For its seventieth year, Miss Universe is heading to Eilat this December. The global beauty competition will take place over three days in the southern city, and will be hosted by Steve Harvey. The international competitors include women from over 180 countries, with an aim to “advocate for humanitarian issues and be a voice to affect positive change in the world.”
The pageant was started in 1952, and for a brief stint was owned by Donald Trump. The current Miss Universe is Mexico’s Andrea Meza, who won the 2021 competition and advocated for ending violence against women. Israel won the title of Miss Universe only once, secured by Rina Messinger in 1976. Israel has been represented as a country since the first pageant in Florida, and has since made it to many top 10 appearances.
The pageant is considered one of the “Big Four.” While beauty pageants seem outdated in the modern climate, Miss Universe was ahead of the curve. In 2012, the board allowed transgender women to compete. Given the evolving equality movement for women, it will be interesting to witness how this year’s pageant is conducted, and how the young women of the world choose to show their beauty from the inside out.
