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It's not just a question of looks
Miss World isn't all glamour: Brazil's Lucia Peterie in 1971 |
The Miss World Pageant is being staged in Britain for the first time since 1988, with its organisers keen to stress that personality counts just as much as looks in the modern competition.
More than two billion viewers are expected to watch the televised event, being held at London's Olympia.
Out with the old: Miss World 1998 Linor Abargil |
Crucially though, all contestants are kept in the dark until mid-way through the show when the "chosen few" are told, along with the public.
The girls, from countries as diverse as Russia and Aruba, were quizzed by a panel of judges, including world champion boxer Lennox Lewis, racing driver Eddie Irvine and former Superman star Dean Cain.
Responding to criticism that a beauty contest in the late 1990s is at best anachronistic, and at worst degrading to women, the event's new avowed principle is "beauty with purpose".
In the final judging round, this year's winner will have to convince the 11-strong panel that she has the "qualities exemplified by a woman with a world view."
The crown can prove too heavy a burden for some |
But with such high expectations and given that the judges have just a few minutes to settle on their final choice, what sort of questions should they be asking?
Personality expert Chris Lewis thinks Eddie Irvine and the rest of the panel have their work cut out.
"It's just impossible. What you see during a short interview, isn't necessarily what you get."
Psychometric tests are regularly used by employers looking for the ideal candidate to fill a job vacancy.
What will Miss UK, Nicola Willoughby, be asked? |
The poser: "Would you not do something if you didn't believe in it?" could help weed out more independent-minded entrants, who may balk some of the duties that are expected.
However, Mr Lewis reckons with so many entrants, so little time and so much at stake (the winner can expect a $100,000 prize) the judges may not get to the core of the women's personalities.
"There is a difference between behaviour and personality," he warns.
Desperate to take the title, the contestants - of which none is older than 24 - may be able to disguise their underlying traits during the competition.
"A person cannot behave counter to those traits for a whole year," says Lewis. "And they can suffer a lot of pain as a result."
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See also: |
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22 Nov 97 | World |
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Island paradise hosts Miss World finale |
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24 Nov 97 | World |
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India wins Miss World |
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26 Nov 98 | Entertainment |
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Miss World goes PC? |
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27 Nov 98 | Entertainment |
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Linor cruises to Miss World title |
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15 Oct 99 | Northern Ireland |
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NI loses out on Miss World entry |
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