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toomanythoughts2 · 2 months ago

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Why Did Serveta Never Compete for Miss Universe? A Theory on Serveta's Life and Skwisgaar's Birth

Hello everyone! This theory was born simply from the phrase, "Skwisgaar is technically a nepo baby." I wanted to look into just how Nepo he actually was and if it was ever that serious. While digging, I formed a small theory based on the information I found.

GIST: Serveta is victim of hyper sexualization and grooming in the pageantry world. As a young woman, Serveta competed for Miss Sweden and won. She was given the opportunity to compete for Miss Universe but was later rejected because she became pregnant, something contestants are not allowed to be in order to compete. The birth of Skwisgaar rendered Serveta from living out her dream of becoming Miss Universe, which is the goal for pageantry contestants and would have made Serveta very wealthy and famous. The resentment she felt for Skwisgaar turned into neglect and sexual abuse.

TW: Sexual Abuse of a Minor

As always, longer theory under the cut!

Miss Sweden and Miss Universe

Ingrid Goude, the real 1956 Miss Sweden.

Miss Sweden began in 1949, 7 years before Serveta would compete in 1956. Miss Sweden is the beauty pageant that contestants need to win in Sweden in order to represent Sweden in Miss Universe, a highly sought out pageantry for women all across the globe. Miss Universe is recognized as one of the Big Four Beauty Pageants in the world. (Miss World, Miss Earth, and Miss International)

Rules

In order to compete, there are certain rules the contestants need to follow.

Miss Sweden x

Not allowed to be married (Has been possibly changed)

Not allowed to have kids (Has been possibly changed)

Only females are allowed to compete

4 phases: Interview, Evening Gown, Swimsuit/Fitness, Onstage Question

Age Range from 18 - 27

No ethnicity requirement

No unique requirement

Must live in Sweden

Miss Universe x

Age: As of September 2023, there is no upper age limit. Previously, the age range was 18 to 28 years old on the date of the national competition.

Citizenship: Each delegate must be a citizen of the country she represents.

Marital Status and Parental Status: Since August 2022, there are no restrictions on marital status or having children. Previously, contestants could not be married, divorced, pregnant, or have parented a child.

Criminal Background: While there is no official rule, most countries would likely not send a delegate with a criminal record.

Citizenship Verification: Delegates must provide documented proof of citizenship in the country they represent. This could involve birth certificates, passports, or other official documents.

Background Checks: While not always explicitly stated, many countries conduct background checks on potential delegates to ensure they don’t have any criminal records or controversies that could tarnish the pageant’s image.

Transgender Participation: The Miss Universe Organization currently does not allow transgender women to compete. This is a complex issue with ongoing discussions, and the policy might evolve in the future.

Winnings for Miss Sweden

In both modern time and in 1956, the rewards for winning Miss Sweden focuses a lot on exposure rather than money. Winning usually meant that contracts for modeling companies would open up, be awarded scholarship money for school, win a small amount of cash, or gain allowances for personal services like hair and clothing. x x x

However, both times, the winner of Miss Sweden (as long as they are not too young to compete) can be sent to compete in Miss Universe, which is the big reason for winning this competition.

Winnings for Miss Universe

In modern times, Miss Universe receives her prestigious title along with x:

A $250,000 cash prize

A $50,000 monthly salary during her reign, as reported by EFE

The opportunity to champion charitable causes and promote international initiatives

All expenses paid for trips in private jets

The reigning queen also lives for a year in the organization's luxurious apartment in New York City.

Will host Miss Universe's upcoming YouTube traveling show

A luxurious watch

From this list (and the fact that I can not find information on what the winner of Miss Universe of 1956 won) the winnings for Miss Universe in 1956 most likely consisted of:

Some kind of high paying salary or cash prize

A crown

A title

A movie contract x

Some expenses paid for pageantry related things

The opportunity to become an advocate for social issues or causes.

All in all, winning Miss Universe ultimately is a much bigger deal with higher cash rewards, more prestige, and plenty of career opportunities after your reign is over. It would make a lot of sense for those who won Miss Sweden to compete in Miss Universe.

Sexual Abuse and Grooming In Pageants

JonBenét Ramsey, victim of sexualization from child pageants

Training

Women do not just compete for titles like Miss Sweden without training. Child Pageants are money making machines. Think of it in the context of a family vlogger harassing their children and/or forcing them to be in videos and participate. Just like how these children have no laws pertaining to their rights as workers, the same goes for child pageantry contestants.

Many young girls go through serious training for pageants, often resulting in these children being restricted from proper sleep, nutrition, and socialization. Remember Toddlers and Tiaras?

This is labor. This is a child. The US has labor laws in place for children but they don't cover pageants, these children are at the mercy of their parents or caregivers.

Womanhood and "Sexiness"

Child pageants are meant to mimic adult women pageants in every way except for age x. This includes the phases (swimsuits, evening dress, interview) and the manner in which they wear their clothes. These children are showcasing themselves as women, and these pageants do not exist without women being sexy. Therefore, these young girls only know that in order to be a woman, they must be sexy x. How do you become sexy? Showing skin, being provocative, being competitive. These young girls are growing up believing they will only become woman once they do these things. This plays into gender conforming behavior as well, as it becomes a subconscious belief that womanhood = femininity, sexuality, appearance, servitude x.

These pageants mimic adult women pageants which many people have criticized for the provocative nature. By having young girls compete in these pageants, which require provocative acceptance, adults are teaching their girls to behave and participates in the behaviors of provocativeness x.

Consequences

In reports of children being sexually abused, research shows that the sexualization of children is a contributing factor to their abuse. Also, if a child is winning constantly in a competition that is based primarily on their looks, they are more likely to develop psychological issues later on in life, such as depression, low self-esteem, and eating disorders. There is also a link to lowered sexual efficacy and contraceptive use later in life. x

The sexualization child in these pageants are directly related to the sexual abuse they face. These people can be judges, parents, assistants, and watchers. Imagine you're a famous child pageant winner, sooner or later, adult fans are going to try and meet you. What's the likelihood of 100% of these people having your best intentions to heart? Low. These children grow up in a provocative and hyper sexualized state, they are going to grow up and be hypersexual in order to achieve womanhood, including a lowered chance of wearing contraceptives.

The psychological problems related to perceptions of the self are long lasting and carry onto adolescence and adulthood due to the hyper fixation on their physical appearance at an early age. The implications regarding the achievement of "perfection" and the perception of body image that have been taught to these them remain engrained in the way they view themselves long after they retire from pageant competitions and transition into adulthood. x

Does this all sound familiar?

