Editing Miss World (section)

==History==
===20th century===
In 1951, [[Eric Morley]] organised a [[bikini contest]] as part of the [[Festival of Britain]] celebrations that he called the Festival Bikini Contest.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Elissa |last1=Stein |first2=Lee |last2=Meriwether |title=Beauty Queen |page=[https://archive.org/details/beautyqueenheres0000stei/page/45 45] |publisher=Chronicle Books |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-8118-4864-0 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/beautyqueenheres0000stei/page/45 }}</ref> The event was popular with the press, which dubbed it "Miss World". The [[swimsuit competition]] was intended as a promotion for the [[bikini]],<ref>{{cite book|first=Susan|last=Dewey|title=Making Miss India Miss World|page=[https://archive.org/details/makingmissindiam0000dewe/page/46 46]|publisher=Syracuse University Press|year=2008|isbn=978-0-8156-3176-7|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/makingmissindiam0000dewe/page/46}}</ref> which had only recently been introduced to the market and was still widely regarded as immodest. When the 1951 Miss World pageant winner, [[Kiki Håkansson|Kerstin "Kiki" Hakansson]] from Sweden, was crowned in a bikini, it added to the controversy.

The pageant was originally planned as a Pageant for the Festival of Britain, but Morley decided to make the Miss World pageant annual.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/nigeria/1950s.html |title=Frontline World: A Pageant is Born |publisher=Pbs.org |access-date=24 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.covers.com/articles/articles.aspx?theArt=166289&article&t=0 |title=Bet on Miss World Pageant |publisher=Covers.com |access-date=24 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716192717/http://www.covers.com/articles/articles.aspx?theArt=166289&article&t=0 |archive-date=16 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He registered the "Miss World" name as a trademark,<ref name="Keith Lovegrove 1967">{{cite book|first=Keith|last=Lovegrove|title=Pageant: The Beauty Contest|page=[https://archive.org/details/pageantbeautycon0000love/page/1967 1967]|publisher=teNeues|year=2002|isbn=978-3-8238-5569-9|url=https://archive.org/details/pageantbeautycon0000love/page/1967}}</ref> and all future pageants were held under that name. But because of the controversy arising from Håkansson's crowning in a bikini, countries with religious traditions threatened not to send delegates to future events, and the bikini was condemned by [[the Pope]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Selvedge: The Fabric of Your Life|page=39|publisher= Selvedge Ltd. |year=2005}}</ref> Objection to the bikini led to its replacement in all future pageants<ref>{{cite book|first1=Ben |last1=Marcus|first2=Jeff |last2=Divine |title=Surfing USA!: An Illustrated History of the Coolest Sport of All Time |page=60|publisher=MVP Books|year=2005|isbn= 978-0-89658-690-1}}</ref><ref name=magnanti>{{cite news|last=Magnanti|first=Brooke|title=Miss World bikini ban: why it's no victory for feminists|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/sex/10105935/Miss-World-2013-bikini-ban-why-its-no-victory-for-feminists.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/sex/10105935/Miss-World-2013-bikini-ban-why-its-no-victory-for-feminists.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=Telegraph|access-date=22 August 2013 |date=7 June 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> with more modest swimwear, and from 1976 swimsuits were replaced by [[evening gown]]s for the crowning.<ref>{{cite book|first=Han |last=Shin |title=Beauty with a Purpose|page= 193 |publisher=iUniverse|year=2004|isbn= 978-0-595-30926-9}}</ref> Håkansson remains the only Miss World crowned in a bikini.<ref name="Keith Lovegrove 1967"/> In Miss World 2013 all participants wore a [[one-piece swimsuit]] plus a traditional [[sarong]] below the waist as a compromise with local culture.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/06/08/bikini-ban-miss-world-pageant.html |title=Bikini ban at Miss World pageant |access-date=8 June 2013}}</ref>

Morley announced the Miss World winners in the order No. 3, No. 2 and No. 1. This was intended to keep the tension up, and avoid the anticlimax if Nos. 2 and 3 are announced after the winner.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rees |first= Nigel |title=The Bloomsbury Dictionary of Popular Phrases |year=1990 |publisher= Bloomsbury |location=London |isbn=978-0747503446 |page=116}}</ref>

