Odd and Extraordinary Beauty Pageants

Posted by Miss Cellania in Neatorama Only on February 2, 2009 at 7:00 am


You know about the Miss America and Miss Universe beauty pageants. You are probably also aware of child beauty pageants, bodybuilding contests, transexual pageants, and pageants for married women. Then there are the odd beauty pageants. Last August, an Italian priest proposed an online beauty pageant for nuns. One day later, he rescinded the idea under pressure from local and religious authorities. But there are plenty of other beauty pageants that stray far from what you are used to.

Miss Klingon Empire


The Miss Klingon Empire beauty pageant has been held annually for ten years now at the Dragon*con event in Atlanta. This image of the 2006 winner is from Flickr user elemess. Also see a video report of the most recent pageant.

Miss Hooker


The Miss Hooker 2008 pageant was what you’d think -a beauty pageant for prostitutes, but there were no real prostitutes in the running, just actresses putting on a show, arraigned by artist Natalia Fabia. But what a show! The eventual winner went by the name Miss One Dolla No Holla. See more pictures here.

Miss Plastic Surgery


A Miss Plastic Surgery pageant was held in China in 2004. It was a one-time-only event, in which all contestants were required to have undergone some type of plastic surgery. The pageant was launched in reaction to an earlier scandal in which a contestant was disqualified from another beauty contest because she had used cosmetic surgery.

Ms. Pregnant


You don’t have to let a little thing like pregnancy stop you from entering a beauty pageant. The Ms. Pregnant pageant celebrates beauty with a bump. And yes, they parade in bikinis!

Miss Subways


A New York advertising agency held a pageant from 1941 to 1976 called Miss Subways. The winner was featured in ads on trains and stations. The tradition was revived in 2004, when Caroline Sanchez-Bernat was crowned Miss Subways.

Zombie Beauty


A Zombie Beauty Contest is held annually at the Phoenix ComiCon. This year’s pageant was just a couple of weeks ago. Heather, the winner, is pictured here. See pictures from last year’s zombie pageant at Flickr.

Most Beautiful Bottom


The Most Beautiful Bottom in the World contest was launched in 2007 by the underwear manufacturer sloggi. It is open to both men and women, and the winner for each category gets a modeling contract. See a video of the 2008 competition in Paris. This photo is from the 2007 contest in Munich.

Miss Landmine


Miss Landmine is a beauty pageant for women disabled by landmines and other war-related injuries held in Angola. The pageant, created by Norwegian artist Morten Traavik, celebrates pride and empowerment over physical perfection.

Prison Pageants


In the Miss Spring beauty pageant held in a Siberian prison near Novosibirsk, participation can mean freedom, as the parole board takes community activity into account when deciding who to release. A 2006 film, Miss Gulag is a documentary about the Miss Spring pageant. Other prison beauty pageants include Miss Captivity, held in a Lithuanian prison, Miss Prisoner held in Bogota, Colombia, and Miss Prisoner in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (image credit: Fabio Cuttica)

Miss Jumbo Queen


Thailand hosts the Miss Jumbo Queen pageant for big beautiful women. The pageant grew out of an elephant conservation project.

The aim of the contest is to select the contestant who best exhibits the characteristics of an elephant, by virtue of her grace, elegance and size, to help promote elephant conservation causes in Thailand.

However, it appears that the last Jumbo Queen was crowned in 2005.

Harvest Festival Queens

Local harvest festivals have the funniest names for ordinary beauty pageants. Who could resist putting such gems as Miss Meat Pie, Miss Hell Hole Swamp, or Miss Worm Gruntin’ Queen on their resume? Pictured is the Gilroy Garlic Festival queen.


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COMMENT

23 comments to "Odd and Extraordinary Beauty Pageants"

  1. wowsers
    February 2nd, 2009 at 9:32 am

    There's no such thing as a "big, beautiful woman". Self-negating statement.

  2. Gail Pink
    February 2nd, 2009 at 11:01 am

    "Miss Landmine" - now I've seen it all!

  3. Sammy
    February 2nd, 2009 at 11:12 am

    Miss Landmine is a great idea! Its so beautiful

  4. Auntie Em
    February 2nd, 2009 at 11:29 am

    "wowswers" you're an asshole

    in WI we have "Alice in Daryland"

  5. dhina
    February 2nd, 2009 at 12:52 pm

    Good ideas... It shows that no one's ugly in this world:-P
    Everyone is beautiful;-)

  6. Frau
    February 2nd, 2009 at 1:30 pm

    I so could have won zombie queen.

