Beauty pageant

In a beauty contest various candidates and / or candidates in competition compete each other and are judged by a panel regarding appearance or other characteristics according to a points system. The winners or winners often become beauty queens crowned with evocative titles. For ladies, the title is often of failure (or in men " Mister " ) plus name of the state, the country or the region, the city or the institution together (which, however, are numerous exceptions ) Miss America, Miss Austria, Miss France, Miss Germany, Mister Germany. The winner of the vote will also receive usually prices, and they have an enormous advertising effect.

The most famous competition is the Miss World. In the German-speaking area are still the contests for the Miss Germany, Miss Austria, Miss Switzerland and Miss Liechtenstein known. Competitions for men are less popular ( eg Mr. Germany). In Switzerland, the election of Mister Switzerland, however, is also popular. There are, for example, competitions for children, minorities, places, animals, flowers or cars.

On September 19, 1888, the first European beauty contest took place in the Belgian health resort Spa. 21 of the total 350 candidates reached the final, where an exclusively male jury they " checking in" to the exclusion of the public. For the most beautiful woman in the 18 -year-old Bertha Soucaret was chosen from Guadeloupe; Price as she received 5,000 Belgian francs.

As a new variant of television -based beauty contests can be viewed, for example, Germany's Next Top Model.

The biggest competitions

After the number of women candidates, these are currently the sixth largest international beauty contests: