One might be wondering how can countries like Finland, Germany, Great Britain and Sweden rank so high at Big4 Ranking yet are barely noticeable these days at the Big4 pageants. Perhaps, one can blame the rule of economics. As the standard of living in these countries skyrocketed, the interest toward pageantry in general plummeted. In developing countries, winning a beauty pageant, in the eternal words of Lara Dutta, would give a platform for a woman to foray into other fields that she wants to and forge ahead be it entrepreneurship, be it in armed forces, be it politics…In most of the developed and progressive countries however, this is simply not true. Well in fact for most women who enter the world of pageantry in Scandinavian nations, Germany, Finland or Britain, winning a beauty pageant offers little or no reward in the future. Having a career is far more rewarding for them and joining pageants simply interrupts their studies and careers.
That is why Amy Willerton’s participation at Miss Universe Great Britain national pageant should be purely out of passion. She is already a celebrity in Britain and a successful model and winning a beauty contest simply offers little help in her already sterling career. But her participation brought Britain, for the first time ever, at the semis of Miss Universe. The last time a British citizen landed in the semis of Miss Universe was back in 1983 but she was wearing an England sash. How the Miss Universe Great Britain was able to convince Amy to participate at their pageant should be something that other countries should learn. In a much broader picture, the developed countries must find ways to coax the very best women in their countries to participate in their national pageants. It is the only way for Scandinavian nations or Germany or Finland to resurrect their glory years.
Truly, the historic moment that Great Britain had at Miss Universe 2013 has wide ranging implications. Britain has shown to the world that developed nations can still produce high quality beauty queens. Amy Willerton, when she was called at the Top 16, has proved that the ways of Britain, can be the ways of the developed nations.