"I could never lose the weight after you were born! And look at the veins in my bosom, they're like a roadmap of Stockholm!"

Serveta is a victim of child sexualization and grooming.

Canon Information on Serveta

Past

So what do we know of Serveta? Well, one thing we know is that Serveta is Miss Sweden of 1956. That's basically all we know of her past, other than her promiscuity. There are a few pieces of her present that should also be acknowledged before we continue.

Present

Something I want to highlight are the pictures inside Serveta's home.

These images consist of one thing; herself. In these two frames alone, all of the picture but one are of Serveta. There is one lone picture of Skwisgaar as a child (which we also see during the flashback of this episode by the front door.) but the rest are of Serveta. Take note that most of these photos are also a young Serveta, thought there is arguably some photos of her in her older age. Specially the side profile picture above the lamp and the one long photo above little Skwisgaar.

Out of all the things to decorate her house with, and it's with herself. Her younger self. Serveta is surrounding herself with images of her former self, in a body that she no longer has. She is obsessing over the looks she once possessed during her pageantry years. The same goes for her clothing options.

Serveta wears a long dress that shows cleavage, is form fitting, and has a split up the leg. She is refusing to let go of her past teachings in pageantry of what it means to be a woman, which is to be sexy. Even after all of these years, Serveta is still suffering from her days in the pageantry world.

Theory

Serveta was a young and upcoming pageantry winner. She spent a god chunk of her life in the pageantry world, winning awards and titles, until finally competing in Miss Sweden, which she won. Serveta had every intention of competing for Miss Universe, however, due to her exposure in the pageantry world (Hyper-sexualization, grooming, gender conforming) Serveta had become pregnant. In a Skwisgaar interview, he reveals that his mother liked guitar players. Serveta was attracted toward men who were completely opposite of the world she grew up in. Her promiscuity was manufactured from an unsafe childhood in the pageantry world. Her pregnancy however, disqualified her from competing in Miss Universe (and other high end pageants), thus resulting in all of her work, pain, and world being in shattered. In turn, Serveta relied on the one thing she did have, which was her body and her looks. Her own trauma translated into neglecting Skwisgaar and Skwisgaar's own sexual abuse. However, Serveta was aware of Skwisgaar's talent once he acquired his guitar and knew she had to nurture it till fruition, just like how Serveta's own parental figure did to her.

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That's all for this theory. Be sure to reply or repost with your own thoughts on it. I would love to hear about :)

#skwisgaar skwigelf #serveta skwigelf #surfetta skwigelf #metalocalypse #metalocalypse headcanons #metalocalypse theory

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themakeupbrush · 1 year ago

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Miss International Cambodia 2023 National Costume

The Longvek Queen This National Costume is a tribute representing Princess Krapum Chhouk, the daughter of King Chan Reach. The Princess was the most beautiful woman in the kingdom at that time. She holds the wing of an animal. The role of the fan is to hold the wind to reduce the heat emitted from the outside atmosphere to cool the body. Such Traditions have been used since ancient times for a long time, from the royal family, the monks, the family, the nobles and the officials.

#miss international #paheant #national costume #national costume contest #Cambodia

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jordanianroyals · 1 year ago

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24 October 2023: Queen Rania of Jordan relayed the Arab World’s shock and disappointment at the world’s “glaring double standard” and “deafening silence” in the face of Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, emphasizing that, despite the prevalent Western media narrative, “this conflict did not begin on October 7th.”

“Most networks are covering the story under the title of ‘Israel at War.’ But for many Palestinians on the other side of the separation wall and the barbed wire, war has never left. This is a 75-year-old story; a story of overwhelming death and displacement to the Palestinian people,” Her Majesty said. “The context of a nuclear-armed regional superpower that occupies, oppresses, and commits daily documented crimes against Palestinians is missing from the narrative.”

In a live interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, conducted remotely from Queen Rania’s offices in Amman, Her Majesty explained that the people of Jordan are united in “grief, pain, and shock” in response to the staggering civilian casualties of the past 18 days of war.

“We've seen Palestinian mothers who have had to write the names of their children on their hands, because the chances of them being shelled to death – of their bodies turning into corpses – are so high,” Queen Rania said. “I just want to remind the world that Palestinian mothers love their children just as much as any other mother in the world. And for them to have to go through this, it's just unbelievable.”

Conveying Jordan’s position, Her Majesty stated that the country has been very clear that it condemns the killing of any civilian, whether Palestinian or Israeli. “That is Jordan's ethical, moral position. And it's also the position of Islam,” she said, explaining that the religion prohibits Muslims to kill a woman, child, or elderly person, to destroy a tree, or hurt a priest.

The Queen stressed that these rules of engagement should apply to all sides, arguing that Israel is committing atrocities under the guise of self-defense.

“6,000 civilians killed so far, 2,400 children – how is that self-defense? We are seeing butchery at a mass scale using precision weapons,” she said, “For the past two weeks, we have seen the indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza: entire families wiped out, residential neighborhoods flattened to the ground, the targeting of hospitals, schools, churches, mosques, medical workers, journalists, UN aid workers – how is that self defense?”

The Queen went on to state that many in the region view the Western world as complicit in this war through the support and cover that it provides Israel. “This is the first time in modern history that there is such human suffering and the world is not even calling for a ceasefire,” Her Majesty said. “Many in the Arab world are looking at the Western world as not just tolerating this, but as aiding and abetting it.”

Elaborating on the plight of Palestinian people, Her Majesty explained, “There are over 500 checkpoints scattered all over the West Bank. You have a separation wall, which is deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice, that has separated the territories into 200 disconnected enclaves. And you've seen the aggressive expansion of settlements on Palestinian land, and those have interrupted the territorial contiguity of the territories and has deemed an autonomous, independent Palestinian state not viable.”

The Queen also mentioned that Israel is in violation of no less than 30 UN Security Council resolutions, which “require it, and it alone, to act to withdraw from territories occupied in 1967, and to stop the settlements, the separation wall, and the human rights violations.” She also underscored that Israel has been designated as an “apartheid regime” by Israeli and international human rights organizations.

Commenting on military solutions to conflict, Her Majesty said: “Victory is a myth that politicians make in order to justify immense loss of life… There can never be a resolution except around the negotiating table. And there's only one path to this: a free, sovereign, and independent Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the state of Israel.”

