Miss Universe: Tracing the pageant’s 74-year old journey of beauty, culture, and women’s empowerment

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Beauty pageants may have been stigmatized in recent times for promoting unhealthy beauty standards. However, they come from a 74-year-long legacy that aims to empower women.

Renowned global pageants like Miss Universe and Miss World were created to celebrate confidence, culture, and the accomplishments of women from around the world.

Ahead of Miss Universe 2025, let's take a look at the history of Miss Universe.

Over the decades, Miss Universe has evolved from a simple swimsuit competition into one of the most influential global platforms celebrating intelligence, advocacy, cultural representation and women's leadership. The pageant was originally founded by Pacific Knitting Mills, the manufacturer of Catalina Swimwear, after the brand parted ways with the Miss America pageant. What began as a promotional event gradually transformed into a global cultural phenomenon, watched by millions across continents.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Miss Universe became a bridge between nations during politically tense eras, offering a rare space for international camaraderie. By the 1980s, the competition began placing stronger emphasis on communication skills, personality, and social awareness, moving beyond physical beauty. The introduction of structured interviews and national costumes helped contestants showcase their heritage, beliefs, and individuality.

The first-ever Miss Universe pageant took place in 1952 in Long Beach, California, with participants from over 30 countries. Jackie Laughery of New York won the first Miss USA crown, while the inaugural Miss Universe title was awarded to Armi Kuusela of Finland in the same year.

India, too, has had its share of beauty with brains who have claimed these international titles. The first-ever Miss World, in 1966, was Rieta Faria, who was a physician by profession. The first contestant from India to win the Miss Universe crown was Sushmita Sen in 1994, in Payas, in Philippines.

In recent years, the organization has taken progressive steps toward inclusivity - welcoming mothers, married women, and contestants from diverse gender identities and backgrounds. These changes reflect the evolving global understanding of womanhood and empowerment.

Today, Miss Universe stands not only as a competition but as a platform for advocacy - highlighting issues such as education, equal rights, sustainability, reproductive health, and humanitarian efforts. Many titleholders go on to become diplomats, entrepreneurs, actors, doctors, and social changemakers, demonstrating the wide impact of the crown beyond the stage.