The vanishing beauty queens

There was a time when Indian women made it big at almost all international beauty contests. The glorious 90s saw many beauty queens like Sushmita Sen, Lara Dutta, Manpreet Brar, among others, taking India to an international platform at the Miss Universe pageant and doing the country proud. But the last decade has seen a slump.

Not only are there no winners but only a few Miss India winners managed to make it to the top 10. The current year was no different with Ushoshi Sengupta nowhere in the running at the recently held Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas.

Metrolife asked Bangaloreans their opinion on the lacklustre performance of the Indian beauty queens at the ‘Miss Universe’ contests and what they think could be the reason for it?

Varsha Deo
Student

For the contestants, the pageant is no longer about representing their country abroad.

It is just about the fame and the money associated with it. Today, becoming a Miss India is just a way for girls to get an entry into Bollywood. Also, I think they don’t work hard enough for the  pageant. They require better mentoring to make it big to the international pageants.

Anju
Student
The girls who win nowadays are not as pretty as the earlier winners. Beauty definitely matters in contests like these. When you look at the Miss India winners these days, you wouldn’t even know that they are beauty queens. Also, I feel that their answers are not upto the mark. What they speak on stage is very important. Overall, I feel the quality of those selected has come down.

Tarika Raju
Student

I don’t think they choose the best people to be Miss India. There is lot of politics involved in the entire process. Hence I don’t feel that the most deserving of the candidates always makes it to the top. I feel that once these girls get selected to be Miss India, they think that their work is done and they don’t try hard enough to win the main event.

Poojita
Student

I think there are lot of pretty girls out there who are not coming out and taking part in the contests. But more importantly, I am hugely disappointed at the way these beauty queens speak. They are not as intelligent as they are required to be and that is the main reason for not winning the international pageants. 

Prashant
Student

I feel there is a lot of politics involved in the competition here and at the end of the day, it is all about the money.  The people who get in are not really the deserving ones.

Real talent is not there when it comes to this contest and because of that no Indian is making it at the international pageants.

Ajith
Professional

It’s not about these women lacking the brains. Maybe they haven’t had enough chances to face the audience or explore their talents. Also, the standard of the beauty contests have gone up and maybe the Indian beauty queens are not able to cope up. Hopefully in the near future, one of them will emerge as a winner.
As told to Sonal Sher

http://www.deccanherald.com