At the rate new international beauty pageants are mushrooming like crazy in the past few years or so, any enthusiastic follower would be hard-pressed to tell which one to take seriously or not. The “Tourism” brand alone has produced different variations to the confusion of many. And then there are the likes of Miss Humanity International, Teen Universe (by the way, host Nicaragua won the crown), Miss Scuba International, Miss Yacht Model International, Miss United Continent (more of a spin-off), Bride of the World and more.

Now comes Miss Multinational set to be held in the United Kingdom next year. And just what is this pageant all about and how does it plan to make a difference?

Well, for starters, the organizers are looking at breaking barriers in terms of our preconceived notions about beauty contests in general, such as:

Wider age limits – possibly up to 40 years old?

Wider weight range – possibly up to 150 lbs and up?

Flexible body types/appearances – possibly even the overweight and/or tattooed ones?

No bikini round – well, Miss World is going for it this year (but simply in deference to host country Indonesia).

What’s more, they want the participants to stand for advocacies that cover the whole gamut of concerns being focused on by others, be it charities/fund-raising, environmental issues and/or tourism-related matters.

It’s like encouraging a broader market to include the ladies who do not meet the standards of regular beauty competitions. Or on the other hand, some quarters might add that it will tolerate women who may not be disciplined enough to keep themselves in shape or those overage ones who passed off on their chance to join one back in their youth (or who never get tired of trying their luck). However which way you look at it, this organization could be looking at grabbing a news-worthy coverage first before finally settling in on what the people behind are really after.

My only wish is that there is genuine sincerity behind it all. 😉