The Queen also indicated that allies to Israel are doing it a disservice by giving it blind support. “Expediting and expanding the provision of lethal weapons to Israel is only going to expand this conflict. It’s only going to prolong and deepen the suffering,” she said.

Criticizing the role of the media in covering the current conflict, Queen Rania noted the double standard presented when Western interviewers demand that people representing the Palestinian side immediately issue condemnations, requiring them to “have their humanity cross-examined and present their moral credentials.”

“We don't see Israeli officials being asked to condemn, and when they are, people are readily accepted by [claiming] ‘our right to defend ourselves,’” she said. “I have never seen a Western official say the sentence: Palestinians have the right to defend themselves.”

The Queen also discussed the oppression of Palestinian expressions of solidarity in Western democracies, commenting that when people gather to support Israel, they are exercising their right to assembly, but when they gather for Palestine, they are deemed terrorist sympathizers or anti-Semitic.

“Freedom of speech is apparently a universal value, except when you mention Palestine,” Her Majesty said.

(Source: Petra)

#Queen Rania

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carbonbeef · 7 months ago

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'24-'25 Six UK Tour 2nd/3rd Cover Possibilities

Now that the Six UK Tour has released its cast for 2024-25, I, as someone who practically documents everything in spreadsheets, had to spend 3 hours listing out (and formatting in fancy tables) all the possibilities for the new Alternates' (Milly Willows, Erin Summerhayes, and Lorren Santo-Quinn) 2nd and 3rd covers.

I did this in two different ways, because genuinely in the magic that is the chaos of Six, know one knows what direction they'll go with coverage. I first listed the possibilities for if they follow the trend of the 2023-24 UK Tour cast (all three alternates cover all six roles, having two each of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd covers, a total of 10* possibilities...), and then I listed the possibilities for if they follow the trend of the current West End cast (the three alternates have two 1st covers and one 2nd cover, a total of 40* possibilities...). Both of which, I grouped into various categories with explanations as to why I grouped them and are more or less in order of likelihood (at least from my perspective).

*: please note, this is off a first glance, and while I'm confident I hit every possibility, I'm human and make mistakes haha. But nonetheless please let me know!

So without further ado:

Assuming Alternates Cover All Six Queens:

Group 1:

2nd/3rd covers take one from each of the other two alts (and Lorren is 2nd cover Boleyn)

Group 2:

Alt Coverage Groups Stay Consistent (Like the West End cast from 2021-22)

Group 3:

The rest of the options

Assuming Alternates Only Have One 2nd Cover:

Group 1:

Lorren's 2nd cover is Boleyn (which would make sense as she was principal Boleyn on NCL)

Group 2:

Given Milly covers two of the roles Izzy did not cover on NCL, this provides additional options where 2 out of 3 of the 2nd covers are roles Izzy did not cover on NCL (which, in my head, will likely be the three she will debut first)

Group 3:

The remaining logical ones (much like the current West End Alts), where one of each of the Alts 1st covers is another queen's 2nd cover

Group 4.1:

Both of Milly's 1st covers are 2nd covers (unlikely)

Group 4.1.1:

Same thought as 4.1, but at least all three 2nd covers are roles Izzy did not cover on NCL (less unlikely but more likely than the rest of Group 4)

Group 4.2:

Both of Erin's 1st covers are 2nd covers (unlikely)

Group 4.3:

Both of Lorren's 1st covers are 2nd covers (unlikely)

Like I said, this was made rather quickly, so if I missed a possible arrangement, please let me know and I'll update it! I feel like it's (obviously) too early to make any guesses, and I'm not familiar with a lot of these performers, but regardless of the outcome, the most confident guess I can give is Lorren will be 2nd cover Boleyn. Additionally, I genuinely feel that given this production is going to be international and not just in the UK, hopefully Six will learn their lesson (lol calling Natalie Pilkington in the Philippines now) and have the alternates continue the UK Tour alternate and West End (prior to the 2024-25 cast) alternate coverage system and have them cover all six roles, with an alternate costume for the 2nd and 3rd covers. But, at the end of the day, it's Six. Chaos will likely happen regardless haha.

I'm also curious if anyone else has any predictions on what the 2nd (and hopefully 3rd) cover system and distribution will be! We'll all probably be wrong (watch them do two 2nd covers and no 3rd covers somehow), but hey, speculation is one of the best parts of this show and fandom haha

#six the musical #six the musical uk tour #six uk tour #milly willows #erin summerhayes #lorren santo quinn #lorren santo-quinn #izzy formby jackson #izzy formby-jackson #six alternates #six bliss #six bliss 7.0

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poppletonink · 1 year ago

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FILM REVIEW: Red, White and Royal Blue

★★★★★ - 5 stars

"You need to figure out if you feel forever about him. Do you love him?"

The so-called "Cake Gate" was an accident - I mean, nobody would choose to have a £75,000 cake fall on top of you and your worst enemy. Alex Claremont-Diaz didn't mean to create an international scandal, but it doesn't mean he didn't do it. Now, his mother, the President of the United States needs him to do some damage control in order to not mess up her opportunity of winning the next election. Except, Alex Claremont-Diaz cannot stand Prince Henry and now he has to pretend they're best friends. Yet as Alex and Henry spend more time together, they realise that their hatred towards each other is completely unprecedented and quickly find themselves hurtling into a secret relationship with each other. As the election draws closer, Alex realises that he feels something more for Henry. Alex realises that he is in love with him. The question is what is worth the sacrifice? Is he willing to potentially upend two nations and ruin his mother's campaign? Is true love really worth it?

Red, White and Royal Blue seems like some sort of whacky, wild fan fiction in summary - it's a royal au, follows the enemies to lovers trope and very much so idiots in love. Despite the AO3 tags it perfectly fits into, Red, White and Royal Blue is so much more than it seems. It's a beautiful love story, a tale of hurt, heartbreak and comfort, that emotionally hits the viewer in ways you aren't expecting.

As someone who read the book a long time before the film was even conceptualised, (and as it's one of my favourite books of all time) my standards for how great this film needed to be were extremely - and I mean extremely - high. Despite leaving out bits from the book, which as sad as it may be is understandable due to time constraints, it still hit me just as viscerally as the book. Somehow even though some of the largest plot points (e.g. Bea's cocaine addiction) and most important characters (June Claremont-Diaz who I adore so very much) were missing, it still remained really accurate to the book. That sounds really contradictory, I know, but it was genuinely amazing how many lines they kept word for word from the original novel. It's something that I truly appreciate about recent book to screen adaptations, and I loved the fact that I could notice every time that it happened.

