Congratulations, Deshauna Barber, our new MISS USA!

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MS. & MRS. EARTH Program Book Cover & Content pages

#‎AWESOMEpageantCOVER‬ designed for the official 2016 MS. & MRS. EARTH Program Book. A special THANK YOU to Director Mykhael Michaels for the opportunity to be a part of his team, and best of luck to all Delegates!

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MISS UNIVERSE | Costume Show Photos

Miss Universe: the political turmoil beneath the spray tan

Miss Lebanon

by Jessica Trisko Darden
http://www.theguardian.com/


Pageants, despite the contestants’ rhetoric about world peace, are actually fraught with international conflict – as the latest Miss Universe controversy shows. Being a political scientist and a former international beauty queen, I know that in pageantry, as in politics, nothing is what it seems. Beneath the layers of deftly applied make-up and spray tan, international pageants are as wrought with political turmoil as any high-profile diplomatic event.

Take, for instance, the latest conflict in the Middle East. A selfie taken by the Israeli contestant at the Miss Universe pageant in Miami has divided observers: those who believe that Miss Israel photobombed Miss Lebanon, and those who are convinced that Miss Lebanon appeared willingly in the selfie. This recent controversy barely scratches the surface of the depth of global politics at work in such international competitions.

Believe it or not, these are political events. Akin to an annual summit of world leaders, beauty queens cum diplomats represent their countries on the world stage. They must embody their culture through the national costume competition, answer questions from an international press corps, and all the while look fabulous in a bikini. The political significance of pageants isn’t trivial. They have served as flashpoints for devastating political violence. A boycott of the 2002 Miss World pageant was launched by contestants in response to human rights violations, including a death sentence for a single mother, in the host country Nigeria. In the end, the pageant was disrupted by riots and relocated to London. More than 100 Nigerians died.

Pageants have also been used to bring attention to important issues ranging from women’s education to domestic violence and injuries from landmines. They have been lauded for elevating women from ethnic minorities to national prominence.Miss Earth, the pageant that I won, is dedicated to bringing attention to environmental degradation and fighting climate change.

As the selfie incident makes clear, pageants take place in a broader international context. I criticised last year’s Miss Universe competition in Russia for excluding countries that Russia doesn’t recognise, and for failing to include African contestants in official press events. An American host also pulled out of the event in protest against Russia’s anti-gay legislation. While these issues were specific to Russia, the pageant served to bring them to the world stage.

Contestants also serve as the public face for many small countries. For countries that don’t hold a meaningful place at international bargaining tables, events such as Miss Universe allow them to project an image to the global public. Typically, this is about attracting tourism – but it can have greater salience. For countries such as Israel or Kosovo, fielding a Miss in an international pageant serves to reinforce a contested statehood. For example, controversy erupted in Serbia in 2011 after Miss Serbia posed for a photo with Miss Kosovo.

Miss Universe is no stranger to the tension that pervades daily life in the Middle East. The 2006 Miss Universe competition aired in the middle of the July war – the second Lebanon war – during which the Israeli attempt to eradicate Hezbollah led to 34 days of air strikes on Lebanese territory and resulted in at least 1,109 Lebanese and 160 Israeli deaths. The latter included 43 Israeli civilians and 12 soldiers killed in Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israel.

The stress of the 2006 conflict was visible in both Miss Lebanon and Miss Israel. International media reports suggested that they bonded over a shared concern for their loved ones. However, subsequent interviews suggested that this was largely media speculation. After all, in 1993 attempts at individual-level reconciliation led to a Miss Lebanon being stripped of her title for fraternising with a Miss Israel. Events such as Miss Universe, and the international controversies that surround them, give a human face to the complex nature of global politics. If pageants are about world peace, then that peace is rooted in how two women, from countries often at war, relate to one another.

In the case of Lebanon, the idea that a single person could represent the diversity of the country is a way of publicly projecting the best aspirations of Lebanon’s democracy. The country remains deeply divided along ethnic lines. Symbols such as Miss Lebanon help sustain the fragile ethno-political balance of the country. Pageants may not directly affect diplomatic relations, but they do show just how hard it can be for individuals to escape the constraints of their political context.

More MISS UNIVERSE Swimsuit Photos

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com

 

Miss Universe Contestants showcase their enviable bodies in the world-famous swimwear show in Miami

By BIANCA LONDON FOR MAILONLINE

Aside from the glittering dresses and charitable pledges, the swimwear round of Miss Universe is one of the most famous and anticipated. And the glossy-haired contestants, who have been working hard in the gym, didn't disappoint as they showcased their toned figures in Miami on Wednesday.

