In 1951Eric Morley organised abikini contest as part of theFestival of Britain celebrations that he called the Festival Bikini Contest.[6] The event was popular with the press, which dubbed it "Miss World". Theswimsuit competition was intended as a promotion for thebikini,[7] which had only recently been introduced to the market and was still widely regarded as immodest. When the 1951 Miss World pageant winner,Kerstin "Kiki" Hakansson from Sweden, was crowned in a bikini, it added to the controversy.
The pageant was originally planned as a Pageant for the Festival of Britain, but Morley decided to make the Miss World pageant annual.[8][9] He registered the "Miss World" name as a trademark,[10] and all future pageants were held under that name. But because of the controversy arising from Håkansson's crowning in a bikini, countries with religious traditions threatened not to send delegates to future events, and the bikini was condemned bythe Pope.[11] Objection to the bikini led to its replacement in all future pageants[12][13] with more modest swimwear, and from 1976 swimsuits were replaced byevening gowns for the crowning.[14] Håkansson remains the only Miss World crowned in a bikini.[10] In Miss World 2013 all participants wore aone-piece swimsuit plus a traditionalsarong below the waist as a compromise with local culture.[15]
Morley announced the Miss World winners in the order No. 3, No. 2 and No. 1. This was intended to keep the tension up, and avoid the anticlimax if Nos. 2 and 3 are announced after the winner.[16]
In 1959 theBBC began to broadcast the pageant. Its popularity grew with the advent of television. During the 1960s and 1970s, Miss World was among the most watched programs of the year on British television.[17] In 1970, the contest in London was disrupted by women's liberation protesters armed with flour bombs, stink bombs, and water pistols loaded with ink.[18] The 1970 contest was also controversial when South Africa sent two contestants (one black and one white). Henceforth, South Africa was banned from the contest untilapartheid was abolished. More than 18 million people watched the pageant at its peak during the late 1970s and early 1980s.[19]
In the 1980s the pageant repositioned itself with theslogan "Beauty With a Purpose", with added tests ofintelligence andpersonality.[20] In 1984,BBC1 controllerMichael Grade announced that the corporation would cease to broadcast beauty pageants the next January, after it had shownMiss Great Britain, saying, "I believe these contests no longer merit national air time." He added, "They are an anachronism in this day and age of equality and verging on the offensive."[21]Thames Television broadcast Miss World between 1980 and 1988, whenITV dropped it.[22][23]
During the early 1990s mainstream television broadcasts of the event declined in popularity after it became "increasingly unfashionable" in the late 1980s. The pageant returned on satellite channelSky One in 1997,[24][25] before moving toChannel 5 for three years (1998–2000).[19][26]
Eric Morley died in 2000, and his wife, Julia, succeeded him as chair of the Miss World organisation.[27]
21st century
The first black African Miss World winner,Agbani Darego of Nigeria, was crowned in2001. 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 phone in or vote online for their favourites. It also sells broadcasters its Talent, Beach Beauty and Sports events as television specials.[28]ITV broadcast the 2001 pageant from South Africa on digital channelITV2, with the special airing a week earlier on the main ITV channel.[29]
In2002, the pageant was slated to host its final inAbuja, Nigeria. This choice was controversial, as a northern Nigerian woman,Amina Lawal, was awaiting death bystoning foradultery underSharia law there, but Miss World used the publicity surrounding its presence to bring greater global awareness and action to Lawal's plight.[30][31] No British channel agreed to broadcast the event,[32] and there were objections to the contest.[33][34]
The Miss World Organization owns and manages the annual Miss World Finals, a competition that has grown into one of the world's biggest.[36] Since its launch in 1951, the Miss World organisation has raised more than £1 billion for children's charities[37] that help disabled and underprivileged children.[38] Miss World isfranchised in more than 100 countries.[39][40]
1970s–1990s
The Miss World pageant has been the target of many controversies since its inception.
