New Delhi: In a historic decision, the Miss Universe beauty pageant will allow mothers and married women to enter the competition, beginning 2023. According to Fox News, marital status and parental status will no longer be criteria for eligibility for contestants.
While labelling the rules that exist as ‘unrealistic,’ Miss Universe 2020 winner Andrea Meza of Mexico praised the change in rules and told Insider in an interview, “I honestly love that this is happening.”
“Just like society changes and women are now occupying leadership positions where in the past only men could, it was about time pageants changed and opened up to women with families.”
Meza criticised the current guidelines as being “sexist” and “unrealistic” in their endeavour to choose a winner that would appeal to the largest possible audience.
“A few people are against these changes because they always wanted to see a single beautiful woman who is available for a relationship,” Meza was quoted as saying. “They always wanted to see a woman that, from the outside, looks so perfect that she’s almost unreachable. The former is sexist and the latter is unrealistic.”
The Miss Universe pageant is broadcast in over 160 territories and countries around the world, including the United States on FYI and Telemundo.
Harnaaz Sandhu of India was crowned Miss Universe 2021. Harnaaz Sandhu, from Punjab, represented India at the 70th Miss Universe 2021 pageant, which was held in Eilat, Israel. Before Harnaaz Sandhu, only two Indians had won the Miss Universe title- actresses Sushmita Sen in 1994 and Lara Dutta in 2000.
