Miss Nepal is always a table talk for Nepalis once a year. Though the sense of beauty can’t be compared with the physical structure, beauty pageant competitions somehow manage to do that. This year, people openly challenged the definition of beauty in the Hidden Treasure competition.
To become a Miss Nepal participant, she should have at least a high school degree. Height must be above 5 feet 4 inches. The participant should be between 19 to 26 years. The English language is a must for the competition. This year also, Miss Nepal didn’t change its basic rules for the competition.
Unlike other beauty pageants, Miss Universe Nepal seems much progressive. It welcomes Transgender women, height and weight bars are not implemented in the contest, and the English language is not required.
Nagma Shrestha, Miss Universe Nepal director.
Because of COVID-19, a mass gathering was not possible for auditions. Keeping that in mind, Miss Universe Nepal—a franchise that has differentiated itself from Hidden Treasure—drastically changed the participant’s criterion.
How competitions, like Miss Nepal, empowers women
Beauty contests provide a platform to explore the hurdles which are present in the country. The contestants are asked whether they are willing to work with different organizations to fix their stereotypes and challenges.
After winning the competition, the winner is allowed to work closely with various NGOs and INGOs. Miss Nepal 2013, Ishani Shrestha explains, “After I became Miss World-Nepal 2013, this led me to work closely with underprivileged communities where women and children were not given priority even in terms of their basic human rights.”
Miss Nepal 2013 winner Ishani Shrestha. Credit: UN Women.
Similarly, Jubi Joshi, a 2016 contestant, says, “Firstly, we had a training duration of six weeks in the competition. During those six weeks, we learned to motivate ourselves—exploring the areas of feminism. Also, they provided us an opportunity to learn various cultural practices, societal problems. At the end of the training, we were totally transformed.”
Miss Nepal provides a platform to join, discuss, and work closely for women’s hygiene, social taboos, education programs, childcare, and many more. The winners are free to work in any area.
Pros and Cons of beauty pageants contests
Beauty pageants contests are controversial because of their strict rules. In 2019, a video of the auditions went viral—which spread anger towards Hidden Treasure. In that video, a judge tells the 23-years-old contestant Ashmita Maharjan disrespectful because she didn’t know how to wear makeup.
The judge also told Maharjan not to wear the glasses. And she said to learn to wear makeup if she wants to join the “beauty pageant.”
Ashmita Maharjan.
Malvika Subba, 2002 winner, is active in women’s empowerment since she won the competition. She is an advocate for feminism and practices in different NGOs. It was only possible for her to become a winner in the contest.
Further, the contestants should compulsorily know the English language. For a girl from a rural village—where English is barely taught, Miss Nepal is out of the dream for her.
Last month, Sapana Roka Magar got featured in BBC’s 100 Women. She is an inspiration for every woman. She doesn’t even wear makeup. So, how do the judges of the contest explain her beauty?
Comparing language and makeup with aesthetics is still an outdated idea for competitions like Miss Nepal.
Sapana performs the last ritual of an abandoned body. Credit: Social Media.
In short, the major advantage of competition is that it allows winners to work in different areas where they could not get access as a common woman. On the other hand, the major disadvantage is that numerous talented female does not get a chance to join it because of the outdated requirements.
Men lead the Hidden Treasure itself!
Miss Nepal competition is organized by the Hidden Treasure, organizer of the beauty pageant contest—filled with men. Half of the judges are also men in the competition.
For a female beauty pageant show, men’s judgment can be the internal thoughts of male sexuality or male dominance. What a male explains for beauty can’t be the same as a female’s explanation.
Simone de Beauvoir, a feminist and philosopher, explained women as the second sex because they were always related to men.
A majority of men also possess the Hidden Treasure. The chair of the event organizer is Diwakar Rajkarnikar.
Excluding men from the show is not a good idea. However, limiting the exceeding numbers will be favorable for everyone.
Miss Nepal 2020 Winner
This year the competition happened on December 5. 2020s edition was the 25th edition of Miss Nepal. It was held at Park Village Resort, Kathmandu—and hosted live on Kantipur TV HD.
Namrata Shrestha, 23, was crowned as Miss Nepal. The 2019 competition winner Anushka Shrestha handed over the crown.
Namrata Shrestha, 2020 Miss Nepal winner. Credit: RSS.
Namrata is a student of Sociology who is currently pursuing her degree. She was born and raised in Kathmandu. Also, by profession, Namrata is a Kindergarten teacher.
After winning the competition, she said, “I want to work closely for the children who are deprived of education, and for the girls who lack sufficient hygiene.”
