Critical Beauty

  Estefanía Soto Torres has been appointed Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2020 by Denise Quiñones, the national director of the pageant and former Miss Universe. Soto will now represent the Enchanted Isle in the next edition of Miss Universe pageant whose date and venue have yet to be confirmed. Soto was first runner-up to last year’s winner Madison Anderson who was first runner-up at Miss Universe 2019.  Photo credit: El Nuevo Dia

  For the first time in decades of Miss Venezuela c ompetitions, the pageant was held virtually on September 24 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Three new Venezuelan queens were crowned. Mariangel Villasmil Arteaga , representing Zulia, was elected Miss Venezuela 2020. She will represent Venezuela in the next edition of Miss Universe pageant. Isbel Parra , representing Región Guayana, was elected Miss Venezuela International 2020. She will now represent her country in 2021 Miss International pageant in Japan next October. Alejandra Conde , representing Aragua, was elected Miss World Venezuela 2020. She will now compete in Miss World 2021 whose date and venue have not yet been confirmed.  Each of the 22 competitors has been under strict confinement at home under quarantine requirements Venezuela imposed in mid-March, relying on distance learning through social media to master walking the runway, putting on makeup and performing, organizers say. The six-month training process to prepare the

  Pacharaporn “Nam” Chantarapadit is crowned as the Miss Grand Thailand 2020 on Sept. 20, 2020. BANGKOK  — The winner of Miss Grand Thailand 2020 pageant contest came under fire Monday from pro-establishment netizens for siding with the anti-government protests.  Pacharaporn “Nam” Chantarapadit , 22, was crowned the winner on Sunday night after a round of question-and-answer section, in which contestants were asked for their opinions about the protest that was unfolding in Bangkok’s historic quarter.  “From my heart, I pick the protesters,” Nam, who represented Rayong, said. “We have rights to express our views and we want to choose what’s best for our country. More than that, I want to say to the government.” She went on in English, “If you calling this country Thailand, we need a real democracy. And moreover, we need you to get out of the country!” Supporters of the government immediately lashed out at Nam in  a slew of negative comments . Some also attacked her look and deployed rac

  Watch CB Director Rafa Delfin's latest vlog. Click the banner to take you to the link.

  The new Miss Grand Thailand 2020 is Nam Chantarapradit representing the province of Ranong. She was crowned on September 19 during a pageant that was live streamed on Facebook. She will now represent Thailand in the next edition of Miss Grand International which is supposed to take place again in Caracas, Venezuela on October 25 as it was announced by MGI President Nawat Itsaragrisil during the 2019 pageant. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pageant may be postposed to a later date. Watch Nam's winning performance:

Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton (center)  The victory for Miss Trans Global Mela Franco Habijan was a bittersweet moment she will forever remember. On the evening of Saturday, September 12, Mela’s childhood dream came true when she was crowned the first winner of a new global pageant for transgender women. Filipino pageant enthusiasts revelled in the 33-year-old actress’ victory. But the celebration was dampened by news that devastated the LGBTQ community in the Philippines: a U.S. Marine convicted for brutally killing a transgender woman in 2014 was about to walk free. On Sunday, September 13, images of Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton being uncuffed just before he boarded an American military plane pinballed across social media and TV screens in the Philippines. The case outraged advocates and campaigners and renewed calls to scrap defense pacts with the U.S., which no longer runs the Philippines as a colony but still maintains a military presence there.  After serving on

 Watch CB Director Rafa Delfin's interview with Noemi Melendez, national director of Miss Cuba Organization. Click the banner to take you to the link:

Watch CB Director Rafa Delfin Interviewing Pageant Personality Héctor Joaquín Colón González, Click the banner that will take you to the link. This interview was done live on Instagram on August 31, 2020 starting at 1:00 PM EST. It was supposed to have two parts. The first part was in Spanish, but we got disconnected after 15 minutes, so most of the chat in Spanish was gone. The second part was in English which I was able to save and which comprises the bulk of this video. Hector answers the following questions in English starting at time stamp 2:35: 1. Why did you leave Miss Intercontinental? 2. What is the best pageant in the world for young women to compete in and why? 3. Who is your favorite Miss Universe? 4. Do you think that IMG is doing a good job running the Miss Universe Organization? 5. What is the most challenging aspect of training/preparing a potential beauty queen? 6. What qualities make a true beauty queen? 7. You have traveled around the world and have visited many c