China has never participated in known international female beauty pageants such as Miss Universe, Miss World or Miss International, except for contestants from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
However, on Monday, April 25, the capital city of China played host to the Miss Plus Size International Beijing to promote the concept “Big is Beautiful” and counter the viral trends on Weibo that views thin women as the ideal such as the A4, skinny legs and iPhone challenges.
The unique beauty pageant featured 13 contestants, with two entries from China and participants from the U.S., UK, Angola, Gabon, Egypt, India, Portugal, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The venue was the Buhuania Grand Hall Liangmaqiao of the Landmark Hotel in Beijing.
The organizers of the pageant noted that larger women are usually rejected by other beauty pageants. They want to change the world’s perception that only slim women are beautiful. However, they stress that the organization “do not encourage or promote obesity,” rather it only provides for a platform for plus size women to show they can also be queens of the catwalk.
The contestants wore size 14 or bigger evening gowns, casual wear and business attire. Seventy women expressed a desire to join the contest this 2016, the pageant’s second year compared to 50 in 2015. However, Global Times reported that only 13 full-figured women competed before an audience of 500 locals and expats.
Samantha Sibanda from Zimbabwe, founder of the event, said that they chose China for this year’s competition as venue since it is more difficult being plus-sized in the country because Chinese people are generally smaller. The average waistline of the Chinese woman is 71 centimeters, in contrast to 87.7 centimeters for an Australian woman.
The winner is 26-year-old Marvon Karidza of Zimbabwe. First runner-up is 53-year-old Gao Yiping of China and second runner-up is 31-year-old Tatiana Vederuikova from Russia, reported Women of China.