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BEAUTY CONTEST!!! At present, these words are related to glamour, money and fame. However, the beginning of the beauty contest was not so sweet. The first modern beauty contest was held by P.T.Barnum in 1854. The contest was shut down on the face of protest. In 1951, Eric Morley organized the first Miss World beauty contest. Today, it is one of the most watched television shows in the world. In 2005, 2.3 billion people watched Miss World.

India is no stranger to beauty contests. Miss India, which is now the country’s national contest, started in the 1940’s. At that time, it was very small. The first women to represent India in Miss World contest was Fleur Ezekiel. Ferial Karim was the first Indian who made it to the semi finals of Miss World. The boom started after 94, when India won Miss World and Miss Universe. Since then, beauty contests have become very popular in India. After Aishwarya: Diana Hayden, Yukta Mookhey, and Priyanka Chopra won Miss World in 1997, 1999, and 2000.

Aishwarya Rai:

The 1994 Miss India contest may be a disappointment for the Bollywood Beauty Queen, but, when fate closes one door, another opens up. After becoming the first runner up in Miss India contest, Aishwarya went to compete in Miss World and won the title. This incident changed her life. The Mangalore born girl once planning to become an architect, changed her goals and came into Bollywood and the rest is known to you all. Today, Aishwarya is a super model and one of the most successful actresses of Bollywood. Movies like Taal, Devdas, and Hum dil de chuke sanam made her India’s sweet heart. 

Diana Hayden- Miss World 1997:

This Secunderabadi girl won Miss World 1997 at the age of twenty four. Diana studied in St. Ann's High School. After her parents got divorced, she came to Mumbai  with her mother and brother. She started her modeling career by doing fashion shows in Bangalore and Mumbai. In 1994, she worked for an event management company; Encore. She also worked in BMG Crescendo. Diana‘s hobbies are: playing chess, horse riding, and partying. Her favorite authors are Stephen King, Robin Cook, and Robert Ludlum. After winning the Miss World contest, she was signed up by L'Oreal and became an ambassador for Child Relief and You (CRY). Unfortunately, Diana could not shine as a Hindi movie actress.

Yukta Mookhey- Miss World 1999:

In 1994, Sushmita Sen won Miss Universe. This was the first time any Indian won that title. Yukta was only fifteen years old at that time. She told her parents that she would wear that crown one day but her parents took it as a silly fantasy. In 1999, that fantasy turned real and she became Miss World 1999. She won 100,000 dollars and opportunity to travel all over the world. Yukta was born in Mumbai. Her father is the managing director of a clothing company and mother runs a grooming workshop, Swiss Chalet. Yukta won few essay and public speaking competitions and studied classical music for three years. Her favorite dish is prawn with garlic sauce. She likes Brad Pitt and Jane Austen.   

Priyanka Chopra- Miss World 2000:

Presently an established Bollywood actress, Priyanka Chopra was born in Jamshedpur to Ashok and Madhu Chopra. Both her parents are doctors. Priyanka’s father was in the army, so she moved to different places. After winning the Miss India contest, she participated in Miss World 2000. At that time she was studying in Jai Hind College, Mumbai. After winning the contest, she joined Bollywood. Her first movie was in Tamil; Thamizhan. In the next two years, she starred in several hit movies:  The Hero: Love Story of a Spy, Andaaz, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Aitraaz, and Waqt: The Race Against Time, Bluffmaster. Her latest movie Krrish was a big hit in the box office.

Miss World may be adored by many people, it faced severe criticisms.  When Miss World was held for the first time in India, many people opposed it. Their main objection was such contests objectified women. They promote a false sense of beauty generated by plastic surgery. According to a report published in TIMEasia, many parents in India push their kids to get into beauty contests. They spend huge amount of money after dieticians and personal trainers. Many models take drugs and steroids to remain attractive.

Personally, I do not have anything against beauty contests but people should not adopt unfair means. A girl failed to win a contest does not mean that she is ugly or a looser. One should never judge a person by his or her looks but what he or she is.