The Miss World pageant's decision to ban bikini rounds in future pageants have received mixed reactions from former pageant winners. But if there is one person who is genuinely happy about the ban, it's none other than India's best known Miss World, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
The former beauty queen didn't exactly mince words while expressing her great happiness at this decision. Said Aishwarya, "After my pageant in 1994, the bikini round was cancelled in 1995. I had expressed it to the organisers even then that it was not naturally comfortable for some of us belonging to different nationality to wear a bikini on ramp. I wasn't speaking solely for me but for a lot of girls from countries where the swimwear round was not necessary. Swimwear is not necessarily a natural way of life for all. In fact for next three years they did away with the swimwear round and did a beach wear fashion show where contestants could showcase a beachwear. It was done like a normal fashion round and I felt thrilled with that. Unfortunately, it went back to swimsuit round. But this time the organisers have told me that they are doing away with this round and I was very very happy and proud to hear that something I had advocated was being brought into effect."
Though Aishwarya is time and again feted as the most beautiful woman in the world, the actress revealed how she never had the perfect beach body in business. "When I became miss World, I didn't have the best beach body and I can say it on record and vouch for it that there were others in the 87 contestants who had a better body. Such rounds also create a doubt that in the minds of other contestants that this round is important and essential for winning. Even in miss India, I didn't have the fittest beach body."
For Aishwarya, beauty pageants are all about representing your country through yourself confidently. "I remember the judges telling me how winning the Miss India title is all about how you present yourself and how confident you are. It is important for girls participant in the pageant to take the opportunity to represent our country. That is what I made it all these years. So I am glad that the round is not imperative anymore."
Well, we can't agree more, Aishwarya.
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