Miss Earth: Inception and Early History

Miss Earth
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For the most recent competition, see Miss Earth 2021. For the upcoming competition, see Miss
Earth 2022.
Miss Earth is a major international beauty pageant that advocates for environmental
awareness, conservation and social responsibility.[2][3][4] It is the third-largest beauty pageant in the
world in terms of the number of national-level competitions to participate in the world finals. [5] Along
with Miss World, Miss Universe and Miss International, it is one of the Big Four international beauty
pageants.[6]
Since its inception, the pageant has mostly been held in the Philippines, either in October or
November, but Vietnam and Austria have also hosted the event. Since 2002, it has been televised
nationwide via ABS-CBN (except in 2018 when GMA Network broadcast the pageant) and Studio
23 (until it was shut down in 2014), with delayed international telecasts in more than 80 countries
via Star World (rebranded as Fox Life) and The Filipino Channel.[7][8][9]
Reigning titleholders dedicate their year to promoting specific projects, often addressing issues
concerning the environment and other global challenges [10][11] through school tours, tree planting
activities, street campaigns, cleanups, speaking engagements, shopping mall tours, media guesting,
environmental fairs, storytelling programs to children, eco-fashion shows, and other environmentally
oriented activities.[12][13][14]
The winner of Miss Earth is the spokesperson for the Miss Earth Foundation, the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), and other environmental organizations. [15][16][17] The Miss Earth
Foundation also works with the environmental departments and ministries of participating countries,
various private sectors and corporations, as well as the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF).[18][19][20]
The current Miss Earth is Destiny Wagner of Belize who, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was
crowned virtually on November 21, 2021.[21][22]
The current Elemental Queens are:
 Marisa Butler: Miss Earth – Air from United States

 Romina Denecken: Miss Earth – Water from Chile
 Jareerat Petsom: Miss Earth – Fire from Thailand
Inception and early history[edit]

Carousel Productions launched the first edition of Miss Earth in 2001 as an international
environmental event with the mission of using the beauty pageant entertainment industry as a tool to
promote environmental preservation. [23][24][25] The pageant was first formally introduced in a press
conference on April 3, 2001. [1]
In October 2001, Miss Earth adopted the slogan "Beauties For a Cause",[26] but it wasn't until 2003
that the first "Beauty for a Cause" prize was awarded. [27][28]
With more countries participating each year[29] and more national Miss Earth pageants on every
continent,[30] in 2003 Miss Earth surpassed Miss International to become the third largest international
beauty pageant by number of participating countries. [31]
Programs and advocacy[edit]

The pageant has tie-ins with Philippine government agencies, such as the Philippine Department of
Tourism (DoT), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and
the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), as well as international environmental
groups such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Greenpeace, to further its
environmental advocacy.[32][26][33] The pageant winner and her elemental court travel to various
countries and involved in projects with the environmental departments and ministries of participating
countries.[34][35] The delegates also take part in tree planting ceremonies, environmental and cultural
immersion programs, sponsor visits and tours.[25][33][36]
In 2004, the Miss Earth Foundation was created to further the pageant's causes and to work with
local and international groups and non-governmental organizations that are actively involved
in conservation and improvement of the environment.[37][38] The Miss Earth Foundation campaign
focuses on educating young people in environmental awareness. [29] Its major project, "I Love Planet
Earth School Tour", teaches and distributes educational aids for school children. [29][39][40] Miss Earth
also partnered with the Philippine Daily Inquirer's "Read-Along Storytelling Program" to educate
children on taking care of the environment, awareness on renewable energy, and biodiversity.[41][42]
[43]
The Miss Earth Foundation also educates people to act against environmental
degradation and environmental protection by following the "5Rs": rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle,
and respect.[44][45]
In 2006, the Miss Earth pageant started to co-host the United Nations Environment
Programme's Champions of the Earth, annual international environment awards established in 2005
by the United Nations to recognize outstanding environmental achievers and leaders at a policy
level.[46][47][48] Miss Earth also joined with Greenpeace to call for a ban on genetically-engineered food
crops, promotion of organic farming and advancement of sustainable agriculture.[49]
The Miss Earth Foundation teamed up with The Climate Reality Project in 2016 for the "Climate
Reality Leadership Corps Training" conducted by its founder and chairman, former US Vice
President, Al Gore to create an effective platform awareness on climate change. [50][51]
Eco-fashion design competition[edit]