Nick and Taylor's chemistry was off the charts, which is something that seemingly came out of left field for a lot of people, but quite genuinely made the perfect Alex and Henry. They perfectly performed the witty banter, the yearning looks and the complete and utter disdain they have for each other at times. They made Alex Claremont-Diaz and Henry Fox Mountchristen Windsor real and by doing that they too made history.

Music played quite a large role in this film from the beginning until the end. I think the greatest song choice was undoubtedly Katarina Stratford's anthem. Bad Reputation was a brilliant choice for the theme song - it's such a perfect representation of Alex as a person, of him not caring what other people think and simply doing what he wants to do. It was also great to see Henry's karaoke performance of Don't Stop Me Now by Queen on the screen, and Henry and Alex dancing in the V&A was quite frankly beautiful.

Overall, Red, White and Royal Blue is a must-watch film of 2023. It's raw and emotional; it's a master class in romance; and it's extremely funny. It's a story that will make history.

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democracyunderground · 6 months ago

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Sheila Jackson Lee, the longtime U.S. representative from Texas, has died, according to a statement issued Friday night from her family.

The congresswoman died at the age of 74 after a brief battle with cancer.

"With incredible grief for our loss yet deep gratitude for the life she shared with us, we announce the passing of United States Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of the 18th Congressional District of Texas," her family said in a statement.

"A local, national, and international humanitarian, she was acknowledged worldwide for her courageous fights for racial justice, criminal justice, and human rights, with a special emphasis on women and children," the statement continued.

Rep. Jackson Lee announced in June she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

"She will be dearly missed, but her legacy will continue to inspire all who believe in freedom, justice and democracy," her family said.

The democratic Chief Deputy Whip and member of the Congressional Black Caucus served in Congress for almost 30 years. Most recently, Jackson Lee reintroduced the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in May.

Jackson Lee, who represented Texas' 18th District, which encompasses parts of Houston, won a primary election this year to regain her seat.

Born in Queens, New York, the congresswoman attended Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law. She relocated with her husband Elwyn Lee, a law professor, to Houston where she served as a municipal judge from 1987 to 1990. She served in the Houston City Council before running for a U.S. House seat in 1994, defeating then-incumbent Rep. Craig Washington in the Democratic primary.

The congresswoman was a senior member of the House committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security and Budget.

She authored and was the lead sponsor of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. The law introduced the first new federal holiday -- commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States -- since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was adopted in 1983.

She also authored legislation to reenact the Violence Against Women Act, which had expired in 2019.

Jackson Lee unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Houston in 2023.

“It is with the deepest sadness that the Congressional Black Caucus has learned of the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Representative Sheila Jackson Lee," the Congressional Black Caucus said in a statement. "We are holding her husband, Dr. Elwyn Lee, her two children Jason and Erica, and the entire Lee family in our hearts and prayers during this extremely difficult time."

"Today, the city of Houston and the House Democratic Caucus mourn a giant, the one and only Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee," Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement. "Congresswoman Jackson Lee was an inimitable force for change and a warrior for justice over the course of her historic, trailblazing career."

President Joe Biden said the congresswoman was a "great American" who was "unrelenting in her leadership."

"Always fearless, she spoke truth to power and represented the power of the people of her district in Houston with dignity and grace," Biden said in a statement Saturday.

She is survived by her husband, two children and several grandchildren.

#Shelia Jackson Lee #Democrat #U.S. Representative

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littlemuoi · 2 years ago

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Royals were ‘very nervous’ about Miss Piggy at Coronation Concert by India McTaggart (May 8th 2023)

The Duke of Edinburgh has admitted many in the Royal Box were “very nervous” about Miss Piggy following her cameo appearance at the Coronation Concert.

The King's youngest brother said that he and the rest of the box invitees thought the Muppets character might turn up to sit in the empty seat behind him, joking that everyone was “much more concerned” about that than anything else.

In the end, only Kermit the Frog popped in to visit the newly crowned King and Queen in the Royal Box, towards the end of the star-studded event.

The Duke added that he thought the Coronation ceremony went “very well” and that, despite it being shorter than 1953, nothing was “missing” from it.

He made the remarks while at a Guide Dogs puppy training class with the Duchess of Edinburgh in Reading for the Big Help Out initiative.

The Royal couple joined volunteers and staff for an interactive training class that focused on teaching the puppies skills to help on their journey to becoming guide dogs.

While talking to the volunteers after the class, the Duke was asked about how he thought his brother’s historic crowning ceremony went.

“It all went very well and even if it was shorter than the last one, I don’t think anyone could have possibly spotted anything that was missing, so that’s nice,” he said.

“I couldn’t actually see what happened in the procession because the trouble of being part of it is that you don’t see it - we need to catch up and watch it,” he added.

The conversation then turned to the concert that was held at Windsor Castle on Sunday night, which was marked with a surprise cameo appearance from the Muppets characters Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.

'Everyone around us got very nervous'

The Duke gave a disapproving look at the mention of the characters, but said: “We were much more concerned about Miss Piggy turning up in the Royal Box.

“There was an empty seat behind me and we didn’t know who it was, we thought they just didn’t turn up, but then we suddenly thought it could be her and once we started that rumour, everyone around us got very nervous,” he laughed.

Kermit the Frog pops up in the Royal Box beside the Duke of Edinburgh - but there was relief as his on-and-off partner, the rambunctious Miss Piggy, did not join him CREDIT: BBC/PA

He also added that it was the fourth coronation to be rained on, saying it was therefore “quite appropriate that we managed to continue that tradition”.

The Duchess, meanwhile, said the Coronation weekend had been “absolutely extraordinary”.

The couple spent the afternoon training and playing with the selection of puppies and dogs at the charity’s centre in Reading, Berkshire.

The Duchess has been patron of Guide Dogs since July 2021, succeeding Princess Alexandra, who held the position for over 60 years.

She has been a longtime campaigner for people who suffer from sight loss and has been Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness for nearly 20 years.

The Duchess told the volunteers that their service in raising the puppies before they went on to become trained guide dogs had “purpose in it all the time” and that she can “never get over” what the dogs go on to be able to do.

She also hailed the vital work the volunteers were doing by raising the puppies, saying it is no small feat to “put your trust in an animal to see you safely across the road”.

“You’re providing the opportunity for someone else to have not only a companion, but to have another set of hands and to lead an independent life,” she added.