Nearly 90 of the world’s most beautiful women descended on Miami on the Trump National Doral hotel to participate in the Yamamay Swimsuit Runway Show and splashed around in the pool while showcasing their favourite bikinis.

Miss Honduras Murdered Before Departure to Miss World

Source: CNN

Search for motive in beauty queen death (CNN) -- A Honduran beauty queen and her sister were found dead Wednesday, police said, and the sister's boyfriend and another man have been arrested. The bodies of María José Alvarado Muñoz, the reigning Miss World Honduras, and her sister, Sofia Trinidad Alvarado, were found buried in a shallow grave in a mountainous area beside a river, Honduran authorities told CNN affiliate Televicentro.

The bodies of the sisters, who had been missing for several days, were found on top of each other, Santa Barbara Mayor Juan Alvarado told the outlet. Plutarco Antonio Ruiz Rodriguez and Aris Valentin Maldonado Mejia are now in police custody, and investigators believe more people are involved in the sisters' deaths, Police Deputy Commissioner Rolando Casco Torres told Televicentro. Ruiz was Sofia's boyfriend, police say, according to CNN en Español.

The sisters disappeared Thursday night after going to a spa for a birthday party for Ruiz in Santa Barbara, northwest of the capital of Tegucigalpa, police told CNN en Español. Ruiz is suspected of killing the two sisters, said Leandro Osorio, chief of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Ruiz also "is considered the person who was most in contact" with the victims, Casco added, according to Televicentro. Edgardo Casana, a congressman from Santa Barbara, said the two women, their other sister and Ruiz were all students of his when they were younger. In fact, Casana, a teacher, said he knew the three sisters' family well, and that Ruiz was also in a youth soccer league with Casana's children, he said. "I'm dismayed by what happened," Casana told the CNN affiliate.

As a boy in Casana's class and in the soccer league, Ruiz was temperamental but also quiet, humble and gentle, Casana said. Ruiz's nickname was Paco, the official said. In fact, Casana just saw Ruiz on Monday in Santa Barbara, the congressman said. "We talked about soccer," Casana said.

Alvarado, 19, was supposed to leave for London soon to participate in the Miss World pageant, police said. Their family reported the women's disappearance on Saturday. Their mother, Teresa Muñoz, initially believed her two daughters were kidnapped. Eduardo Zablah, director of the pageant in Honduras, told Televicentro that Alvarado and her sister were last seen getting into a vehicle after attending a party last week. The young woman was to be among the contestants from more than 120 countries who arrive in London this week for early rounds of the Miss World pageant. The final round is scheduled for December 14.

A student from Santa Barbara, Honduras, Alvarado beat 18 contestants to win the Miss World Honduras crown in April. In her profile on the pageant's website, she described herself as "dedicated" and said she would someday like to go into government, specifically as a diplomat for her country. She also said that she liked playing volleyball and soccer, eating Honduran food and performing the country's traditional punta dance. Julia Morley, the chairman of the Miss World pageant, said contestants will hold a special service Sunday to honor Alvarado and her sister and offer prayers for their families. "We are devastated by this terrible loss of two young women, who were so full of life," Morley said. Honduras has the world's highest murder rate, the United Nations reported earlier this year, with 90.4 homicides per 100,000 people in 2012.

Burmese beauty queen 'vanishes with tiara' from pageant

Associated Press in Rangoon

A Burmese beauty queen who was stripped of her title for allegedly being rude and dishonest has run off with the £60,000 jewelled crown from a South Korea-based pageant, according to organizers.

May Myat Noe is said to have vanished from the competition after officials were adamant that she have breast enhancement surgery.

Burma, which only recently emerged from a half-century military rule and self-imposed isolation, started sending contestants to international beauty contests again in 2012.

May Myat Noe was crowned Miss Asia Pacific World in Seoul in May 2014. But, according to David Kim, director of media for the Seoul-based pageant, the 18-year-old was a disappointment from the start.

Attempts to reach May Myat Noe for comment were unsuccessful on Friday and her Burmese phone was switched off. According to the online edition of Eleven Media, a Burmese newspaper, she was back in the country and would address a news conference soon, although it was not clear when.

Following her success, the organizers said they were arranging singing and video deals for her. But they also wanted to change the teenager's looks, Kim said.

"We thought she should be more beautiful ... so as soon as she arrived we sent her to the hospital to operate on her breasts," he said.

