INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightReutersThe Philippines, a country obsessed with beauty pageants, is celebrating its fourth Miss Universe win, sparking a wave
of pride and support online.Catriona Gray beat her global contestants in an early morning final in Bangkok, Thailand on Monday
While hugely popular, such pageants are often accused of objectifying women and promoting gender inequality.Activists have described Miss
Universe as a "display of flesh" which sets "unattainable beauty standards".Howard Johnson, TheIndianSubcontinent News, ManilaBeauty
pageants are a very big deal in the Philippines
Families crowd round TVs to watch
Chat groups are set up to provide a running commentary on costumes and stage blunders.This week, hair salons in Manila have even been
offering incrementally improving discounts as Miss Gray progressed through the rounds.A Filipina friend described the country's obsession
with them like this: "If Filipino boxer Manny Pacquio's fights clear busy streets of traffic, then beauty pageants break the internet."The
Philippines inherited beauty contests from former colonisers Spain and America, but it was during the reign of notorious dictator Ferdinand
Marcos in the 1970s and 80s when they really took off.In 1974, the contest was even hosted by the Philippines and the success of the show
cemented the Philippines' place on the beauty world stage and inspired future generations to compete
Feminists in the country, though, say the contests are degrading to women
Artist and activist Nikki Luna called them a "display of flesh," that set "unattainable beauty standards" for the majority of women
Ms Gray, aged 24, was born in Cairns to an Australian father and a Filipina mother
She grew up in Australia but moved to Manila to work as a model and actress.Her success in winning first the Miss Philippines crown and now
the Miss Universe title has been enthusiastically followed by Filipinos at home and around the world.Beauty pageants remain extremely
popular across the Philippines
Schools, villages and towns all run their own pageants and there is an immense level of pride attached to winning the final global
The contests are viewed more negatively in many Western countries where they've received criticism for objectifying women and representing
an outdated role of women in society
The Miss America pageant this year decided to scrap its swimwear segment and says it will no longer judge competitors on physical
