Beauty pageants today present themselves as platforms for women's empowerment, advocacy, and philanthropy. Yet their origins tell a far less progressive story. Pageants were created by men, for men, as spectacles to entertain and profit-not to uplift women. A format born at a time when women could not vote, own property, or access higher education can hardly be considered a feminist institution.
The earliest pageants emerged in 19th-century county fairs as "fairest maiden" contests designed to attract crowds. By 1921, with the launch of Miss America in Atlantic City, pageants evolved into commercialised "bathing beauty" shows meant to revive tourism. Women were paraded in swimsuits before male judges, their worth defined by appearance. Nearly a century later, despite modern branding, the core ritual remains disturbingly similar.
Today's pageants claim to celebrate intelligence, leadership, and advocacy. Yet many still penalise contestants who refuse to wear bikinis. The recent controversy surrounding Miss Universe Bangladesh 2025-who tearfully admitted she would lose points if she did not wear a bikini-exposes this hypocrisy. If empowerment is the goal, why is nudity rewarded while modesty is punished? A woman confident in a sari, suit, or niqab is no less powerful than one in a bikini. Yet pageants validate only one kind of confidence: the kind that caters to the male gaze.
Behind the crown operates a powerful commercial machine. Pageants are multi-million-dollar businesses that monetise women's bodies and public sentiment. Paid voting systems-via SMS or apps-turn audiences into customers and contestants into commodities. These systems are rarely transparent, forcing contestants to solicit money just to remain competitive. This is not empowerment; it is exploitation. The real beneficiaries are corporate organisers, not women or the causes they claim to champion.
The psychological harm is evident. Contestants are often coerced by pageant rules and then publicly shamed by society. The Miss Bangladesh controversy showed how a woman can be pressured into compliance by an organisation and then attacked by the public for that same compliance. Such double punishment is deeply traumatic and reflects the impossible standards women are forced to navigate.
This contradiction runs through modern feminism itself. Feminism demands freedom, dignity, and agency. Pageants demand conformity, exposure, and performance. They teach women to compete for validation, to accept that their bodies are public property, and to believe that beauty is measurable. Feminism celebrates individuality; pageants reward sameness.
The hypocrisy becomes clearer in debates on bodily autonomy. When women undress, it is framed as empowerment. When they dress modestly, it is labelled oppression. Why is autonomy celebrated only when it aligns with Western beauty norms? True empowerment allows women to reveal or conceal their bodies without fear, shame, or point deductions.
Research supports these concerns. A 2019 American Psychological Association study links beauty competitions to higher rates of body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, and depression. UN Women has repeatedly highlighted how media prioritising beauty over intellect harms gender equality. Several countries, including Norway and Iceland, have banned child beauty pageants due to their harmful effects. The evidence is overwhelming: pageants perpetuate harm, not progress.
If empowerment is the objective, resources should support women who cannot complete education due to poverty, who lack mentorship, capital, or opportunity. Imagine impact-driven platforms-documentary-style programmes that support women over years, helping them rebuild futures and contribute meaningfully to society. That is empowerment, not a swimsuit parade disguised as advocacy.
Another revealing question remains: why are there no equivalent global pageants for men? No swimsuit rounds. No obsession with body measurements. No "Mr. Universe" selling humanitarian narratives. This imbalance alone exposes the misogyny embedded in pageantry.
The world today faces climate crisis, gender-based violence, political instability, mental health emergencies, and technological disruption. Do we want young women to believe their highest honour lies in being crowned for beauty-or in leading nations, innovating solutions, and shaping the future?
The world does not need another queen. It needs builders, thinkers, innovators, and healers. Beauty pageants are relics of a patriarchal past, polished to remain profitable. It is time we stop crowning women for beauty and start empowering them for impact.
The writer is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, media
personality, and advocate of women's empowerment. She is the founding CEO of HerNet TV
