Grand Slam Finalist

Grand Slam in beauty pageant context is a term used to describe a country’s ace performance in major beauty pageants. A beauty pageant is considered a major beauty pageant based on the following criteria:

(a)    Advocacy – refers to the focus or objective or the purpose of existence of the beauty pageant. Feminist often criticize beauty pageant as an exploitation for woman but it is on the advocacy that separates a beauty pageant from exploitation. Advocacy may range from tourism to eco–tourism, charity work, philanthropy, HIV awareness, breast cancer awareness and others that is within the scope of woman’s feminine side.

(b)    Tenure ship – refers to the length of time the pageant has been existing. For a beauty pageant to survive for at least ten years or more means to say that its advocacy is being uplifted by franchise holders participating in the pageant.

(c)    Winner’s post–pageant obligation – refers to the activities that the winner of the beauty pageant undergone after she won the pageant. Was the pageant just a major extravaganza? Was the pageant just used by the candidate to gain stardom? Some winners are being stripped of their title by pageant organizers citing “failure to do obligation.” It is because once a winner was declared, her market value increase one hundred fold and modelling offer becomes left and right. Some organizers allows side job but once you are called for duty, you have to be available.

(d)    Worldwide appeal – refers to the presence of the beauty pageant in every country in every continent of the world and the willingness of one country to participate in that pageant.

Based on the above criteria, letter (d) is the easiest to attract for all budding beauty pageants but to sustain (a) (b) (c) is the difficult part. To date, four beauty pageant achieve certain amount of credibility over time: Miss Earth, Miss International, Miss Universe and Miss World, oftentimes dubbed as the “Big Four.” Each has different advocacy and each has different taste in terms of selection of winner.

Miss Earth made its debut in 2001. When it made its debut, it has to garner attention from the existing three oldest beauty pageant in the world. However, because of its unique advocacy, it was able to sustain its existence where some of its alumni already established their names in their respective countries. Its tagline is “Beauties for a Cause.” Miss Earth is based in the Philippines.

Miss International was conceptualize in 1960. Its advocacy is somewhat ambiguous with winner serving as an Ambassador of Goodwill and Beauty. However, because of its tenure ship and the legacy of its winners, it is still a major beauty pageant. Miss International is held annually in Japan.

Miss Universe was established as a brand for Catalina Swimwear in 1954. Its advocacy somehow evolve thereafter. Backed in the 80’s, when it is travelling all over the world to stage its pageant, the advocacy was more of promotion of tourism. There is also an instance when the winner becomes the Ambassador for UNICEF. To date, it was able to sustain its existence because of (b) (c) and (d) above. In 1996, Donald Trump, an American billionaire purchase the Miss Universe franchise and started an era of heavy commercialization of the pageant.

Miss World is the oldest beauty pageant in the world established by the Morley’s based on United Kingdom. The number of delegates participating in the pageant is tremendous. Its advocacy is more on charity and fund raising. Its tagline is “Beauty with a Purpose.”

Attaining a Grand Slam in this “Big Four” Beauty Pageant is difficult to achieve considering the transparency behind the selection of the winner as well as the politics within it.

Difficult as it can be, there are those who were still able to make it. In 1972, Australia won both the Miss World & Miss Universe title with first runner up at Miss International. On the same year, it also won the Miss Asia–Pacific title. That was the closest to a Grand Slam victory. It was supposed to be somehow replicated in 1973 when Philippines won the Miss Universe, first runner up at Miss World and fourth runner up at Miss International. Miss World titlist on that year resigned thus the first runner up should have been elevated but because there was no official announcement about it, it remains a history. In 2000, India won Miss World, Miss Universe and Miss Asia–Pacific but it didn’t place at the Miss International beauty pageant the way Australia did in 1972 thus the Grand Slam connotation is a misnomer.

In 2013, Philippines won the Miss World and the Miss International title and third runner up at the Miss Universe pageant. But because Miss Earth is now in existence, it has to place on that pageant as well. It was able to place at the Top 8 instead. This is already the closest Grand Slam that a country was able to perform since 1972. While Australia won the Miss Asia–Pacific title that year, Philippines was able to bring in two more crowns: Miss Supranational and Miss Tourism International. Both titles are “non–continental” international titles.

Since it is difficult to achieve the Grand Slam record, we can at least settle for a Grand Slam finalist. A Finalist in a beauty pageant is defined as the final cut of the event. Out of that final cut, the candidate are either ranked or picked. For Miss Earth, it’s the Top 8. For Miss International, it’s the Top 5 or 15. For Miss Universe, it’s the Top 5 and for Miss World, it’s the Top 8 or 5. For calibration purposes, “quarter – finalist” at the Miss Universe in 90’s was considered as finalist to date.