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For the song by the band Hole, see Miss World (song).

Miss World
Formation1951
TypeBeauty pageant
HeadquartersLondon, England
Location
Official language
English
President
Julia Morley
Key people
Eric Morley
WebsiteOfficial website

The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951.[1][2] Since his death in 2000, Morley's wife, Julia Morley, co-chairs the pageant.[3]

Alongside its rivals Miss Universe and Miss Earth, this pageant is one of the most publicised beauty contests in the world[4][5][6] while Miss World Muslimah beauty pageant was specifically formed to present Muslim women in modern society following her religion alongside.

The winner spends a year travelling to represent the Miss World Organization and its various causes. The current Miss World is Yu Wenxia of China.[7] Traditionally, Miss World lives in London during her reign.

Miss World is part of the Big Four international beauty pageants.

History

Miss World started as the Festival Bikini Contest, in honour of the recently introduced swimwear of the time, but was called "Miss World" by the media. It was originally planned as a one-off event. Upon learning about the upcoming Miss Universe pageant, Morley decided to make the pageant an annual event.[8][9]

Opposition to the wearing of bikinis led to their replacement with more modest swimwear after the first contest. The first Miss World Pageant event in 1951 was the first and the last event which crowned the winner in a bikini. In Miss World 2013 all participants will use one piece of swimsuit plus traditional sarong from the belly and below as a compromise with local culture.[10]

In 1959, the BBC started broadcasting the competition. The pageant's popularity grew with the advent of television. During the 1960s and 1970s, Miss World would be among the most watched programmes of the year on British television.[citation needed] However, in 1970, the Miss World contest in London was disrupted by women's liberation protesters armed with flour bombs, stink bombs, and water pistols.[11]

In the 1980s, the pageant repositioned itself with the slogan Beauty With a Purpose, with added tests of intelligence and personality.[12] However, in the 1980s, the competition became seen as old-fashioned and politically incorrect in its native Britain, and despite its global appeal, stopped showing on British television until Channel 5 aired it briefly in 1998,[13][14] then shifted between lesser-known satellite channels, and is now webcast only and little-known in Britain.

21st century

Eric Morley died as the pageant entered the new century. His wife, Julia, succeeded as chairwoman of the Miss World Organization.[15]

The century saw its first black African winner, Agbani Darego of Nigeria, in 2001. As part of its marketing strategy, Miss World came up with a "Vote For Me" television special during that edition, featuring the delegates behind the scenes and on the beach, and allowing viewers to either phone in or vote online for their favourites. It also sells its Talent, Beach Beauty and Sports events as television specials to broadcasters.[16]

In 2002 the pageant was slated for choosing Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria to host its final. This choice was controversial, as a northern Nigerian woman, Amina Lawal, was awaiting death by stoning for adultery under Sharia law there, but Miss World chose to use the publicity surrounding its presence to bring greater global awareness and action to Amina's plight (see Controversies section).[17][18]

Miss World Organization

Ivian Sarcos in a school in Mumbai, India

The Miss World Organization owns and manages the annual Miss World Finals, a competition that has grown into one of the world’s biggest.[19] Since its launch in 1951, the Miss World Organization has raised more than £250 million for children’s charities.[20] Miss World is franchised in more than 100 countries.[21][22] Miss World, Limited is a privately held firm, and thus figures for its earnings, expenses and charitable contributions are not publicly available.

Aside from raising millions of pounds for charities around the globe under the banner of its "Beauty with a Purpose" program, Miss World is also credited with directly influencing a dramatic increase in tourism in Sanya, China, host city of the Miss World finals in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2010.[23]

The pageant

In the year preceding the global finals, each delegate must win her national title or a specially designated Miss World national preliminary. Miss World's national preliminaries are conducted by their licence-holders, who hold the franchise to use the "Miss World" name in their country. The annual final is typically a month long event, with several preliminary galas, dinners, balls and activities, culminating in a globally telecast final show in which the field is narrowed to between 15–20 delegates.

Awards

See also: Miss World Special Awards
  • Venezuela has won the Miss Photogenic award four times (1984, 1990, 1995, 1996).
  • Four Miss World winners were awarded Miss Photogenic: Astrid Carolina Herrera (Venezuela, 1984), Aishwarya Rai (India, 1994), Jacqueline Aguilera (Venezuela, 1995) and Diana Hayden (India, 1997).
  • One Miss World winner was awarded Best World Dress Designer (Spectacular Evening Wear) : Azra Akin (Turkey, 2002).
  • Two Miss World winner were awarded Miss World Continental Groups Northern Europe by SMS voting : Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir (Iceland, 2005), Taťána Kuchařová (Czech Republic,2006).