"It's our responsibility," he said, adding that sponsors picked up the tab, which came to the equivalent of £6,000, as they have for past winners. "If she has no good nose, then maybe, if she likes, we can operate on her nose. If it's breasts, then breasts."

Kim said that troubles started from there. The beauty queen took her mother with her to Seoul for what was supposed to be a 10-day visit, but that quickly turned into three months, incurring extra cost to the organisers, he said.

She "lied" and "never had respect for the main organisation, the national director, the manager, media or fans who made her the winner", organisers said in a statement.

May Myat Noe was notified this week that she would have to give up her title and the crown, Kim said. She was also given a plane ticket back to Rangoon, but never turned up, with Eleven Media reporting that she got on an earlier flight.

Kim said she had absconded with the bejewelled Swarovski tiara – valued between £60,000 and £120,000.

"Everyone knows she is no longer the queen, but she thinks as long as she keeps this crown she's the winner," he said. "She's not."

Newly-crowned Miss Universe Thailand in hot water over 'red shirts' remarks

(CNN) -- She was only crowned Miss Universe Thailand on Saturday but Weluree "Fai" Ditsayabut has already become caught up in the political crisis engulfing her country, after comments were found on her Facebook page referring to pro-government demonstrators as "dirty," "evil activists" that should "all be executed." According to news site Khaosod English, the 22-year-old has often published scathing comments about the "red shirt" movement on her Facebook page, which now appears to have been deleted.
"I am not neutral. I am on the side of His Majesty the King," Weluree said in a comment from November, Khaosod English reported. "I'm so angry at these evil activists. They should all be executed." Weluree reportedly said Thailand would be cleaner if the "dirty" red shirts left the country.

Pro-government supporters have questioned Weluree's pageant victory on popular online forums and social media sites. A Facebook page in protest of her winning the competition had over 10,000 "likes" on Monday -- although some users criticized her appearance and claimed she won because of her connections, rather than raising concerns about her anti-red shirt comments. The deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, Phil Robertson, condemned Weluree's remarks on Twitter. "Perhaps (a) better title is Miss Politically Divided #Thailand? Shameful when beauty queens are calling for executions," he wrote.
Weluree -- an actress, talk show host, and English student -- apologized Monday for the remarks in an interview on Thailand's Channel 3. "I was careless. I was young. I did it recklessly," she said. "It won't happen again." Weluree beat the pageant favorite Pimbongkod "Ellie" Chankaew who placed second in Saturday's competition. The pageant organizers have not responded to the controversy, nor have the leaders of the pro-government movement.

Thailand's political turmoil began in November when the government attempted to pass a controversial amnesty bill that would have cleared the way for the return of then-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra's brother, Thaksin, to politics. The former prime minister and tycoon has been living in self-imposed exile to avoid a corruption conviction after being overthrown in a military coup in 2006. Since November, the People's Democratic Reform Committee has led anti-government protesters, who are mostly middle-class royalists, in calling for Yingluck's government to be replaced with an unelected "people's council."
Competing rallies have been held by pro-government supporters, many of whom come from the country's rural north and northeast and view Shinawatra's ouster as a "judicial coup." 

Yingluck was found guilty of abuse of power and removed from office along with several cabinet ministers on May 7, and indicted by Thailand's anti-graft body. If the Senate votes to impeach her, she could be banned from politics for five years. Monday marks a particularly sensitive day for the red shirt movement as the anniversary of a military crackdown that left more than 90 people dead and thousands injured in 2010.

My big fat gypsy beauty pageant: Spain celebrates Miss Gypsy 2014

By AFP REPORTER

A Mister and Miss Gypsy competition has been launched in Spain - and claims it will be a 'helping hand' to young gypsies because it judges them on intelligence as well as just looks. The pageant, which is currently auditioning in the Spanish capital Madrid, includes elements of beauty contests but also judges contests on their education, interests and ambitions. According to organisers, the competition - particularly the female portion - is a response to the reduced opportunities which gypsies in Spain received, and hopes to persuade girls that there is more to life than marrying young and having babies.

Maria Jimenez of the Northern Flamenco Association is involved in organising the contest, which she hopes will encourages gypsy women to 'be a bit more independent'. She said: 'For a gypsy woman, the aim is always just to get married very young, at 14 or 15, and have children. I want the gypsy woman to study and become independent so she doesn't depend on her husband to give her €10 so she can eat.' Perched on high heels in tight, bright dresses, crowds of girls line up hoping to become Spain's first 'Miss Gypsy' in a new pageant aimed at empowering a neglected minority. The five judges of the competition will be non-gypsies, and are supposed to judge contestants on their minds and personality as much as their looks. Contestants will hope to make it to the final in October, before going on to win the crown. One hopeful, 17-year-old Libertad Barrull, said: 'I want to be a model. I love it.' Her mother Rosario said: 'It gives them a helping hand to become something in life, like our generation couldn't be'.