'They were brilliant - but Sophie was better'

The Duke and Duchess attended the charity’s taster session on Monday as part of the Big Help Out volunteering scheme, which was devised as part of the King’s Coronation to raise awareness of volunteering and its benefits.

Guide Dogs is one of thousands of charities opening their doors on the bank holiday with a series of taster sessions that they hope will inspire a new generation of volunteers across the country.

The puppies are raised with the volunteers for 14 to 16 months and then they go on to get trained to become guide dogs, eventually getting paired with an owner.

Among the many different roles needed, Guide Dogs is appealing for volunteer fosterers to come forward who will provide loving homes for guide dogs in training, such as the ones the Duke and Duchess met during their visit.

Speaking about the couple’s own dog, a Beagle, the Duchess said she had a “somewhat limited” understanding of instructions and added that “she spends all day migrating from one dog bed to another”.

The Duke piped in, saying their dog was “the dopiest dog I know” and “untrainable”.

Fran Tayor, 75, a retired financial manager from Theale, Berkshire, said after the event that she thought the Duchess was better at handling the guide dogs than the Duke.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (centre) with staff as they visit a puppy class in Reading CREDIT: PAUL GROVER/ARP

The mother-of-two said: “They’ve both got dogs themselves and they were brilliant with them, but Sophie was better.”

Fran’s dog, Lucy, is a four-month old labrador and golden retriever cross-breed. The puppy strained on her lead to reach for a snack as the Duchess walked her and joked: “She’s perfectly under control.”

Mark Gurney and his wife Lynn also took part in the event as volunteer fosterers, saying the Duke and Duchess were “so relaxed and wonderful”.

Mr Gurney, a retired firefighter, said: “We talked about raising the pup and the complexities of it and how really rewarding it is to give something back.

“The Duke and Duchess were really receptive and easy to talk to.”

Tom Wright, the chief executive of Guide Dogs, said the Duchess has been a “great patron and supporter of our work,” adding that she is “very engaged” with the charity.

Guide Dogs Chairman Jamie Hambro said: “We are honoured to mark this very special weekend and such an important initiative – The Big Help Out - with our patron, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke.

“We are grateful for them taking part in today’s session to raise awareness of volunteering and its benefits, and of course for all our volunteers who continue to support us. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to reach and support as many people with sight loss as we do.”

#brf #royal anecdote #lmao ed #he’s a kermit fan for sure #and my man described their dog as the dopiest #hilarious #prince edward #duke of edinburgh #duchess of edinburgh #ed #soph #royal otp

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catherinetheprincessofwales · 2 years ago

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The Prince and Princess of Monaco with the President of Ireland Eamon de Valera and his wife Sinead in 1961. The couples visit marked Ireland's first ever state visit since the creation of the new state.

How Grace Kelly became an unlikely icon of Irish-American assimilation

The ascension of a Catholic Irish-American to princess paved the way for the Irish to be accepted as American ‘royalty’

1 Apr 2023, The Irish Times

A statue of Grace Kelly, the Hollywood actor who became a princess, was unveiled in Mayo recently near Drimurla, where her grandfather’s cottage still stands. This came a month after Trinity College Dublin added a bust of Abbey Theatre co-founder Lady Gregory to its Old Library. Although public women of Irish connection are finally being included in official memory and memorial, Grace Kelly’s significance to Ireland and Irish America generally remains neglected.

Kelly, awarded an Oscar for The Country Girl (1954), appeared in 11 films between 1951 and 1956. She received the title of Princess Grace of Monaco upon her marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco in April 1956. Grace was a cultivated woman whose deep and often publicly shared interest in Ireland and its culture led her widower to endow the Princess Grace Irish Library of Monaco in her honour. In her public life, she ably represented both her heritage and her adopted principality: Grace formally lunched with the Kennedys in May 1961, a month before making an impactful state visit to Ireland during which she called at the ancestral Kelly cottage in Drimurla.

Princess Grace of Monaco and US president John F Kennedy at the White House, 1961.

John Henry Kelly, born in Drimurla in the Famine year of 1847, left for Pennsylvania 20 years later. Grace was the granddaughter of John Henry and the daughter of the handsome and athletic John B Kelly, who earned his fortune during America’s 1920s building boom. Grace was raised in a large home in a residential Philadelphia neighbourhood on the Schuylkill river banks. This waterway divided the Irish “new money” from the “society” Anglo-Protestant elite on the western bank along the so-called Main Line. The Kelly home was a fine one, as I saw with my own eyes when I delivered a talk there in December. However, to “old money” Wasp Philadelphia, the fact that it had been newly built in the late 1920s with bricks from the family’s own firm was unpalatable. Altogether, in the highly socially and racially stratified city in which Grace was born, wealth and success were not enough for those of recent immigrant background to be fully accepted into its uppermost echelon.

In order to dilute the usual associations of an Irish Catholic background, movie studios created a slightly icy but elegant persona for Kelly when she was on the rise in the early 1950s. Nevertheless, the assumption that a Philadelphia Irish Catholic girl could not quite make the cut coloured coverage: in 1955, Time magazine suggested that although publicists tagged “Miss Kelly as ‘a Main Line debutante,’” she was “neither Main Line nor a debutante, but she is the next thing to both.”

Such subtly snooty comments melted away when Kelly’s engagement to Rainier was announced in January 1956.

Their wedding in Monaco cathedral three months later was one of the largest international media events of the 1950s. It was broadcast live on television by MGM, watched by 30 million people. It is not remarked upon today, but this unambiguously Catholic spectacular came only three years after the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, also a momentous televisual event. For some of those of Irish nationalist persuasion in Ireland and the US, Kelly’s globally visible transformation to royalty was an Irish Catholic riposte to the crowning of the new British monarch at Westminster Abbey in 1953.

Grace Kelly, now the Princess of Monaco on her wedding day 1953.

The ascension of a Catholic Irish-American to the status of princess paved the way for the Irish to ascend to “American royalty”, so to speak: the first Catholic Irish president was elected only four years later. The Kennedy era tends to be the beginning point in assessments of the final full assimilation of the Irish in America, but it was Kelly who initiated the transformation.

