Chongqing sees the ugly side of beauty

Top three winners of The Miss International 2012 Beauty Pageant Chongqing [Photo: Chinanews.com]

The Miss International 2012 Beauty Pageant Chongqing, an event which went largely unnoticed until micro bloggers posted photos of the winners online, has attracted widespread criticism, both with regard to the legitimacy of the contest itself and the winners selected from it.

The beauty selection was dubbed a "not-beauty selection", with many bloggers claiming that it failed to select a "genuine" beauty in a city famous for its pretty women.

"These three [contestants] were the deserved winners after rounds of grading," said Lan Rong, a representative from Chongqing's pageant organizing committee. "The winners don't look so good in the photo because of some technical problems," she added. "The three winners are all beautiful, and the queen has an international style. They will represent Chongqing in the national final rounds in August, so please don't put too much pressure on them. "

Many blog users also expressed their doubts as to the legitimacy of the competition. However, Lan Rong denied suspicious over "hidden rules", saying that the competition was very much a level playing field.

Lan Rong also confirmed that contestants' final grades would be made public "at the right time."

She told journalists that nearly 1,000 applicants attended the initial audition, with only 50 remaining at the quarter-final stage, and 20 for the final. However, according to one of the pageant judges, who wished to remain anonymous, there were fewer than 200 applicants at the initial audition.

As for the "organizing fee" of 600,000 yuan (US$ 95,000) that the Chongqing Lvxing Film and TV Production Co., Ltd paid to the organizing committee of China, Lan Rong explained that such sponsorship deals are perfectly legitimate practices where such events are concerned.

However, files housed in the local bureau of industry and commerce show that the organization of beauty pageants and their related operations are not within Chongqing Lvxing Film and TV Production Co., Ltd's scope of business.