Can’t one be lovely without being fair? Is beauty only skin deep? The facts, of a CBSE topper becoming the miss world this year and the balanced mix of whites, blacks, and browns in top ten of the Miss World pageant, are more than enough to bust these myths.
But one disconcerting question remains. One of the eligibility conditions to participate in the contest (for an Indian) is that a candidate’s height should be at least 5 ft 5 in ( earlier it was 5 ft 6 in). Even though this is the minimum, the past winners of Miss India contests have been around 6 ft. Hence, low height is a disadvantage for any contestant even though she may qualify. I don’t understand why should height be a limiting factor when it comes to be an eligible participant in a beauty pageant?
I don’t think, from India, there has been any Miss World or Miss Universe who can beat Rekha in grace, elegance or mental agility. Same goes for Vyjayanthi Mala, Jaya Bachchan, Vidya Balan, and many of the past and present Bollywood divas. It is worth noting that the average height of Indian women is 5 ft.
Even though at the international level contest skin colour has never been a disadvantage, it seems it is a disadvantage to win the contest in India. I would be happy to be proved wrong if someone can inform me of a case when a black beauty in India was a finalist in the Indian version of the pageant.
Well there are some other limiting conditions. In order not to give a miss, the girl should be a miss – literally and biologically and she should not be between 18 and 25. There is an ambiguous condition too: The applicant by nature and habits should carry the traits of a female. Maybe to give a chance to those who missed the contest for not being a miss, they have started the Mrs. world contest.
Such conditions keep a vast majority of the beautiful and talented women of India out of the context. Thus, chosen from the minority sample size, someone winning the contest at the international level contest is a great achievement indeed; that too in a beauty contest where every contestant’s ultimate dream is to become a Mother Teresa or a female version of a Mahatma Gandhi.
It is wonderful that an Indian girl has become a Miss World. It has happened after a gap of seventeen years. India has equaled the record of Venezuela in terms of most number of winners. However, given the talent that is available in India, if some of the discriminatory conditions are removed, India will not have to wait for another seventeen years to get the next crown. Moreover, it will be in line with the philanthropic ideals of the beauty contests.
PEBBLES AND WAVES 
I agree completely the contents of this post.
Thanks for sharing.
Anyways we are proud to have one more 👑 crown.
Shiva
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Thank you for stopping by
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Some valid points raised in the post….
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Oh.. yes. Thank you
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Nice insights. I would think since the ladies in the West are normally tall, the Indians have a better shot if these conditions are imposed.
You want to send your best to compete against the best, and a proper physique comes in handy there.
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Maybe they have to make some changes in the international competitions.
Thanks for stopping by.
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That is a very contemporary post. I have always believed in that old saying: beauty is in the eyes of beholder. As you step further from the beholding stage, it will always be the inner strength and warmth of the person that will matter, and for which no jury under the sun can hold a competition.
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You have said it precisely. Ultimately, the inner wins over the outer.
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I am in complete agreement with the views expressed herein. I also felt the same way only when went through the eligibility criteria for the Femina Miss India Beauty Pageant. The conditions imposed make the event as highly discriminatory and unfair for a sizable number of deserving Indian females. Hearty thanks Durga Prasad Ji for highlighting this harsh reality.
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Thanks you for visiting the post and offering your views.
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Very logically written but i think there should be some criteria so that the organizers dont need to take random applications and forms.
Yes, in some places complexion is treated in a different way though complexion has nothing to do with beauty.
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Yes. The competitions should be more inclusive.
Thanks for stopping by
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One more crown is welcome but I fully agree with you. A person’s height, color, weight cannot define beauty. I have heard a lot of people call Vidya Balan overweight but I personally find her beautiful with a lot of grace 🙂
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Of course as far as Vidya Balan is concerned, her acting skill enhances her beauty manifold.
Thanks Renu ji, for stopping by.
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Well written man🐥
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