Is Miss Universe Soon Opening Pageant to Married Women?

Is Miss Universe Soon Opening Pageant to Married and Pregnant Women?

The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) may be working to tweak its eligibility rules to allow married and pregnant women to compete in the 72nd edition of the renowned beauty pageant.

In a post by leading beauty pageant site Missosology, a screenshot of a memo that appeared to be from MUO CEO Amy Emmerich said the decision to loosen the restrictions, was based on a survey conducted earlier this year. “The feedback was overwhelming that we all believe that women should have agency over their lives. We look forward to welcoming even more aspirational women to our community as a result of these latest changes,” the statement read.

Since the pageant began in 1952, only single women aged 18 to 27 in the year of the competition are allowed to join. With the new pageant regulations, more women from different walks of life will be accommodated by the prestigious event.

The memo added that the MUO is mounting a virtual town hall meeting in September to discuss the new regulations with national directors from different delegations. MUO has not responded to The Beat Asia’s request for comment on the matter as of writing

Meanwhile, the Miss Universe Philippines Organization, headed by Miss Universe 2011 third runner-up Shamcey Supsup, has yet to release a statement about the new eligibility rules.

Subscribe to The Beat's newsletter to receive compelling, curated content straight to your inbox! You can also create an account with us for free to start bookmarking articles for later reading.