4 interesting facts about Miss Universe: How it has changed in 73 years

This morning (November 17), beauty pageant enthusiasts or beauty pageant fans will probably be rooting for their country's representative in the Miss Universe pageant, which has been held for the 73rd year and is hosted by Mexico City.

This pageant has over 120 countries participating, one of which is Suchata Chuangsri or Opal, a 21-year-old Thai woman from Phuket who is currently studying Political Science at Thammasat University.

In the past, beauty pageants have been challenged by social conditions, economics, and changing values ​​towards this type of pageant. However, one thing that cannot be denied is that this entertainment has become a business that has evolved with the times.

BBC Thai has compiled important changes over the 73-year period of the beauty pageant, which has been called the "Olympiad of Beauty".

Changed hands from America to Thais and Mexico

The Miss Universe Organization, owner of the Miss USA, Miss Universe, and Miss Teen USA stages It has been through thick and thin for over 70 years, changing hands many times for business reasons, until in 1996, Donald Trump, a US billionaire, bought the company and took over the management of the organization until he decided to enter politics by running for US President in 2015. He then sold the business to the fashion, sports and entertainment company WME IMG Holdings (later renamed Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc.) and operated it until 2022.

"Anne" Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip (left) and Raul Rocha Cantu, a Mexican billionaire

Later in October 2022, IMG Worldwide, LLC, a subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc., which owns the Miss Universe Organization (MUO), reached an agreement to sell the business to the US subsidiary of "Anne" JKN Global Group. Thai businessman with a value of approximately 20,000 US dollars or approximately 760 million baht

However, less than two years later, JKN Global Group encountered financial and liquidity problems and had to enter the business rehabilitation process. At the same time, it sold 50% of its shares in the Miss Universe organization to Raul Rocha Cantu, a Mexican billionaire, through an investment in JKN Legacy for 16 million US dollars or approximately 580 million baht, making the Miss Universe organization currently a joint venture between Thailand and Mexico.

More open to diversity

The term "beauty pageant" often creates expectations for viewers and judges, that the winner must be "obvious beautiful". However, this definition is often challenged by the phrase "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" or "Beauty or not depends on who is looking". It is also challenged by the influence of feminist ideas that view beauty pageants as viewing women as sexual objects that focus solely on beauty contests.

But recently, both international and national pageant organizers have started to use the pageant stage to find beauty queens who are role models and inspire people in society more and more. Like in 2018, in the Miss Universe 2018 pageant hosted by Thailand, "Angela Ponce", the first transgender woman from Spain, joined the pageant to reflect equality.

Angela Ponce, a transgender woman from Spain, joined the Miss Universe 2018 pageant.

While openness in terms of both gender and skin color has become more accepted through beauty pageants, which are increasingly accessible to people through social media.

Another important event in 2019 was the first time in history that black women were crowned in five major world pageants: Zozibini Tunzi from South Africa, who won the Miss Universe 2019 crown; Nia Franklin, who won the Miss America title; Toni-Ann Singh from Jamaica, who won the Miss World crown; Keleigh Garris, who won the Miss Teen USA crown; and Cheslee Christ, who won the Miss USA pageant.

Winners of the 2019 World's Top 5 Beauty Pageants

In addition to transcending gender and skin color, recent pageants have also openly expressed their social, political, and human rights opinions on stage, including embracing plus-size beauty queens.

Later in 2022, the Miss Universe Organization opened the door for married women with children to participate in the pageant. Including breaking the previous age ceiling of no more than 28 years old, resulting in the participation of older women in the national pageant.

In the past 70 years, which country has won the most Miss Universe crowns?

• 1st place: The United States has won the Miss Universe crown 9 times: 1954, 1956, 1960, 1967, 1980, 1995, 1997, 2012. The last person was fashion designer Arbonney Gabriel in 2022.
• 2nd place: Venezuela is considered a world beauty superpower, excluding the owner of the stage, the United States. With the number of crowns won from the Miss Universe stage as many as 7 times in 1979, 1981, 1986, 1996 and can make history by having the winner hold the Miss Universe title for two consecutive years in 2008 and 2009 before the last year to win the crown from this stage in 2013 hosted by Russia.
• 3rd place: Puerto Rico has won the Miss Universe crown 5 times in 1970, 1985, 1993, 2001 and 2006.
• 4th place: Philippines has won the Miss Universe crown 4 times in 1969, 1973, 2015 and the latest is Catriona Gray in 2018 hosted by Thailand.
• 5th place: Sweden, South Africa, Mexico and India have won the crown 3 times each.
  For Thailand, it has won the Miss Universe pageant twice, the first time was Apasra Hongsakul in 1965 and the last time was The second is Porntip Nakhirunkanok in 1988.

For Thailand, it has won the Miss Universe pageant twice. The first time was Apasra Hongsakul in 1965 and the second time was Porntip Nakhirunkanok in 1988.

Apasra Hongsakul, the first Miss Universe from Thailand in 1964.

100 years ago, the path of the beauty pageant stage

The beauty pageant became a part of entertainment culture and business reasons for the first time on September 8, 1921 or more than 100 years ago by a group of local businessmen in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA to use as an activity to attract tourists to visit during the Labor Day holiday in the United States. The contest was called "Inter-City Beauty" to find the most beautiful woman in a bathing suit. Later, this annual event became popular, so the size of the event and the number of participants increased. Part of the reason was the support and publicity through newspapers, which were the main media at that time.

Selection of Miss America (year not specified) but this pageant is considered the oldest in the world.

Although it has gone through social pressures that criticized the beauty pageant stage many times, to the point of having to temporarily stop for some periods, after the Great Depression, this pageant was revived again with the name "Miss America" ​​and changed the context from a beauty pageant to a test of the contestants' abilities. The winner will receive a scholarship. It is also the oldest national beauty pageant stage in the United States up to the present.

As for the emergence of the Miss Universe stage, it was a result of Yolande Betbaez, the winner of the Miss America title in 1951, refusing to wear a swimsuit in public. This led Pacific Mills, the manufacturer and designer of the "Catalina Swimwear" swimsuit brand from California, to decide to stop sponsoring the Miss America swimsuit stage and establish a competitor stage in the country, Miss USA, as a national competition stage. Along with Miss Universe that year to find representatives from various countries to compete at the international level.

Julia Morley (left) continued her husband's wish by continuing to organize the Miss World pageant for the 71st time in March in Mumbai, India.

At the same time as the Miss Universe organization, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, another beauty pageant was founded in 1951, "Miss World" by Eric Morley, a famous British presenter.

After Morley's death, this pageant was taken over by his wife, Julia Morley.

In addition, there are other important beauty pageants, such as Japan's Miss International (1960), the Philippines' Miss Earth (2001), Poland's Miss Supranational (2009), and Thailand's Miss Grand International (2013).

Cr:BBC