London: Miss World competition turns 60

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London: Miss World competition turns 60

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Miss World contestants pose in London ahead of the finals of the competition next weekend.

01 November,2011 10:39 am

The worlds oldest surviving major international beauty pageant celebrates its 60th year in London on Monday. This years Miss World contestants showed off their good looks on the banks of the River Thames.The first Miss World was held in 1951 during the Festival of Britain. Back then there were just 26 contestants, competing for a one thousand pound cheque.In 2011, next Sunday on October 6, there will be a record 122 young women competing for the crown.Organisers these days dub the competition Beauty and Brains in an attempt to get over the image of it being a contest for airheads and bimbos. They say that out of this years entrants, the majority are either studying for a degree or have graduated. Nearly all are bilingual and over half speak three or more languages.Miss Germany, 21-year-old Sabrina Reitz is studying dentistry. She said she doesnt believe the Miss World contest is out of date.No, I dont think the competition is outdated. It shows, via the medium of beauty of the body, the background of todays world. Its very important that we do the charitable work, she said.Miss Worlds now travel the globe doing charitable works in their year of wearing the crown. In the 60 years since the competition has been going the organisation has raised more than 500 million pounds for charity.Erin Cummins, representing the USA, said she hoped the judges would see her genuine side.I think just being ourselves is a gift that we all need to do and ... you know I cant really put it into words I just try to be myself and be unique and not be, like, you know, everyone else, she said.The Miss World finals will be broadcast live to more than 150 countries reaching a global audience of more than 1 billion viewers.Miss Japan, Midori Tanaka, said she wanted to showcase her country to the judges.I am here because I want to expand my life experiences here with all the other Miss World contestants. I also want to introduce to the world the beauty of Japan and as a result get more people to like Japan, she said.Miss India, Kanishtha Dhankhar wanted the judges to see her representing the youth of India.I think my message is that there is so much going on and I feel like the youth today is so taken up by so many things like vanity and things they see on TV, but there is so much more to us and we actually are the future of tomorrow. Being from India and people think India is really backward, but it is not any more, I am representing modern India and we have a lot to offer, she said.Miss Egypt, Donia Hamed, hopes she will win, to give a boost to her countrys newfound freedom after the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarrak.At this point in our history we need anything to make us feel like we are part of the world. If I were to win the Miss World title it would be a really big deal for us, she said.Many former Miss World winners have gone onto a variety of careers. Perhaps one of the most famous is Hollywood actress Halle Berry.Miss World has a connection with the James Bond franchise with 12 former winners going on to appear in the films.