Challenge Events (Formerly known as Fast track awards)

Since 2003 Miss World pageant also features Fast Track events during the preliminary round. The winners of Fast Track events are automatically qualified to enter the final round.

Since 2011 winners of the challenge events are no longer automatically qualified to enter the final round. Instead, winners and finalists of these events will be awarded bonus points to their preliminary scores. Delegates with the highest points (bonus of challenge events included) are qualified to enter the final round.

Challenge (Fast Track) events which have been used since 2003 are:

Winners

  • Kiki Håkansson of Sweden, Miss World 1951, reigned for the longest period in Miss World history: 475 days (almost 16 months) from the time she was crowned on 29 July 1951 in London, UK.[24][25]
  • Ivian Sarcos of Venezuela, Miss World 2011 reigned for the shortest period in Miss World history: for 8 months and 12 days.

Delegates

  • Miss World remains the only one of the major international pageants with two winners resigned or dethroned: Miss World replaced Helen Morgan in 1974 and Gabriela Brum in 1980.
  • Eight Miss World winners placed as runners-up or semi-finalists in the Miss Universe pageant. They were: Susana Duijm—semi-finalist, Venezuela 1955; Corine Rottschäfer—semi-finalist, Holland 1958; Rosemarie Frankland—first runner-up, Wales 1961; Madeleine Hartog Bell—semi-finalist, Peru 1966; Eva Rueber-Staier—semi-finalist, Austria 1969; Helen Morgan—first runner-up, Wales 1974 (dethroned); Gina Swainson—first runner-up, Bermuda 1979 and Agbani Darego—semi-finalist, Nigeria 2001.
  • Sophie Perin of France was a Miss Universe and Miss World delegate who didn't place at both pageants and later won the Miss International title in 1976.

Locations

For the full list of venues, see List of Miss World titleholders.

Titleholders

The following is a list of winners from 2000 to 2012.
For the full list of titleholders, see List of Miss World titleholders.
Year Country/Territory Miss World National title Location
2013 TBD TBD TBD Nusa Dua, Indonesia
2012  China Yu Wenxia Miss China Ordos City, China
2011  Venezuela Ivian Sarcos Miss Mundo Venezuela London, United Kingdom
2010  United States Alexandria Mills Miss World United States Sanya, China
2009  Gibraltar Kaiane Aldorino Miss Gibraltar Johannesburg, South Africa
2008  Russia Ksenia Sukhinova Miss Russia Johannesburg, South Africa
2007  China Zhang Zilin Miss China Sanya, China
2006  Czech Republic Taťána Kuchařová Miss České Republiky Warsaw, Poland
2005  Iceland Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir Ungfrú Ísland Sanya, China
2004  Peru María Julia Mantilla Miss World Perú Sanya, China
2003  Ireland Rosanna Davison Miss Ireland Sanya, China
2002  Turkey Azra Akın Miss Turkey London, United Kingdom
2001  Nigeria Agbani Darego Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria Sun City, South Africa
2000  India Priyanka Chopra Miss India World London, United Kingdom

By number of wins

Winners of Miss World by country
Country/Territory Titles Winning years
 Venezuela 6 1955, 1981, 1984, 1991, 1995, 2011
 India 5 1966, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000
 United Kingdom 1961, 1964, 1965, 1974 (resigned), 1983
 United States 3 1973, 1990, 2010
 Iceland 1985, 1988, 2005
 Jamaica 1963, 1976, 1993
 Sweden 1951, 1952, 1977
 China PR 2 2007, 2012
 Russia 1992, 2008
 Peru 1967, 2004
 Austria 1969, 1987
 Argentina 1960, 1978
 Germany 1956, 1980 (resigned)
 South Africa 1958, 1974 (took over title in November 1974)
 Australia 1968, 1972
 Netherlands 1959, 1962
 Gibraltar 1 2009
 Czech Republic 2006
 Ireland 2003
 Turkey 2002
 Nigeria 2001
 Israel 1998
 Greece 1996
 Poland 1989
 Trinidad & Tobago 1986
 Dominican Republic 1982
 Guam 1980 (took over title on 28 November 1980)
 Bermuda 1979
 Puerto Rico 1975
 Brazil 1971
 Grenada 1970
 Finland 1957
 Egypt 1954
 France 1953