Another attendee added: 'People have started to realize now that you can't get married so soon because you're tying yourself down to being a housewife when you're still a child.' The unemployment rate for the 725,000-strong minority is painfully high, however: 36 percent in 2011, according to the rights group. That was way above Spain's already high national rate of 26 percent. Jesus Heredia, a contestant for the male element of the competition, said: 'I'm in it to show that we gypsies are people, just like the rest.'

Titus for the title

by Camber Clemence

Natalie Titus, 17-year-old vocal student at Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, recently took the title of Miss Teen Jupiter and will compete for the title of Miss Florida Teen USA in October. Natalie began modeling when she was 12 and got into pageantry shortly thereafter. “My mom asked me one day, after visiting the rec center one day, if I’d be interested in doing a pageant,” said Natalie. “I was playing video games at the time and I was like, ‘No, Mom! Get out!’”

Natalie declined because she felt that here were too many negative connotations surrounding pageantry but after some careful consideration, she decided to at least give it a chance. “I thought they had fake tans, big hair, and extensions – that just wasn’t really my thing,” Natalie explained. She competed for Miss Palm Beach County two years ago and didn’t think she was going to win – as she put it, her heart wasn’t completely in it initially. “The day of the pageant I finally realized that I had put a lot of time and effort into preparing for the pageant and that I might as well give it my all,” Natalie said.

She did – and she won. After that, Natalie was hooked. And she learned a lot about the true world of pageantry. “Pageantry isn’t at all like what you think it is – it is such a positive experience,” she gushed. “You learn so much about yourself – figure out who you are – and it really helps build character and improve self-confidence.”

Brie Gabrielle, Miss Jupiter USA and Natalie’s “big sister,” and is an ideal role model for the path Natalie has chosen. “I feel like this year is going to be different,” Natalie said wistfully. “I want this to be my year.”

Annora Bourgeault Crowned Miss World Canada 2014

Source: http://beautypageantnews.com

Annora Bourgeault was crowned Miss World Canada 2014 at the conclusion of the pageant held on May 11, 2014 in Vancouver. The beauty from Regina will represent Canada in the Miss World 2014 pageant, scheduled for this November in London, England.

Annora Bourgeault was crowned Miss World Canada 2014 at the conclusion of the pageant held on May 11, 2014 in Vancouver. The beauty from Regina will represent Canada in the Miss World 2014 pageant, scheduled for this November in London, England.

Annora Bourgeault was crowned Miss World Canada 2014 at the conclusion of the pageant held on May 11, 2014 in Vancouver. The beauty from Regina will represent Canada in the Miss World 2014 pageant, scheduled for this November in London, England.

Pakistan to get its own beauty pageant

Sonia Ahmed, President of Miss Pakistan World and now Miss Pakistan Universe began her quest to introduce a pageant for the Pakistani girls and boys in Pakistan. Appointing Saman Hasnain as the Director of Pakistan (Affairs), Ahmed has now begun the strong campaign to introduce the first Miss Pakistan Universe pageant as well as Mr. Pakistan Universe pageant for 2014.

Ahmed said, “I am pleased to offer something to my country in its own ways and cultural norms. There will be no swim suits and that pageant will be for the people of Pakistan and by the people of Pakistan.” She continued, “I always wanted Pakistan to get a huge industry for beauty and competitions, but there were many hinderances, and every year we get tons of applications from Pakistan but we cannot do much with them as they would require a visa to come to Canada. But today I am happy to introduce Pakistan with its own pageant on its soil. It took me 12 years but this dream is finally going to happen!” Saman Hasnain won the Mrs. Pakistan World pageant in 2008 and has competed in 2 international beauty pageants: Mrs. World and Mrs. Globe. Under a strong team of people, Miss Pakistan Universe and Mr. Pakistan Universe will be taking place in Lahore, Pakistan in 2014. This will begin the first establishment for the pageant to be taking place on the soil of Pakistan.

