Miss Teen Mundial 2021: one crown, many possibilities

Luciana Martinez, Top 20 in Miss Grand International 2020, now works as part of Miss Teen Mundial´s staff.

Although beauty pageants for teenagers have been around for a long time (Miss Intercontinental, for example, was born as a “teen” beauty contest in the early 1970s), they gained real notoriety in the 1980s when the Miss Universe Organization launched Miss Teen USA, an event televised nationally by CBS. The competition even revealed names such as Hollywood star Kelly Hu, who was elected the most beautiful American teenager in 1985. Interestingly, the contest never won an international version produced by Miss Universe (the Miss Teen Universe contest has nothing to do with Miss Universe) and, in the mid-2000s, Miss Teen USA stopped being televised and started to be webcast on the internet. However, dozens of international competitions started to pop up around the world, never with the strength of the big adult competitions, but with their loyal audience and great adherence between countries in the American and Asian continents.

Kelly Hu: from Miss Teen USA 1985 to Marvel´s Lady Deathstrike.

Miss Teen Mundial (Worldwide), created in 2016 by Salvadoran entrepreneur Francisco Cortez, is one of these events.

In Miss Teen Mundial, which has been held annually in El Salvador since its creation, the vast majority of candidates do not arrive alone. National directors, stylists, makeup artists, and, of course, their mothers, follow their every step closely. This year we can also find fathers in the group, like, for example, Luis Rodolfo Tapia, father of the Mexican representative, always very present on his daughter's journey:

Trisha Gaytan of Mexico has the full support of her dad in El Salvador.

“I support my daughter's dream and always remind her not to lose her essence. Winning or not, I want Trisha to always be herself and to remain the humble young woman that she is”, said Tapia. The Mexican representative is Trisha Gaytan, 19, from San Luis Potisí. She is one of 21 candidates currently competing for the international title.

The national director of Portugal, Leticia Monteverde, believes that this type of contest brings extra responsibility to promoters and greater care, after all, the candidates are underage: “We must never forget that they are teenagers, who are still in the transition phase between being a girl and a woman. In my competition in Portugal, I treat them as if they were my own daughters”, she reveals. The candidate from Portugal is Joana Salvador, from Viseu. Very outspoken and just 15 years old, Miss Portugal is also accompanied by her mother.

Miss Portugal, Joana Salvador, is all smiles in El Salvador, where she competes for the title of Miss Teen Mundial 2021.

And what does a young woman who participates in a teen contest seek to get out of all this? One possible answer is a path to be taken in the entertainment world. Halle Berry, an American actress who has already won an Oscar, was Miss Teen All-American when she was 18 years old. Then she went on to become a runner-up to Miss USA and reach the top 7 of the Miss World 1986 competition. Berry has always proudly acknowledged that beauty pageants have opened doors for her to get where she is today.

The current Miss Teen World, Indian Sushmita Singh, named after Miss Universe 1994, Sushmita Sen, also from India, seems to be following in Berry's footsteps: with a busy schedule, Singh participates in a television program daily in India, and because of that she will be in El Salvador just to crown its successor.

“The title provided many opportunities for Singh and she´s been well-advised to choose the best ones”, comments Melvyn Noronha, hired by the Indian organization as a kind of mentor for the candidates from that country. After beating Singh in 2019, he now bets on 19-year-old Amisha Thakkar, Miss Teen Mundial India 2021, elected just a few days ago. "After suffering bullying for many years, Amisha decided to carry out a social project with young people who are bullied, in campaigns to prevent suicide and treat depression." For Noronha, who is also famous for designing the fabulous national costumes worn by various Misses India in Grand Slam competitions such as Miss Grand International and Miss Supranational, the social part is very important in this type of contest.

Sushmita Singh: from Miss Teen Mundial to television star in India.

But if some reach stardom, most get the experience to, later on, compete in the adult categories, hoping to represent their countries in Grand Slam events (Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss Grand International, Miss Supranational, and Miss International). There are still those who simply use their experience in teen pageants for self-growth, developing skills that might be useful in whatever careers they choose in the future.

Meanwhile, in El Salvador, after a first night in the capital, San Salvador, the candidates were taken to Surf City, a place that receives surfers from all over the world and is one of the tourist centers of this beautiful country located in Central America.

Time for shopping in San Salvador! Miss El Salvador, Alexia Pacheco, has been an excellent host for all international delegates.

After enjoying local dishes, going to a shopping mall, and having moments of socializing, today the competition really starts: the candidates will walk and be filmed in swimsuits and national costumes on a local beach.

“The first group should be ready by 7 am, without delay,” says Cortez, organizer of the Miss Teen Mundial contest, after Monday's dinner, reminding the delegates of the importance of punctuality and discipline in achieving victory. “This edition of the competition is very important for two reasons: the commemoration of 200 years of the Central American nations independence from Spain, and for being the first after the start of the coronavirus pandemic”, he says. It is important to note that the care for the health of the competing young women here has been quite rigorous, as it should be.

Cortez wants his event to have greater adhesion of candidates from other continents in the future: “We want to welcome candidates from Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania with open arms for a great celebration and cultural exchange”, he invites. Those interested may send an e-mail to missteenelsal@aol.com.

Miss Teen Mundial 2021 will be crowned on Saturday night and you can watch it live on its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MissTeenMundial.

Until then, we will bring you regular updates here and on @officialglobalbeauties. Stay tuned!