On November 4, 2008, the first Miss Earth Eco-Fashion Design Competition was launched by the
Miss Earth Foundation as an annual event for professional and non-professional fashion designers
to come up with designs that are eco-friendly. The outfit designs are made from recyclable, natural
materials, organic materials, and eco-chic designs or patterns that can be worn in everyday life or
are runway worthy.[52][53]
Participating countries[edit]
Main article: List of Miss Earth countries
The pageant has attracted delegates from countries and territories that typically frown upon beauty
pageants.[23]
In 2003, Vida Samadzai, an Afghan woman, now residing in the United States, received press
attention after she competed in a red bikini.[54][55] Samadzai was the first Afghan woman to compete in
an international beauty pageant in almost three decades, but the fact that she wore a bikini caused
an uproar in her native country.[56][57] Her involvement in the pageant was condemned by the Afghan
Supreme Court, saying such a display of the female body goes against Islamic law and Afghan
culture.[58][59][60]
In 2005, a Pakistani beauty queen, Naomi Zaman, was the first Miss Pakistan World winner to
participate in Miss Earth, and is the first delegate from Pakistan to compete in any major
international pageant; beauty pageants are frowned upon in Pakistan.[61][62][63]
Miss Tibet Earth 2006, Tsering Chungtak, the first Tibetan to represent Tibet in any major
international beauty pageant, made headlines when she drew international attention towards the
Tibetan struggle for freedom. She also advocated for the boundaries of acceptable social etiquette
towards the 21st century, in a traditionally conservative Tibetan culture, where most grown women
wear ankle-length dresses. Nevertheless, her participation in the pageant received approval from
the Dalai Lama.[64][65][66][67]
Carousel Productions licensed the Miss Cuba organization in 2007 to select the first Cuban
representative at Miss Earth. Ariana Barouk won; she became the first Miss Cuba in several
decades, and competed at the Miss Earth pageant.[68][69] Also in 2007 pageant, Miss Earth made
history when delegates from China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Tibet all competed together for
the first time in an international pageant in spite of political sensitivities. [7]
In 2008, the Buddhist Kingdom of Bhutan, one of the world's most isolated nations,[70] sent its
first Miss Bhutan, Tsokye Tsomo Karchun.[71][72] Rwanda also sent its first ever Miss Rwanda national
winner, Cynthia Akazuba;[73] both of them competed at the Miss Earth 2008 pageant.[74]
In 2009, Beauties of Africa, Inc., the franchise holder of Miss Earth South Sudan sent Aheu Kidum
Deng, Miss South Sudan 2009, who stands 196 cm (6 feet and 5 inches), and is the tallest
documented beauty queen ever to take part in any international beauty pageants. [75][76]
Palestine debuted in one of the Big Four pageants in 2016 via Miss Earth when Natali Rantissi
represented Palestine with the approval of Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the State of
Palestine and Palestinian National Authority, where she made a courtesy call at the Moukata Palace
prior to her departure to participate in the pageant. [77][78] However, Miss Palestine refused to wear a
bikini but was allowed to partake in the events including in the Miss Earth 2016 finale.[79]
Also in the 2016 edition of the pageant, Miss Iraq Organization sent Susan Amer Sulaimani as Iraq's
first representative since 1972 in Big Four pageants to participate in Miss Earth 2016. [80][81] However
she was the only one who wore a dress instead of a bikini during the pageant's press-conference.[80]
In the 2017 pageant, Miss Rwanda Honorine Hirwa Uwase appeared in the swimsuit competition
wearing a gown, maintaining a long-held Rwanda tradition of not wearing bikinis in public. [82][83]
Miss Lebanon 2018 Salwa Akar received international press attention when she was stripped of her
title in Lebanon, while participating in Miss Earth 2018 pageant after she posted a photo in Facebook
with her arm around Miss Israel's Dana Zerik and gestured the peace sign.[84][85] Lebanon and Israel
are in a long standing state of war.[86] As a result, she was unable to continue her participation in the
Miss Earth pageant.[87] In a press release, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman
Ofir Gendelman, reacted on Akar's dethronement and condemned the "Lebanese apartheid." [88][89]
Papua New Guinea sent its first representative in the Miss Earth 2019 pageant with Pauline Tibola,
becoming the first representative in the Big Four international beauty pageants since Miss World
1990.[90][91]
In 2020, the 20th edition of Miss Earth marked the entrant of countries such as Bangladesh (Meghna
Alam), Burkina Faso (Amira Naïmah Bassané) and Syria (Tiya Alkerdi).[92] It was the second time
Burkina Faso participated in the Big Four pageants after Miss International 2019 and first for Syria to
participate in major international pageant in several decades after Miss World 1966.[93][94]

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Miss Earth

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search

 Marisa Butler: Miss Earth – Air from United States

Inception and early history[edit]

Programs and advocacy[edit]

Eco-fashion design competition[edit]

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