Hasnain added, “I am very happy to become a part of this venture and since I was always passionate about beauty pageants, I feel that this is what Pakistan needs, to celebrate its culture and people. We are strictly keeping this as much Pakistani as we can, with no swim suits. We are Pakistanis and we will always follow our culture. I am very happy to come on board and promote this pure Pakistani beauty pageant as well as competition for the boys and girls. We are proud Pakistanis and this will be an extention to Pakistan’s massive fashion industry. The winners of these competition will get the support from the fashion, drama and film industry.”

Touchagte Global Inc. is an established company that has founded the pageant industry for Pakistan in 2002. Successfully continuing since 2002, Touchgate Global Inc., under President Sonia Ahmed has launched over 30 Pakistani beauty queens through the Miss Pakistan World and Mrs. Pakistan World pageants. Mr. Pakistan World was also launched in 2011 as an extension to all male model competitions. Miss Pakistan Universe and Mr. Pakistan Universe are newly founded pageants since 2012 and have established their roots in Pakistan. The first Miss Pakistan Universe will be taking place in Pakistan in 2014 in Lahore, Pakistan. The good thing about the pageant is that it is not following the typical Western beauty pageant theme and hence will showcase the fashion of Pakistan as well as the culture of Pakistan. The pageant is an extension of a mega fashion show as well as performers coming from Canada to celebrate Pakistani culture, fashion and beauty pageants.

Miss World Australia Erin Holland’s French connection

by ROZ PULLEY

SHE dazzled judges on the world stage – now our talented Miss World Australia will help choose France’s most beautiful young women. Classically trained Cairns-born opera singer, model and current Miss World Oceania, Erin Holland has been invited on to the judging panel for Miss France in June. “Every year, the Miss France organisation invites one international contestant to judge their competition, so it’s exciting they picked me out of everybody in any competitive pageant for 2013,” the 25-year-old said during a surprise Easter visit home to her parents in Freshwater. Ms Holland said the French competition differed from Australia, where the Miss World and Miss Universe contests were run separately.

“Miss France is the country’s most prestigious competition and is actually Miss Universe, Miss World and any other pageant all in one,” she said. It is the latest international jaunt for the busy Sydney-based model and entertainer, whose blonde good looks, easy manner and elegance took her into the top 10 against 130 nations and gave her a global audience of 2.3 billion while singing a trio from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro with Miss World 2012 and Miss World Indonesia 2013. She has since sung at fundraisers in the US and China, promoted Australia as an education destination in India and Nepal, starred on Channel 9’s Carols by Candlelight and darts around Australia on an almost daily basis for her charity, modelling and singing commitments.

Stacy Ramcharran to represent Guyana at Miss Earth Pageant

In the past, Guyana has been represented at various international pageants by delegates who were either selected or chosen by the franchise holders and with the upcoming Miss Earth Pageant, it is no different.The Guyana Indian Worldwide delegate, Katherina Roshana was selected by Chandini Rambalak to represent Guyana in Malaysia. She was chosen after an audition at the Princess Hotel and Casino.Another delegate that was selected to represent Guyana in the said pageant a few years ago was Renata Rambalak. She too failed to bring home the crown.

Alana Seebarran, sponsored by NEW GPC INC, won the local leg of the competition in 2012, and subsequently won Guyana’s first international title, Miss India Worldwide. Ruqayyah Boyer was in 2013 selected by the Miss World Guyana Committee to represent Guyana at the Miss World Pageant in Indonesia and again, she did not come close to winning the coveted title. This year, Simpli Royal, the franchise holder for the Miss Guyana Earth Pageant, has selected a delegate to represent Guyana at the international pageant to be held in the Philippines. There was no pageant to select the best to represent Guyana, but according to Pageant Coordinator Pamela Dillon, several persons were interviewed and Ramcharan was the best of the lot.

Recently, this newspaper made several attempts to interview the selected queen, but all proved futile.The Earth Pageant is expected to draw scores of beauties from around the world, who will definitely showcase their curvy bodies, as they vie for the title. Due to time, the Committee’s last resort was to select Ramcharan whom they thought was the best. She will be mandated to assist in helping to preserve and restore Mother Earth and to support Guyana’s role of raising awareness of climate change. However, Ramcharan, according to Simpli Royal is a motivated, focused young woman, who will fulfil the ideals of the competition and showcase Guyana’s stance on protection of the planet. She was selected on the basis of being a citizen of Guyana; being between the ages of 18 to 26; being between five feet tall, five inches and six feet tall, with weight in proportion to height; possessing beauty of face; and having an outgoing personality, among others.

The coronation of Miss Stacy Ramcharan was be held at the Umana Yana on Tuesday, April 22.