World, first and foremost, candidates need to win a national beauty pageantry. Besides that, other criteria to qualify include the following:

• Candidates must be above 17 and below 27 years of age
• Candidates should not be married or not have parented a child
• Candidates must not have any past criminal record

Further, it should be noted that one of the main ideas of Miss World is “Beauty with a Purpose”, making it more than just a beauty pageant.

Participants should be driven towards humanitarian and activist causes. It’d also help to have unique talents besides being physically fit.

Celebrities

• Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Priyanka Chopra Jonas needs no introduction! She’s one of the most successful and influential South Asian actors today.

Chopra began her acting career after winning Miss World Since then, she has established herself as an actor worth her salt, with many commercial and critical hits under her belt.

She debuted in 2002 with Thamizhan and made her Bollywood debut with The Hero: Love Story of a Spy (2004). Chopra went on to deliver various commercial hits such as Aitraaz, Krrish, and Don.

She was widely praised for her role as a troubled model in Fashion, for which she also bagged the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and a National Film Award. Overall, she has won five Filmfare Awards and two National Film Awards.

Priyanka Chopra has also dabbled in music, debuting with “In My City” featuring will.i.am. In 2022, Chopra was mentioned in the BBC 100 Women list.

• Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is a well-established Indian actor who began her acting career after winning Miss World Previously, she had bagged the Femina Miss India runner-up position.

Since then, she has starred in many critical and commercially hit films, including Dhoom 2, Mohabbatein, Guru, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Jodhaa Akbar, Robot, Ponniyin Selvan: I, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, the latter two of which earned her two Filmfare Awards for Best Actress.

She has also received widespread critical acclamation for her roles in Chokher Bali, Kandukondain Kandukondain, Raincoat and Guzaarish.

Off-screen, Aishwarya Rai is presently a Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS. She was also the first Indian actress to have juried at the Cannes Film Festival.

• Manushi Chillar

Manushi Chillar is the sixth Indian woman to win Miss World (2017). She was also the co-winner of the Beauty with a Purpose competition and became the first person to win both that competition and the Miss World title.

The project that won her Beauty with a Purpose was “Project Shakti”, which aims to spread menstrual health hygiene awareness.

Following her victory, her project received a Rs.18 cr government aid. She also began her acting career following her victory, debuting with Akshay Kumar in Samrat Prithviraj in 2022.

Schedule

Miss World is held annually. In 2022, Miss World took place on 16 March in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This year, Miss World is scheduled to take place in Dubai, UAE, in May 2023. The precise dates and the venue have not yet been unveiled.

Conclusion

Miss World has come a long way since its inception in 1951. What started as a mere beauty pageant is today an agency that empowers women to effect positive change in society.

Miss World also continues to be an extremely popular show and a charitable success under the aegis of Julia Morley.

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