Miss Universe will allow married women with children to compete

BIG NEWS: Miss Universe will allow married women with children to compete

In 1952 married women with children were allowed to compete in Miss Universe, like Miss India, Indrani Rehman.

The Miss Universe organization from the 72nd edition will accept “women who are married or who have been married, as well as women who are pregnant or have children”.

The decision will take effect from next year, and it was announced via a letter sent to the national directors last Saturday. In the letter, citing Miss Universe CEO Amy Emmerich, the executive expressed that since her appointment in January 2022, she has an interest in evolving with “changing times to better represent and support women globally”. The decision also has the support of MU President Paula Shugart.

The decision represents a radical change in the organization, which until the 71st edition, due this year, allows only single women, not the divorced and those without children. In the Miss Universe 2018 pageant, the participation of Spanish transgender Angela Ponce completely changed the fact that until then only women of birth were allowed to participate.

These rules are not completely new: in the beginning, married women with children were allowed to compete, like the first Miss Universe India 1952, Indrani Rehman. In 1955, Miss Chile, Rosita Merello, was married and had a son, according to Chilean pageant historian Ricardo Guiraldes. The rules changed soon after that, in 1957, when Leona Gage lost her Miss USA title for being a mother.

We now wonder: will the other Grand Slam and pageants in general follow the Miss Universe steps?