Most international beauty pageants have eliminated their height requirements. However, in some countries, such as India, they still accept women who are above the minimum height requirement.
In addition, some of the largest pageants in the world, such as Miss Universe, do have their own minimum height requirement. This is in order to ensure that the contestants are representative of their country.
Aside from the minimum height requirement, there may also be other criteria imposed on contestants. For instance, they may be required to have a certain degree of professionalism, to be unmarried, or to be “virtuous” in some way. Similarly, they may be required to be available to promote themselves or participate in promotional activities.
In addition, some organizations only accept women who are naturally thin. Other specialty pageants exist for women who are over the age of fifty, married, or plus-size.
In some cases, pageant contestants are required to wear a black swimsuit and four-inch heels. In the Philippines, for example, the Miss Philippines Earth pageant requires its candidates to be at least 5’4″ tall.
The Miss India pageant, on the other hand, only accepts Indian women who are at least five feet tall. This has been controversial due to the fact that India rejected the standards of beauty.
Nevertheless, the Miss Universe Philippines pageant announced that they would no longer be using a height requirement. The pageant’s guidelines state that they consider a contestant’s body care, weight, and physical fitness.