The princess’s gorgeous white bridal gown also inspired women in her ancestral country. Caitriona Clear has noted that into the early 1950s, the wedding outfit of most Irish women was a formal day dress or suit and that the white dress and veil was worn mostly by brides from elite backgrounds. It seems that the widely disseminated image of the white bridal gown of a woman of modest Irish roots made such attire approachable for ordinary women in Ireland: by 1957 the colour of wedding dresses was so taken for granted that it went unmentioned in Irish newspaper accounts. Kelly’s donation of the gown to the renowned Philadelphia Museum of Art for its permanent collection soon after her wedding suggests the sudden confidence of the Catholic Irish in a city that had long socially excluded them.

In her role as princess, Kelly wielded immense soft power as the internationally known representative of a tiny principality long overshadowed by its powerful neighbour, France. Biographer Donald Spoto suggests that the global spotlight brought by Kelly transformed Monaco: it disarmed French attempts to assert control over the principality, revitalised its economy and, through the princess’s efforts, made it a hub for cultural events. Even Kelly’s final film, after a long hiatus, Rearranged (1982), a comedy short in which she plays herself, was a disguised promotion for her beloved Monaco Flower Show. Poignantly, Rearranged remains unreleased as it was unfinished at the time of the princess’s death in a car accident in 1982.

Princess Grace of Monaco with a priest and entourage climbing a hill to the Shrine of Our Lady at Croagh Patrick, Co Mayo, in 1961.

Kelly had purchased the ancestral Drimurla cottage and the surrounding small-holding in 1976, suggesting a deep reservoir of family feeling. If the princess always remembered Drimurla, then Drimurla returned the favour: residents sent a wreath of wildflowers picked in the fields around the ancestral Kelly home to Monaco for her funeral.

Mary M Burke is the author of Race, Politics and Irish America: A Gothic History (Oxford University Press), available in Hodges Figgis and online.

#grace kelly #princess of monaco #princess grace #KTD #Ireland #History #politics #us politics #american politics #Monaco #Irish history #American history

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normanblogs · 2 years ago

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Miss International Queen Philippines 2023 Final Predictions

This year’s batch of Official Candidates for Miss International Queen Philippines is a challenging group to judge, with so many among them capable of winning any of the three crowns at stake. But at the end of the day, this is a competition and only a small handful will rise to the top and be selected as prizewinners. Allow me to present to you my Final Predictions for the Top 10 who are likely…

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#Miss International Queen #Miss International Queen Philippines 2023 #Miss Mardi Gras International Queen #Miss Trans Star International

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augment-techs · 1 year ago

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Book/Movie Diary: What I watched/read 12/2023

The Deer King: An anime that is something you would watch if you are a fan of Princess Mononoke largely for the style, and if you liked The Phantom Menace and the Fellowship of the Rings for the lore and vibes. Unfortunately, I have been reading up on all the Drakkon/Coinless Jason by @ajgrey9647 and that means I spent the whole movie expecting the stoic protagonist and pretty Doctor to beat the shit out of each other or devolve into sloppy makeout sessions. 4/5

The Man Who Came Down the Attic Stairs, by Celine Loup: A beautiful not-a-memoir in graphic novel format that the artist/author wrote as a what-if scenario covering the effects of pregnancy in the pre-War 1900s; complete with post-partum depression. It's smooth as silk with the art in stunning black and white. 4/5

Manga Classics' King Lear, by Richard Appignanesi: An interesting and visually lovely concept, resetting Shakespeare's story into a Native American vs Colonial landscape. I really wanted to like it, but I felt like it really missed the mark? 2.5/5

Komi Can't Communicate vol. 1, by Oda Tomohito: I finally get to read the first gn in the series and was not disappointed in finding that, yes, it was Tadano who made the first move, and Komi is ADORABLE. 4/5

Commute, by Erin Williams: An examination of being a woman who has experienced many assaults and the results thereof through alcoholism, poor dating choices, dissociation, and finally, motherhood. excerpts I had to write down include: -"What's your part in this abuse?" "That I kept getting drunk?" "You kept going to the gas station for oranges. They don't sell oranges at the gas station. If you want oranges, you go the grocery store. I don't know QUITE how to feel about the art style as a GN. 4/5

Stitches: A Graphic Memoir, by David Small: Sort of a twilight examination on generational trauma and mental illness through the youngest son of a closet lesbian with multiple health issues and a radiologist in a time when it was believed that x-rays could also cure rather than just provide an image of internal problems. The spooky art style made me very uncomfortable, but I quite liked it. 5/5

Literary Witches, by Taisia Kitaiskaia: A collection of witchy femme writers in a poetic presentation, done much like spellwork used through epithets. 5/5

Searching for Bobby Fischer: Just as good, and all the more better, than I thought it would be. It had taken me DECADES to finally see this on DVD after seeing part of it ONCE on VHS when I was tiny and couldn't really remember it. It's the kind of family movie that really isn't made anymore. It's quiet, it's contemplative, it's HONEST. I LOVED IT. 6/5

Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space; by Amanda Leduc: Actually uses both memoir and popular culture as fairly good references to the reality of perfectionism and "the other." It used Disney, changelings, "The Bloody Chamber" and her own medical history. Must take note of this for later because it is very good. 5/5

Spit Three Times, by Davide Raviati: Yet another graphic memoir, this one laying out the growth of a teen/teens in Italy around the 1980s(?), with the author being of Romani descent. It had a lot of stuff I couldn't differentiate between euphemism and actual truth, but I'm pretty sure the extremely mentally ill girl insisting on sexual activity and getting beaten almost to death until she gave birth to a baby that a drunken teenage boy had to deliver on the fly was pretty real. I really did not understand a lot of what happened, but there was one scene that felt very honest apart from the incredibly violent one: "The only person I know who could beat off while doing the backstroke." >> THIS. This was so weird, and yet something teen boys just DO. 3-4/5

Snow White: A Graphic Novel, by Matt Phelan: A retelling of the old tale with a twist. The setting in 1920s New York, the wicked queen is an extremely popular flapper on Broadway, the dead king as a rich mogul that survived the Black Thursday crash, Snow is a boarding school girl back to see the will. We see butchers, detectives, private eyes, and the seven are all street orphans that DO chase the witch down to death. The Macy's Window was an especially nice touch. 4/5

Komi Can't Communicate vol. 2, by Oda Tomohito: -Yamai IS a total psycho at first blush, omg. Poor Tadano, he did not deserve this crap. -The Ramen Chef that shares Komi's disorder must get on GREAT with Agari. -Wow. I was not expecting Tadano to be THAT embarrassing in middle school. -Agari being both a dog-girl and an awesome, honest food critic was a nice touch. -Najimi is VERY cheap. -The dress show was not something I thought I'd see, but I'm not at all surprised that Tadano was always going to be the best choice. 5/5