Top 16 countries by tally

For the full details, see Full Country Rankings for Miss World.
Rank Country/Territory Miss World 1st Runner-up 2nd Runner-up 3rd Runner-up 4th Runner-up 5th Runner-up 6th Runner-up Semifinalists Total
1  Venezuela 6 2 4 2 2 0 1 14 30
2  United Kingdom 5 6 4 3 3 1 1 14 37
3  India 5 1 0 1 1 0 0 12 20
4  United States 3 5 2 0 6 2 1 25 44
5  Sweden 3 1 0 2 2 2 0 10 20
6  Jamaica 3 0 3 1 2 0 0 14 23
7  Iceland 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 7
8  South Africa 2 4 6 1 2 0 0 17 32
9  Australia 2 2 4 2 0 0 0 14 24
10  Argentina 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 7 12
11  Germany 2 1 3 1 1 0 0 10 18
12  Peru 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 7
13  Netherlands 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 9 14
14  Austria 2 0 1 2 0 0 1 9 15
15  China 2 0 1 0 3 0 0 1 7
16  Russia 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 7

Number of titles by continental region

Main article: Continental Groups according to the Miss World Organization
Continent Titles Countries
Europe 28 United Kingdom* (5), Iceland and Sweden (3), Austria, Germany*, Netherlands and Russia (2), Czech Republic, Finland, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Poland and Turkey (1)
Americas 15 Venezuela (6), United States (3), Argentina and Peru (2), Bermuda and Brazil (1)
Asia & Oceania 9 India (5), Australia and China (2), Guam*
Caribbean 7 Jamaica (3), Dominican Republic, Grenada, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago (1)
Africa 4 South Africa* (2), Egypt and Nigeria (1)

Continental queens of beauty

Main article: List of Miss World Continental Queens of Beauty

The following is a list of Continental Queens of Beauty winners since 2004.

Year Africa Americas Asia & Oceania Caribbean Europe
2012
 South Sudan
Atong Demach
 Brazil
Mariana Notarangelo
 China PR
Yu Wenxia
 Jamaica
Deanna Robins
 Wales
Sophie Elizabeth Moulds
2011
 South Africa
Bokang Montjane
 Venezuela
Ivian Sarcos
 Philippines
Gwendoline Ruais
 Puerto Rico
Amanda Vilanova
 England
Alize Lily Mounter
2010
 Botswana
Emma Wareus
 United States
Alexandria Mills
 China PR
Xiao Tang
 St. Lucia
Aiasha Gustave
 Ireland
Emma Britt Waldron
2009
 South Africa
Tatum Keshwar
 Mexico
Perla Beltrán
 Korea
Kim Joo-ri
 Barbados
Leah Marville
 Gibraltar
Kaiane Aldorino
2008
 Angola
Brigith dos Santos
 Venezuela
Hannelly Quintero
 India
Parvathy Omanakuttan
 Trinidad & Tobago
Gabrielle Walcott
 Russia
Ksenia Sukhinova
2007
 Angola
Micaela Reis
 Mexico
Carolina Morán
 China PR
Zhang Zilin
 Trinidad & Tobago
Valene Maharaj
 Sweden
Annie Oliv
2006
 Angola
Stiviandra Oliveira
 Brazil
Jane Borges
 Australia
Sabrina Houssami
(as Asia-Pacific)
 Jamaica
Sara Lawrence
 Czech Republic
Taťána Kuchařová
(as Northern Europe)
 Romania
Ioana Boitor
(as Southern Europe)
2005
 Tanzania
Nancy Sumari
 Mexico
Dafne Molina
 Korea
Oh Eun-young
(as Asia-Pacific)
 Puerto Rico
Ingrid Marie Rivera
 Iceland
Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir
(as Northern Europe)
 Italy
Sofia Bruscoli
(as Southern Europe)
2004
 Nigeria
Anita Uwagbale
 Peru
María Julia Mantilla
 Philippines
Maria Karla Bautista
 Dominican Republic
Claudia Cruz
 Poland
Katarzyna Borowicz

Queens of beauty titles

Main article: Continental Queens Tabulation (Complete List)

These are the countries with the most Continental Queen of Beauty titles per continental group (region in bold) throughout the years:

