The Beauties of Sweden

Perhaps more people should pay attention to what Sweden is doing for its beauty pageants. In 2007 for example, Miss Sweden decided to drop out of the Miss Universe competition allegedly because the Swedes believe that the competition was far too riddled with scandals and much too degrading to women for it to be as respectable as it has been. Not only are a number of contestants (notably contestants of the American persuasion) becoming more and more involved in scandals that include nudity and the abuse of drugs and alcohol, the format of the Miss Universe beauty pageant still relies solely on the interview, the swimsuit competition, and the evening gown competitions. In other words, two-thirds of the competition is all about the young women walking around and being pretty or sexy. Evidently, the Swedes have had enough of this.

The beauties of Sweden, the Swedes decided, will not be judged as beautiful because they look fantastic in a bathing suit. In fact, the Miss Sweden Pageant has completely abolished them from their competitions. Instead, they expect more dignity, intelligence, and social awareness out of their beauty pageant contestants. First and foremost, Swedish contestants are encouraged to treat the pageant as if it were a serious job interview - given that Miss Sweden is often expected to have ambassador-type duties during her reign, this is seen as a step in exactly the right direction. The position of Miss Sweden is a serious position, and it should therefore be taken just as seriously.

Miss Sweden 2009 - the one that is far more recognized than Miss Sweden-Universe - is Azra Duliman, a law student who has already worked with young immigrants. Even at the age of twenty-three, she had already involved herself in many human rights projects. Apart from that, she is a practicing Muslim who believes in the power of confidence and self-esteem. She is, in other words, a truly inspiring individual. But she will not be representing Sweden in the upcoming Miss Universe Pageant because the changes in the Miss Sweden pageant that allowed her to win was not approved of by the Miss Universe Organization (read: NO SWIMSUIT COMPETITION).

It makes one think that watching the Miss Sweden competition is far more fulfilling than the Miss Universe Pageant.

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You can view more information at Miss Sweden.