The1973 winner,Marjorie Wallace, was stripped of her title on 8 March 1974 because she had failed to fulfill the basic requirements of the job. Miss World's organizers did not elect someone to serve in her place.[43]
In1976, several countries boycotted the pageant because it included both awhite and ablack contestant from South Africa.[citation needed]
The1980 winner,Gabriella Brum of Germany, resigned one day after winning.[44] A few days later it emerged that she had been forced to resign after it was discovered that she had posed naked for a magazine.[45]
In the year leading up the finals in Nigeria, several European title holders lobbied their governments and the EU parliament to supportAmina Lawal's cause.[46] A number of contestants followed the lead ofKathrine Sørland of Norway in boycotting the contest (despite the controversy, Sørland became a semi-finalist in both the Miss World and Miss Universe contests), while others, such as Costa Rica, were instructed by their national governments and parliaments not to attend. Among the other boycotting nations were Denmark, Spain, Switzerland, Panama, Belgium and Kenya.[47] 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.[48]
Despite the increasing international profile the boycott was garnering in the world press, the contest proceeded 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, said, "there is no question about it [the participation of Miss Venezuela in the contest]." But the trouble did not end there. AThisDay (Lagos, Nigeria) newspaper editorial suggesting thatMuhammad would probably have chosen one of his wives from among the contestants had he been alive to see it resulted in inter-religious riots that started on 22 November in which over 200 people were killed in the city ofKaduna and many houses of worship were burned by religious zealots.[49] Because of these riots, the 2002 pageant was moved to London, following widely circulated reports that Canada's and Korea's representatives had withdrawn from the contest and returned to their respective countries out of safety concerns. Afatwa 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.[50][51][52][53] Upon the pageant's return to Britain, many of the boycotting contestants chose to attend, including Miss Norway, Kathrine Sørland, who was ironically tipped in the last few days as the favourite for the crown she had previously boycotted.[54][55][56][57][58]
The eventual winner of the pageant wasAzra Akın of Turkey.[59]
In Miss World 2013, protests by Islamic groups began a few weeks before the contest began, resulting in the pageant's finale and all pre-pageant activities being isolated to Hindu-majorityBali.[60]
After the 2019 pageant, the organization chose Thailand as the host country of Miss World 2020, to be held inPhuket. But due to the spread ofCOVID-19, most national organizations and the Miss World organization agreed to cancel the 2020 pageant to assure the delegates' safety.
Puerto Rico 2021 and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
The edition was originally scheduled for the end of 2020 but postponed indefinitely due to the globalCOVID-19 pandemic.[63] On 8 March 2021, the date was set for 16 December 2021.[64] The threat of theOmicron variant had already been detected in some parts of the world during the pre-pageant activities, as the disease started swept across the island. On 14 December,Miss World Indonesia Carla Yules tested positive for COVID-19. As a precaution, her roommateMiss World India Manasa Varanasi and five others were classified as suspected cases. Miss World Organization chairJulia Morley confirmed that the delegates were isolated and quarantined and would not be onstage for the final show if they did not produce a negative PCR test.[65][66][67][68] On 15 December, thePuerto Rico Department of Health confirmed 17 positive cases for COVID-19 related to the Miss World pageant activities, including contestants and technical personnel.[69][70][71] On 16 December, it was announced thatMiss World Malaysia Lavanya Sivaji had tested positive for COVID-19.[68] She was required to be isolated for 10 days and not permitted onstage during the finals. The finale, originally slated for 16 December, was postponed.[72] During a 16 December Puerto Rico Department of Health press conference, epidemiologistMelissa Marzán confirmed 15 staff and 23 contestant positive cases associated with Miss World. She added that pageant organizers, not the island's authorities, decided to postpone.[73] The rescheduled 70th Miss World pageant took place on 16 March 2022, atPuerto Rico'sCoca-Cola Music Hall.[74][75][76]
Fast-track events of Miss World is a set of competition to decide the semi-finalist or the placement of Miss World. Fast-track events was one of deciding factor to choose semi-finalist beside Preliminary Interview by combining those rounds with using points system table. Prior to 2016 the winner of the fast-track events received huge amount of points but not securing semi-finalist spot, however since 2016 the points system table in fast-track were abolished. Since then the winners of the "fast-track" competitions automatically make it to the quarter- or semi-finals.[77] The Miss World fast-track categories are: Beauty With a Purpose, Multimedia Challenge, Sports Challenge, Talent, and Top Model. Miss World Talent added in 2001, Miss World Sports added in 2003, Miss World Top Model added in 2004, Miss World Beauty With a Purpose added in 2005, and Miss World Multimedia added in 2012. There was a fast-track named Miss World Beach Beauty (2003–2015) but it is a discontinued event due to dissatisfaction and cons in many conservative countries, this event was replacing Miss World Best in Swimsuit.