Country Titles Awarded as Winning years
 Venezuela
12
 Americas 1981, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2008, 2011
 South Africa
11
 Africa 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2009, 2011
 Jamaica
9
 Caribbean 1990, 1991, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2012
 Australia
6
 Oceania 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1989
1
 Asia & Oceania 1991
1
 Asia-Pacific 2006
 India
6
 Asia & Oceania 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2008
 China PR
6
 Asia & Oceania 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2012
 Israel
3
 Asia 1983, 1984, 1985
2
 Europe 1998, 1999
 Philippines
3
 Asia & Oceania 1993, 2004, 2011
2
 Asia 1982, 1986
 Korea
4
 Asia & Oceania 1988, 1995, 2005, 2009
 Thailand
2
 Asia & Oceania 1989, 1992

Pageant controversies

The Miss World pageant has been the target of many controversies since its inception.

  • In 1970, feminist protesters threw flour bombs during the live event at London's Royal Albert Hall, momentarily scaring the host, Bob Hope.[26][27]
  • In 1973, the judges made their final rankings of the seven finalists by assessing each one's personality, stage presence and the ability to speak before an audience. The Majority Vote System determined the final rankings of the seven finalists. Odd numbers of judges were always used, to prevent ties from occurring. Chairman of the judges in 1973 was Peter Dimmock, Head of BBC Outside Broadcasts. The winner, Marjorie Wallace, was fired on 8 March 1974, because she had failed to live up to the "first-class public image" of the position. However, she is still the official titleholder, as the Miss World title was not offered to the runners-up.
  • In 1976, several countries went on a boycott, because the pageant included both a Caucasian and African representative for South Africa.[28] South Africa competed for the last time in 1977, before it was welcomed back in 1991 as that policy disintegrated.[29]
  • The 1980 winner Gabriella Brum of Germany resigned one day after winning, initially claiming her boyfriend disapproved. A few days later it emerged that she had been forced to resign after it was discovered that she posed naked for a magazine.[30]
  • In 1996, wide-scale protests took place in Bangalore, India, over the hosting of the beauty contest. The swimsuit shootings were moved to the Seychelles, and heavy security was placed. Despite the chaos, the pageant's live telecast went on smoothly.[31][32][33]

The 2002 Nigeria contest

Main article: Miss World 2002

In the year leading up the finals in Nigeria, several European title holders lobbied their governments and the EU parliament to support Amina Lawal's cause.[34][35] A number of contestants followed the lead of Kathrine Sørland of Norway in boycotting the contest (despite the controversy Sørland would go on to become a semifinalist in both the Miss World and Miss Universe contest), while others such as Costa Rica were instructed by their national governments and parliaments not to attend the contest. Among the other boycotting nations were Denmark, Spain, Switzerland, Panama, Belgium and Kenya. There was further controversy over the possibly suspended participation of France and South Africa, which may or may not have been due to the boycott.[36] For her part, Lawal asked that contestants not suspend their participation in the contest, saying that it was for the good of her country and that they could, as the representative of Sweden had earlier remarked, make a much stronger case for her on the ground in Nigeria.[37]

Despite the increasing international profile the boycott was garnering in the world press, the contest went ahead in Nigeria after being rescheduled to avoid taking place during Ramadan, with many prominent nations sending delegates. Osmel Sousa of Venezuela, one of the world's most influential national directors, famously said "there is no question about it (the participation of Miss Venezuela in the contest)." The trouble did not end there, however. A ThisDay (Lagos, Nigeria) newspaper editorial suggesting that Muhammad would probably have chosen one of his wives from among the contestants had he been alive to see it (this suggestion would have been considered an insult to most Moslems because contestants bared themselves in bathing suits which is considered immoral by conservative Muslim standards), resulted in inter-religious riots that started on 22 November in which over 200 people were killed in the city of Kaduna, along with many houses of worship being burned by religious zealots.[38] Because of these riots, the 2002 pageant was moved to London, following widely circulated reports that the representatives of Canada and Korea had withdrawn from the contest and returned to their respective countries out of safety concerns. A fatwa urging the beheading of the woman who wrote the offending words, Isioma Daniel, was issued in Nigeria, but was declared null and void by the relevant Saudi Arabian authorities.[39][40][41][42] Upon the pageant's return to England, many of the boycotting contestants chose to attend, including Miss Norway, Kathrine Sørland, who was ironically tipped in the last few days as the number one favourite for the crown she had previously boycotted.[43][44][45][46][47]

