This Beauty Pageant Allows Moms, Married Women, And There Is No Swimsuit Competition

Moms, it's never too late to achieve your dreams of becoming beauty queens. This new pageant is making it possible again for you.

Described as "the newest, most innovative, and modern pageant in the country," The Miss Philippines is gaining recognition for its unique approach.

A new beauty pageant that includes mothers

In August, The Miss Philippines crowned Miss Supranational Philippines 2023, Pauline Amelincx, as their inaugural queen. She embodies "confidence, intelligence, and positive change in addition to beauty." She was crowned by Miss Universe Philippines National Director and mom of two Shamcey Supsup and Creative and Events Director Jonas Gaffud during her homecoming ceremony in August 10.

"We believe that mothers and married women can be as effective as single women at being influencers and advocates of Philippine Culture and Heritage." —The Miss Philippines

One of the groundbreaking features of this pageant is its inclusivity. It welcomes single and married women, even mothers aged 18 to 32, to participate. On September 1, the pageant shared this exciting news on social media:

"You don’t have to give up your dreams of joining a pageant yet because we believe that mothers and married women can be as effective as single women at being influencers and advocates of Philippine Culture and Heritage," The Miss Philippines said in their announcement.

No swimsuit competition in The Miss Philippines

And here's some more good news for mothers concerned about stretch marks and birth scars: The pageant is skipping the swimsuit competition. 

The Miss Philippines explained in one of their posts, "It’s not that we have anything against swimsuits. In fact, we will hold photoshoots at our world-famous beaches and resorts. But onstage, we’d like to shift the focus on things other than a woman’s vital statistics. The Miss Philippines is a platform for a woman’s voice to be heard, for her influence to be felt, and for her passion to promote Filipino culture and heritage be amplified."

Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach reacted to this innovation, saying, it's also inclusive to other religions and beliefs. "And I can understand why it's not really necessary anymore. Perhaps there's a better, healthier way to gauge the strength of a candidate physically without having her to wear a swimsuit. Maybe they will think of a better way," Pia said in an ABS-CBN report.

Aside from this, The Miss Philippines will have a Red Carpet moment like Cannes for the formal wear segment and Ted Talks-type speeches. They want to put the focus on how the candidates will promote the Philippines to the world.

Moms, dads can compete too

Featured on the Miss Philippines poster is Clare Dacanay from Paranaque City, one of the three mom contenders who competed in the Miss Universe Philippines this year. Miss Universe allowed mothers to join the pageant for the first time in 2023. 

Speaking to Smart Parenting in February, the 25-year-old mom of one shared how she had to set aside her beauty queen dreams when she got pregnant. 

For aspiring beauty queens, Clare has some inspiring words, "The word "mother" doesn't define who you are. At the end of the day, you are not only a mom, but you are also a woman, and you are also an individual of your own. You just have to step out of that cave and go for it. Don't let other people hold you back."

Additionally, there is also Mister Pilipinas Worldwide, which is open to dads and married men. 

The last day for applications for both The Miss Philippines and Mister Pilipinas Worldwide is on September 9, Saturday, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, at the Endurn Coworking Estancia, located on the 2nd floor, South Wing, Estancia Mall in Meralco Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

The prizes include guaranteed income and a brand new Wuling Mini electric vehicle.

The winning The Miss Philippines will compete at the Miss Supranational or Miss Charm pageants.

Good luck, moms and dads!