Critical Beauty

  Watch my recap of and reaction to the recently concluded Miss Grand International 2020 Finals held in Bangkok, Thailand on March 27, 2021. Click the banner to access the link.

  Representing the United States,  Abena Appiah , 27, has been crowned  Miss Grand International 2020 . She is the first woman crowned in a major international beauty pageant amid the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2021. Appiah is a model, singer and philanthropist. She is of Ghanaian descent. In 2019, Appiah represented Ghana in the 19th edition of  Miss Earth , which was held in the Philippines. She finished in the Top 20. It was not the first time Appiah represented Ghana in an international beauty pageant. In 2014, she represented the African country in the 63rd edition of  Miss Universe , which took place in the U.S. but she was unplaced. Hosted by  Matthew Deane , the Miss Grand International 2020 coronation night took place at the SHOW DC in Bangkok, Thailand on the evening of March 27, 2021. It is the eighth edition of the international beauty pageant, which made its debut in 2013 and is based in Thailand. Aurra Kharishma, Samantha Bernardo, Abena Appiah, Ivana Batchelo

  I had an amazing time chatting with three other pageant fans about our thoughts on Miss Grand International, the competition taking place in Bangkok right now, the pros and cons of the pageant, and we also reveal our respective Top 10 and Top 5 favorites for the golden crown, and who they think will win versus who do they want to win! My guests include Vagisha Mishra (pageant vlogger from India), Antonio Rivadeneira (originally from Ecuador now living in Canada), and Jan Michael Recto Rañada of Critical Beauty Philippines.

  I had an amazing grand chat (2 hours 12 minutes) with Ko Phanasa, an admin of M Pageantry, a new and fastly growing multinational pageant media outlet based in the Philippines.

  Watch my interview with the stunning  Viviana Vizzini-  Miss Universe Italy  2020.

  Credit: Kataluna Enriquez Instagram History has been made as Kataluna Enriquez ,  a biological male , won the Miss Silver State USA pageant this week and will  continue on to compete  for Miss Nevada USA pageant. The  event is considered  the biggest preliminary competition for Miss Nevada USA. KVVU-TV called this  a “monumental win” for Enriquez, who will compete for Miss Nevada USA, leading to Miss USA, and eventually the Miss Universe competition. According to the Blaze, “The pageants, collectively run by the Miss Universe Organization, were once owned by former President Donald Trump and are widely recognized for awarding among the most coveted crowns in the pageant world.” Enriquez said the experience was, “a celebration of womanhood and diversity and this celebration of being your true self,” but also explained how she has not been very popular within the pageant world. She explained how at a previous unnamed competition, when the organizers found out she was transgender, she w

  I invited three pageant connoisseurs to share their thoughts on each of the contestants from Asia & Oceania. After assessing each contestant, we rated her on a scale of 1 to 10. Then at the end of the show, we each reveal our top 5 favorites. Click the banner to go to the link.

  Miss World 2016, Puerto Rico's own Stephanie del Valle  / Photo by Josian E. Bruno Gómez Miss World Ltd. confirms that Puerto Rico will host the international final of Miss World 2021, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary. The pageant will take place on December 16, 2021 at the Coca-Cola Music Hall, located at the Convention Center District in San Juan. “It is a great opportunity to be able to promote Puerto Rico, especially during a live international broadcast with an audience of 2 billion people in 100 countries where the island will be highlighted as a prime tourist destination,” said Stephanie Del Valle, Miss World 2016 and coordinator of the Miss World 2021 Final. Telemundo Puerto Rico has been selected to be the official TV channel to air the Miss World 2021 Final. “It’s a great honor for Telemundo Puerto Rico to be reconnected with Miss World, a recognized franchise known for their social community work. The Beauty with a Purpose concept makes us unite forces and wha

  Join a group of  pageant   connoisseurs  this Saturday/Sunday (depending where you are) for a LIVE CHAT on the Critical Beauty Facebook page. They will give their  critical  opinion on each of the 2020 @missuniverse candidates from  Asia  and  Oceania  and then reveal their  top five  at the end of show! You don’t want to miss this! March 13, Saturday: 6 PM - Los Angeles 9 PM - New York City 10 PM - Puerto Rico March 14, Sunday: 10 AM - Manila 1 PM - Sydney  

  The fabulous Peter Sereno of Dear Pageant Girl and I discuss and critique each of the Miss Universe 2020 contestants from Europe and Africa. After assessing each contestant, we rated her on a scale of 1 to 10. Then at the end of the show, we each reveal our top 5 favorites. Click the banner to go to the link.

  The 69th Miss Universe event will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood in Hollywood, Florida.  Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, said in a press release Wednesday that organizers have spent months planning a safe competition. It will follow similar guidelines as November’s 2020 Miss USA competition in Memphis. Whether there will be a limited live audience is still being considered. The Miss Universe competition will air in more than 160 territories and countries across the globe. In the U.S. it will air in Spanish on Telemundo. English-language broadcasters will soon be announced.  In 2019, South Africa, Mexico and Puerto Rico were the finalists, and the three women faced off for the crown as the evening came to a close.  Miss South Africa Zozibini Tunzi was named the winner. Because of the coronavirus pandemic delaying the 2020 competition, she has worn the crown longer than anyone.  A host has not been announced. Comedian Steve Ha