The eventual winner of the pageant was Azra Akın of Turkey, the first predominantly Muslim country to hold the title since Egypt in 1954.[48]

References

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  2. ^ "Miss Universe on August 23". Timesofmalta.com. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  3. ^ "Pageant News Bureau – Miss World: A long, glittering history". Pageant.com. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  4. ^ "Brazil's Miss World finalist has her hands and feet amputated". English.pravda.ru. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  5. ^ Singapore must not give up its 59 seconds of fame[dead link]
  6. ^ "Tracing the regal existence of 'Miss Universe'". Spicezee.com. 7 October 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  7. ^ Philanthropy Magazine: Beauty With A Purpose
  8. ^ "Frontline World: A Pageant is Born". Pbs.org. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  9. ^ "Bet on Miss World Pageant". Covers.com. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  10. ^ "Bikini ban at Miss World pageant". Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  11. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/timeline/1960.shtml
  12. ^ "Tiza.com. Miss World". Tiza.com. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  13. ^ "Should the Miss World pageant have gone ahead?". BBC News. 9 December 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  14. ^ "Mayor's frosty reception for Miss World". BBC News. 26 November 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  15. ^ Miss World contest history
  16. ^ "Miss World facts". Worldcountrylink.com. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  17. ^ "Miss World Riots in Nigeria". Democracynow.org. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  18. ^ "Nigerian woman fights stoning". BBC News. 8 July 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  19. ^ "ElEconomista.es. Miss World Organisation and Mauj Telecom Ink Global Deal on Mobile Content and Applications". El Economista. 6 dojlsjofj;snmdfpojamSNFPO jNGMLMWegFJ P;Mlgn sdmGKMEGOph9 NP>weG :egfSDG June 2006. Retrieved 24 May 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); line feed character in |date= at position 28 (help)
  20. ^ Philanthropy World. Beauty with a Purpose
  21. ^ "Newly crowned Miss Namibia 2009, Happie Ntelamo". The Economist .na. 19 June 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  22. ^ "Warsaw-life.com. Miss World comes to Warsaw". Warsaw-life.com. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  23. ^ EuroBiz Magazine, July 2006. Sanya's place in the sun[dead link]
  24. ^ "Miss World 1951". Pageantopolis. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  25. ^ "Miss World 1952". Pageantopolis. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  26. ^ History of Miss World 1970 – 1979
  27. ^ "Last milestone on a record-breaking comedy Road ... Bob Hope dies at 100". Buzzle.com. 29 July 2003. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  28. ^ "Miss World 1976". Pageantopolis. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  29. ^ "Miss World 1977". Pageantopolis. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  30. ^ "Miss World 1980". Pageantopolis. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  31. ^ CNN – Miss Greece now Miss World, despite pageant protests[dead link]
  32. ^ "Indian police prepare for worst in beauty pageant clash". CNN. 22 November 1996. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  33. ^ "Beauty pageant in India becomes a contest of wills". CNN. 22 November 1996. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  34. ^ "As Miss World Turns". The Nation. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  35. ^ "CNN – Miss World boycott over Nigerian stoning". CNN. 7 September 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  36. ^ "Miss World 2002". Pageantopolis. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  37. ^ "Woman sentenced to stoning freed". CNN. 26 September 2003. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  38. ^ "Nigeria riots toll 'passes 200'". BBC News. 24 November 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  39. ^ "Miss World 2002 – The World at their Feet". Isioma.net. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  40. ^ Isioma Daniel (17 February 2003). "Nigerian journalist Isioma Daniel tells her story". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  41. ^ "Nigeria's journalist on the run". BBC News. 27 November 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  42. ^ "Miss World and Islam: "Fatwa" and Isioma Daniel a Nigerian "Fatwa"". Nigeria World. 26 November 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  43. ^ "Contestants boycott Miss World". Modern Gent. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  44. ^ Telegraph.co.uk – Don't boycott Nigeria's Miss World contest, begs mother facing stoning
  45. ^ Telegraph.co.uk – Contestants threaten Miss World boycott over stoning
  46. ^ "Nigeria faces Miss World boycott threat". BBC News. 27 August 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  47. ^ "Miss World Nigeria boycott spreads". BBC News. 6 September 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  48. ^ "Miss World". Pageantopolis. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
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