Miss conceptions at Miss Commonwealth

Preconceptions about the world of beauty pageants are something that have been installed into us, through the media, for a number of years. So when I was invited to the Miss Commonwealth International competition this October, I was intrigued to find out about this undercover world of not just beauty, but the characters that take part in such a niche industry of perfectly ­– if not surreally – turned out young women.

Representing the 53 countries in the British Commonwealth, some girls had flown from as far as Jamaica and Canada to compete in the event, having won prizes in their own countries that had lead them to great recognition within the industry – something that the girls strive for, far above the monetary rewards that they are often likely to win.

They believe that this recognition will help them towards the work they do with charities all over the globe. Tove Pearce, a 17 year-old English contender for the Miss Teen Commonwealth crown – and winner of Miss Teen Charity – was representing Great Ormond Street Hospital, and hoped that by winning a title, it would help to promote their work. In fact, it became clear that winning the ‘title’ was something that all the contestants I spoke to were certain would improve the publicity of their chosen aid organisation.

Jayne Taylor was competing for the Mrs Commonwealth title, and appeared to be quite a pageant veteran – having competed for 23 years and having gained a whole host of titles including Mrs Great Britain, Mrs England and Mrs United Kingdom. Despite her obvious achievements over the years, she clearly had the most refreshing approach to the competitions themselves – seeing them as a hobby, rather than a lifestyle – and keeps a regular job to fund the reality of having a family in the 21^st Century. Her four daughters also compete, and she was proud to comment on the travelling they’ve got to do whilst taking part in various competitions – being treated like royalty all the way.

First-time pageant competitor, Attika Choudhary was representing Pakistan in the main ‘Miss Commonwealth’ category – specifically for girls aged between 20 and 29. Her entrance into the competition was down to her talent agent, who, after noticing her interest in working with charities, recommended that she took part in the event – due to the recognition that a title could give her.

Four rounds of voting would determine the winners of each category, each displaying a different outfit including national costume, casual wear, sports wear and evening gowns. The girls were all glad to hear that the bikini round was taken out of this competition – clearly due to the variety of religious views that are held across the Commonwealth.

Ultimately, having the chance to take a peek into this heavily criticised industry was an eye-opener to what really goes on within it. All the girls I spoke to seemed very level-headed and keen to use their winning title as a stepping-stone to future plans. And whilst they were all keen to glam up under the guises of hair and make-up, it didn’t feel like this was to any further extent to any other girls their age. It wasn’t solely about looking pretty, or being part of a performance; it was more about gaining the recognition they felt was necessary to succeed in a future promoting world peace – the ultimate goal of the commonwealth committee.