Komi Can't Communicate vol. 3, by Oda Tomohito: -Chiarai, Sonoda, and Shinobino might be incredibly awkward and can't NOT end up being queer somewhere down the line, but at least they're honest with their judgement of the girls (plus Najimi) in bathing suits. -Both Komi & Tadano look awesome in yukatas. -Komi alone on the playground was so wholesome I wanna scream. -No surprise that Komi is great with babies, but it was still cute to see. -Komi continues to wear the dress Tadano picked out EVERYWHERE. 5/5

#what I watched/read: 12/2023 #refence #book diary #movie diary

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jordanianroyals · 2 years ago

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Queen Noor Al Hussein of Jordan, as a Commissioner, attends a panel discussion organised by the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) in the Hague on World Refugee Day, 20 June 2023. Titled "Profiles of the Missing - Voices of Ukrainian Families of the Missing", the panel talks about the experiences of families of the missing in the context of the war in Ukraine, including their efforts to find their missing relatives and secure their rights.

Queen Noor highlighted the gender aspect of the missing persons issue. “In conflict – when most of the missing are men – it falls to women to take over multiple roles. Some of these roles invoighting for the rights of families – for the provision of education, welfare and other resources. These women are not seeking favors; they are not seeking special treatment – they are seeking truth, justice & reparations and we will do everything in our power to ensure that they are able to exercise their right to these things.”

#Queen Noor

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lindevi · 1 year ago

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Media Favorites of 2023

Who can't believe that 2023 is nearly over? *raises hand* As the year winds down, this seems like the time to reflect on the things that helped us or brought us joy. The following is a list (not exhaustive) of my favorite apps, books, music, TV, and video games from the last year, including many that I would recommend to others. You can find my list from 2021 here. (I missed compiling this list in 2022, in no small part because I was sampling eastern Germany’s best Christmas Markets all through December.)

Apps

Airalo. My new go-to for international data, but you’ll need an unlocked phone. I was able to save a ton of money by setting up a second e-SIM to access Japanese mobile data networks. (It cost $10 for 10GB of data across 30 days, which was plenty for the week I spent there, and much cheaper compared to my phone plan’s offerings.) I wish I’d heard of this before my trips to England and Europe this year, but I was able to try it out in Japan successfully. I’ll definitely be making use of this app when traveling in the future. The only downside is that I can’t have both e-sims active, so I had to restart my phone in order to check my text messages. Luckily, most communication is done over apps these days instead of SMS, so I wasn’t missing much.

Reverso. This app pulled more than its weight for me while I was traveling abroad this summer. The thing I liked most about it is how it pulls up example sentences so you can help see the context and usage of a given word. It also saves your searches for you, so if you were a more disciplined language student than me, you could write down any new vocabulary in a notebook to study later. Also, it’s free and works fairly well offline, and it’s able to handle multiple languages in the same app.

Vivino. When in France, drink as the French do, I suppose. But when you’re at the supermarket trying to decide between the many, many wines available for less than 10€, this app helps to narrow down the field. Scanning the label gives you the user score for that vintage, plus a personalized rating for how it compares to previous wines you’ve enjoyed. By rating the wines I tried, I was able to get a better sense of my preferred styles and remember which labels to avoid in the future. It was also excellent to have on hand when we went to Bordeaux and sampled various Grand Crus. The app helped me to get a sense for how much those bottles would fetch back home, and whether it was worth it to buy it in France to bring home or to seek it out at my local liquor store.

Books

Dracula by Bram Stoker. The vampire book that started it all (well, not quite), this one really does live up to its reputation as a classic. A few years ago, I read Stoker’s The Jewel of Seven Stars and enjoyed it tremendously (it even served as the inspiration for a Dark Sun one-shot scenario I wrote based around Queen Tara), so I’m not sure what took me so long to get to Dracula. The epistolary style is really well done and should serve as a reference point for any game masters who long to add handouts to their campaigns. It’s inspired me to try running Night’s Black Agents in the new year.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. Apparently this book is the first in an urban fantasy series I’ve been sleeping on for some time. The easy comparison is Storm Front, the first book in the Dresden Files, but I have to say that this one comes out on top re: modern wizard investigator stories, mostly because of the protagonist’s sense of humor and the audiobook narrator’s brilliant delivery. I think fans of British TV will find themselves very much at home with this book. I had the happy accident of being in London while reading this, and I had been exploring Covent Garden and the alleys surrounding the Royal Opera House immediately before reading the finale, which helped tremendously when picturing the final scenes.

Slaying the Dragon by Ben Riggs. With the news of the recent Hasbro layoffs affecting the D&D team at Wizards of the Coast, this book feels like required reading to understand some of the boom and bust cycles of D&D (although, sadly, D&D seems to be doing better than ever, and the layoffs appear to be mandated to help cover losses elsewhere in the company). It’s hard to fact-check/cross-reference this book because so much of it is original research and interviews done by the author, but that’s precisely why it’s a must-read for fans of the franchise.

Music

All Quiet on the Western Front (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film). One word: haunting. The main “melody” is extremely simplistic, but it fits the subject matter so well. I also recommend the movie if you play any 20th century-based wargames or read any history. I found it interesting that this was only the first time a German production company adapted it from the book.

Seelie by CLANN. I’m not sure how to categorize this album, except it’s incredibly ambient and dark and pagan (especially Celtic). The tracks all kind of blend together in a good way, making it excellent for writing or focus work.

Gris (Original Game Soundtrack). Another great soundtrack I put on repeat this year, mostly while reading. It’s melancholic, sweeping, hopeful. I’ve never played the video game, but if it’s half as good as the score, it’ll be quite good.

Movies/TV

Barbie. I went for a “Barbenheimer” double-feature this summer, and I did not expect Barbie to hit way harder than Oppenheimer did. Ryan Gosling might have stolen the show, but the story and the feels really made this movie stay with us. Coming from a franchise development/IP approval perspective (and this is where I have to do the disclaimer that my opinions are my own, I’m not speaking on behalf of my employer Asmodee), I’m shocked that Mattel let this get made, but I’m so glad they did.

Blue Eye Samurai. (Netflix) I had little idea this was coming until a few weeks before the release, but this show blew me away and shattered any expectations I had for it. The character development, the animation, the voice acting, the themes… it’s hard to find faults with the show (although, perhaps Mizu’s ending was unexpected). If you enjoy samurai cinema or anime, if you’re at all interested in the history of Japan, or if you’re simply an appreciator of animation, this is a must-watch.