  7. DUKE
    February 2nd, 2009 at 1:37 pm

    Miss Landmine & Ms. Pregnant are wonderful for honoring the natural beauty of women regardless of their physical condition. Here are women who are making or have made huge sacrifices and/or contributions. They deserve all of the honors they can receive; make sure they receive them from loved ones as well.

  8. FupDuckTV
    February 2nd, 2009 at 2:09 pm

    Miss Prison and miss garlic are kinda hot. The others... not so much. Not my style.

  9. seekshelter
    February 3rd, 2009 at 12:13 am

    a few months ago, a radio station here in austin had one called ... something like... the hot cougar sexy kitten contest... it was for the best hot mom and daughter pair..

  10. wowsers
    February 3rd, 2009 at 10:37 am

    "It shows that no one’s ugly in this world"

    Let's cut the PC crap, eh?

  11. Hippychicky
    February 3rd, 2009 at 5:43 pm

    Wowsers, you have no reason to force your negitivity on people that belive in all kinds of beauty. In a world filled media in which women are portrayed as blond, skinny bimbos with no personality or brains, women and girls need someone to look up to. These pagents provide a place for women to find the realistic role models that they need. Belief that women are beautiful is not, as you so crudely put it, 'crap'. It gives me hope that not all people are bitter and insensitive like you, but that pure good still resides in some of us.

  12. Yiggler
    February 3rd, 2009 at 7:46 pm

    It's very poetic to say, "Everyone is beautiful," but we do not live in a Disney movie. We live in a superficial world and Wowsers is correct. Not everyone is attractive in the most superficial sense. Show some intelligence and appreciate that reality trumps political correctness. Kudos to Wowsers for being honest. (I am not at all superficially attractive either, so don't embarrass yourself any more than you already have by assuming I am.)

  13. SuzeQ
    February 3rd, 2009 at 7:51 pm

    In all honesty, not everyone is beautiful, however people do not want complete honesty. A lot of people say they believe honesty to be important, but if all who say that really BELIEVE it, that Simon guy on American Idol would be a hero instead of being villified. Most people do not want true honesty, they just say they do.

  14. Uglyandproud
    February 3rd, 2009 at 7:53 pm

    I'm ugly and absolutely agree that not everyone is beatiful. I am happy with who I am but fully understand that a lot of people are not going to like me just because of how I look. That is the real world and I accept it. It's foolish to not understand the reality of your world.

  15. MyWay
    February 3rd, 2009 at 7:57 pm

    People who don't think they are attractive are the best because they will let you do whatever you want in the sack. They are just happy that someone is willing to hook up with them and will let you get away with ANYTHING. Any fantasy you have ever had can be fulfilled by someone whom society deems unattractive.

  16. April Flowers
    February 3rd, 2009 at 7:58 pm

    Wowsers is right.

  17. Stephanie122
    February 3rd, 2009 at 8:00 pm

    Yiggler makes a very good point.

  18. wowsers
    February 3rd, 2009 at 8:01 pm

    Ahhh, it's refreshing to see that some people are realistic.

  19. Jimmy A
    February 4th, 2009 at 1:36 pm

    the runner-up to the Miss Klingon pageant this past year was my wife's maid-of-honor when we got married at halloween. and she did dress as a klingon.

  20. Ron
    February 4th, 2009 at 2:16 pm

    Ms. Pregnant? An unwed mother-to-be showing off her belly should be crowned Miss Conception.

  21. Frau
    February 4th, 2009 at 8:00 pm

    @ jimmy A - props to you guys :D

  22. Jason
    February 9th, 2009 at 8:59 pm

    The most interesting pageant I ever witnessed was Miss Navajo Nation (I think that was the name).

    Obviously, the contestants were members of the Native American Navajo Nation, but the interesting part was the Tribal Skills area, where the contestants demonstrated their skill in essential tribal skills such as butchering sheep (no, I am not kidding).

    The contestants had to butcher a sheep and were judged on their neatness and efficiency. They did it wearing pageant-wear (dresses or tribal garb), with butcher's smocks over the top.

  23. Damnati
    February 12th, 2009 at 6:54 am

    And I though I was insane. Geez, you have to be nuts to be with women like that. I mean, Can you go hard looking into those very eyes and faces ?

    So you're a HERO !!!


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