Miss World Beauty With a Purpose
The Beauty with a Purpose is an event established in 1972 that is celebrated before the Miss World pageant.[78] It awards the contestant with the most relevant and important charity project in her nation. The first winner of Beauty With a Purpose was Miss World Korea 2005 Oh Eun-young.[79] Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar is the first and only Beauty With a Purpose recipient to win Miss World.
The Miss World Top Model is a modeling fast-track competition.[83] It was first held in 2004, but not in 2005–2006. It has been held since 2007; since 2016 the winner of the competition automatically qualifies for the semi-finals.
Miss World Talent is a talent or fast-track competition in which contestants show their abilities in singing, dancing, poetry, etc.[87] Introduced inMiss World 1978, the winner of the event automatically makes it into the semi-finals starting 2016. The award returned atMiss World 2001.
Miss World Sports or Sportswoman is a title and award given to the winner of a sports event at Miss World. It is a fast-track or preliminary event, giving the winner automatic entry into the semi-finals. In 2005, there was no Miss Sports winner because it was held as a continental team competition. Starting in 2006, the individual competition returned.
Miss World Multimedia or Social Media Award is a title and award given to the winner of a Multimedia Challenge. It is a fast-track or preliminary event, giving the winner automatic entry into the semi-finals. The score is based on the contestant's likes on Mobstar and Facebook.
Miss World Beach Beauty was aswimsuit or fast-track competition.[84] The Beach Beauty event started in 2003, when the Miss World Organization first held fast-track events to automatically give a semi-final spot to some of the delegates. This event allowed the Miss World delegates (over 100) to have a chance to be in the semi-finals. The winner made the semi-finals automatically. The Beach Beauty event showcased different swimsuits designed byMiss World 1975,Wilnelia Merced. In2013,The Beach Beauty event replaced swimsuit with Balinese sarong. While in2015, the organisation eliminated the swimsuit competition from the pageant.[114]
Beauty with a Purpose – a registered charity and nonprofit organisation associated with Miss World that raises money and participates in humanitarian projects across the world
^"... Miss England was Miss World 2011 Beach Beauty, Kazakhstan was Miss World 2011 Top Model, while Miss World 2011 Talent title went to Miss Chile ..."[98]
^Joe O'Shea (29 October 2010)."Sixty years on, how Miss World survived racism, feminism... and George Best".Irish Independent. Dublin.[A] number of contestants followed the lead of Miss Norway, Katherine Sorland, in boycotting the contest. Costa Rica ordered their contestant to pull out and the list of boycotting nations eventually included Denmark, Spain, Switzerland, Panama, Belgium and Kenya.
^ab"Miss Ghana is Miss World Talent".Ghana HomePage, resource for News, Sports, Facts, Opinions, Business and Entertainment. 1 December 2007. Retrieved19 June 2016.
^"Miss World 1960".The Radio Times (1930): 33. 3 November 1960. Archived fromthe original on 15 September 2016. BBC Genome Project Retrieved 24 June 2016
^"Miss World 1965".The Radio Times (2192): 64. 11 November 1965. Archived fromthe original on 14 September 2016. BBC Genome Project Retrieved 24 June 2016
^"Miss World 1966".The Radio Times (2244): 49. 10 November 1966. Archived fromthe original on 30 October 2014. BBC Genome Project Retrieved 24 June 2016
^"Miss World 1967".The Radio Times (2296): 67. 9 November 1967. Archived fromthe original on 14 September 2016. BBC Genome Project Retrieved 24 June 2016
^"Miss World 1968".The Radio Times (2348): 68. 7 November 1968. Archived fromthe original on 14 September 2016. BBC Genome Project Retrieved 24 June 2016
^"Miss World 1969".The Radio Times (2402): 50. 20 November 1969. Archived fromthe original on 14 September 2016. BBC Genome Project Retrieved 24 June 2016
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