Vienna Blood. (PBS) I like to joke that I have a grandmother’s taste in TV, because BBC/ITV period dramas make up so much of my streaming diet, but this is a mystery/detective show first and foremost. Instead of Sherlock and Watson, you’ve got Detective Rheinhardt and Max Liebermann. Max is a Jew in 1900s Vienna and a student of Freud’s work, with the psychoanalysis lending the show an interesting frame, but I’ve also really appreciated how important his family is to the show. I’ve found it really fascinating how they explore the many peoples of the Austro-Hungarian empire before its collapse, and it’s made me want to run a Cthulhu by Gaslight campaign in Vienna (elements of which I might pull forward into the NBA game).

Video Games

Baldur’s Gate 3. (PC) It shouldn’t come as a surprise that someone whose hobbies center on Dungeons & Dragons and other roleplaying games should thoroughly enjoy this game, but I’m certain that even folks who have never rolled a d20 will be delighted by this CRPG from Larian Studios. The writing and voice performances are phenomenal, and the sheer amount of content (and thus, replayability) is staggering. I’ve logged over 60 hours playing and can easily see myself playing for 60 more. I’ve only just started Act II, so no spoilers, please!

Horizon: Forbidden West. (PS5) I was a bit of a latecomer to this game after it released in 2023, but once I started, I could barely put it down. Amazing characters? Check. Phenomenal gameplay? Check. Open-world exploration that actually evokes the feeling of discovery? Check. My only quibble is that the story isn’t quite as brilliant as the first game, but given that the first game was a masterpiece and easily in my top 5 games of all time, that’s a high bar to clear. I admit I bought a PlayStation 5 just so I could play the Burning Shores expansion when it came out in April, and while personally I had been shipping Aloy with Kotallo, I appreciate the romantic subplot being included.

What were some of your favorites from 2023? Did your list have any of the same titles as mine?

Featured image by Alisa Anton on Unsplash

#book recommendations #music recommendation #movie recommendation #app recommendations #video game recommendations #2023 reads #2023 recap

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ashleyhonrado · 1 year ago

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Do beauty pageants promote empowerment in women?

What comes to your mind when you hear the word pageant? For me, the first thing that came to my mind was a lineup of stunning women wearing long and sparkling gowns where women compete fiercely to be the most attractive, intelligent, and all-rounded lady. As many people know, beauty pageant is a popular tradition that rank women according to both their appearance and intelligence. But have you ever wondered how exactly these pageant began?

Due to the fact that people have always valued beauty, beauty pageants can be traced back to ancient times. It started in Ancient Greece, in the city of Troy. A selection panel comprised of men from variety of fields, such as public speakers, warriors, philosophers, actors, poets, and sculptors, judged the contest. At that time, beauty pageants were a fantastic source of amusement for many people. Ancient China and the Ottoman Empire also held these pageants. In 1839, there was also a pageant in Scotland called the Eglington Tournament, where a winner was crowned by a beautiful woman, and the winner recieved the title of "Queen of Beauty." While in the United States, they are said to have first taken place in Atlantic City, when hoteliers decided to hold a festival to attract, summer tourists. It all started with the "National Beauty Toumament" held on the beach to determine which woman looked the best in a swimsuit.

This clearly shows that in ancient times, the term "beauty pageant" perpetuated the belief that women should only be appreciated for their physical appearance But as we evolve, the concept of beauty pageants has also taken on new dimensions and has the potential to empower women by showcasing their genuine identities on stage, since pageants have the opportunity to strengthen their public speaking skills, gain the self-confidence that that is necessary to communicate with a large of audience, and inspire the next generation with the charities that they support. The fact that today's candidates participate in charitable activities makes them excellent models for younger girls. There's no doubt that the women of this generation have more than just a pretty face.

Although it cannot be denied that the earlier versions of beauty pageants have been degrading to the participants, the organizers attempted to showcase the youthful, feminine, and innocent appearance of their female contestants by imposing strict age and weigh restrictions on them. Fortunately, old beauty standards that are no longer accepted by our modern society are also gradually being abandoned by beauty pageants one of the best example is Miss Universe 2019, Zozibini Tunzi, a black woman with afro hair she became the first in the history of the pageant to win with afro- textured hair, which represents an acknowledgement of black beauty on the international stage with beauty contests historically dominated by lighter-skinned contestants and long hair being equated to femininity and beauty, Tunzi challenged patriarchal prescriptions for what an ideal beautiful woman should look like. Another example is miss universe Nepal 2023, the first plus-size woman to enter the Miss universe pageant. Proving that beauty has no single standard and all women, regardless of cize or shape, deserve to be represented and celebrated in the beauty industry.

These beautiful women's brave participation reasonates as a message of transformation and openness in the perception of beauty, contributing to the creation of a more accepting space in the pageant industry and even in our society, as they represent who they truly are. Because joining a beauty pageant doesn't only require beauty from the outside but also beauty inside our hearts. As Miss universe 2015, Pia Wurtzbach said, "I am confidently beautiful with a heart."

In conclusion, beauty pageants serve the purpose of providing society with intelligent and gorgeous girls who captivates people with their captivating appearance and passionate desire to improve the world. Pageants play a significant role in empowering women, giving women the opportunity to take on these responsibilities and participate in numerous charities that are vital to the development of the nation or world. One more reason is that beauty pageants provide an excellent tool for girls to express themselves, as these competitions help them go deeper and explore their potential by helping them discover their unique quality and their capacity to improve the world. Beauty pageants also provide a place for discussing current issues, including drug abuse, climate change, and underage pregnancies. This clearly shows that beauty pageants empower all the women around the world, preparing them to be successful as well as providing them the voice and platform to be advocates for younger generations and grow into a successful and impactful queen of society around the world.

REFERENCES

The evolution of “Beauty” – How pageants have changed over time. (n.d.). https://ascjcapstone.com/terms/spring-2020/fmwillia/

Tessmevah. (2014, March 2). The history of beauty pageants. A Little Shred of History. https://tessmevah.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/the-history-of-beauty-pageants/

Livemint. (2023, November 18). Miss Nepal Jane Dipika Garrett makes history as first plus-size model in Miss Universe | Mint. Mint. https://www.livemint.com/news/world/miss-nepal-jane-dipika-garrett-makes-history-as-first-plus-size-model-in-miss-universe-11700302233721.html

#woman empowerment #beauty #pageants #woman

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