Has Miss Germany found the recipe for a a new and successful era in pageantry?

In Germany, a country where pageants were nearly dead (or in a long coma) for decades, the winner of one of its national pageants made worldwide headlines last week. And in a very positive way! At the end of a well-produced Miss Germany spectacle, which attracted good sponsors, Leonie von Hase, a 35-year-old vintage clothing businesswoman, was elected by an all-women jury (something Miss Universe has also adopted), in a contest with no swimsuit competition (a reality in Miss World since 2015).

With the motto “Empowering Authentic Women”, Miss Germany accepted candidates up to 39 years old and put no restrictions on them being mothers, married or divorced.

“Women have not been interested in striving for a conventional standard of beauty for a long time. My perception of beauty is the strength, character, and authenticity she radiates”, said the winner, who was actually born in Namibia.

The event took place at the Europa Park Arena, near Freiburg. All 18 German states were represented. Von Hase will appear on the cover of JOY magazine and has won a brand new VW Golf GTI.

The runner-up, or Vice-Miss Germany 2020, is Lara Runarsson, Miss Baravia.

An event that broke several beauty pageant stereotypes, Miss Germany made more headlines the days after its conclusion than most international beauty pageants, including some in the Grand Slam.

So we ask: is it time for competitions of the kind to move forward and adapt to current times? Which major international pageant will have the courage to take such an important step first? We shall wait and see…

Watch the show:

Meanwhile, we congratulate the beautiful Miss Germany 2020!

Special thanks to www.dw.com