In 1959, the [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]] began to broadcast the pageant. Its popularity grew with the advent of television. During the 1960s and 1970s, Miss World was among the most watched programs of the year on British television.<ref>{{cite news |title=Miss World gets a makeover |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/167816.stm |date=9 September 1998 |website=news.bbc.co.uk |publisher=BBC News |access-date=9 October 2013}}</ref> In 1970, the contest in London was disrupted by women's liberation protesters armed with flour bombs, stink bombs, and water pistols loaded with ink.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/timeline/1960.shtml |title=BBC Radio 4 – Woman's Hour – Women's History Timeline: 1960 – 1969 |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |access-date=8 March 2014}}</ref> The 1970 contest was also controversial when South Africa sent two contestants (one black and one white). Henceforth, South Africa was banned from the contest until [[apartheid]] was abolished. More than 18 million people watched the pageant at its peak during the late 1970s and early 1980s.<ref name="Morley">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1015014.stm|title=Miss World founder dies|date=9 November 2000|work=BBC News|access-date=18 February 2019}}</ref>

In the 1980s, the pageant repositioned itself with the [[Advertising slogan|slogan]] "Beauty With a Purpose", with added tests of [[intelligence (trait)|intelligence]] and [[personality tests|personality]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tiza.com/pageant-archives/Miss_World/ |title=Tiza.com. Miss World |publisher=Tiza.com |access-date=24 May 2011}}</ref> In 1984, [[BBC1]] controller [[Michael Grade]] announced that the corporation would cease to broadcast beauty pageants the next January, after it had shown [[Miss Great Britain]], saying, "I believe these contests no longer merit national air time." He added, "They are an anachronism in this day and age of equality and verging on the offensive."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ap|date=18 November 1984|title=BBC to Stop Televising Beauty Pageants|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/18/arts/bbc-to-stop-televising-beauty-pageants.html|access-date=28 July 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> [[Thames Television]] broadcast Miss World between 1980 and 1988, when [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] dropped it.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gibson|first=Janine|date=7 October 1999|title=Miss World pageant set for TV return|url=http://www.theguardian.com/media/1999/oct/07/channelfive.mondaymediasection|access-date=28 July 2021|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Eric Morley – The History of Miss World|url=http://www.liveindia.com/missworld/1.html|access-date=28 July 2021|website=www.liveindia.com}}</ref>

During the early 1990s, mainstream television broadcasts of the event declined in popularity after it became "increasingly unfashionable" in the late 1980s. The pageant returned on satellite channel [[Sky One]] in 1997,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2855671/Morleys-global-vision-for-Miss-World.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2855671/Morleys-global-vision-for-Miss-World.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Morley's global vision for Miss World|date=21 June 2003|access-date=18 February 2019|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.himalmag.com/miss-third-world/ | title=Miss (Third) World) | date=31 October 1998 }}</ref> before moving to [[Channel 5 (UK)|Channel 5]] for three years (1998–2000).<ref name="Morley"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/222108.stm|title=BBC News – Entertainment – Miss World goes PC?|work=BBC News|date=26 November 1998|access-date=18 February 2019}}</ref>

Eric Morley died in 2000, and his wife, Julia, succeeded him as chair of the Miss World organisation.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080630205834/http://www.missworld.com/history_of_contest Miss World Contest History]</ref>

===21st century===
The first black African Miss World winner, [[Agbani Darego]] of Nigeria, was crowned in [[Miss World 2001|2001]]. As part of its marketing strategy, Miss World came up with a "Vote For Me" television special during that edition, featuring the delegates behind the scenes and on the beach, and allowing viewers to phone in or vote online for their favourites. It also sells broadcasters its Talent, Beach Beauty and Sports events as television specials.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldcountrylink.com/miss_world.htm |title=Miss World facts |publisher=Worldcountrylink.com |access-date=24 May 2011 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522022524/http://www.worldcountrylink.com/miss_world.htm |archive-date=22 May 2010 }}</ref> [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] broadcast the 2001 pageant from South Africa on digital channel [[ITV2]], with the special airing a week earlier on the main ITV channel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.c21media.net/itv-to-host-miss-world/|title=ITV to host Miss World|publisher=C21Media|date=25 October 2001|access-date=18 February 2019}}</ref>

In [[Miss World 2002|2002]], the pageant was slated to host its final in [[Abuja]], Nigeria. This choice was controversial, as a northern Nigerian woman, [[Amina Lawal]], was awaiting death by [[stoning]] for [[adultery]] under [[Sharia]] law there, but Miss World used the publicity surrounding its presence to bring greater global awareness and action to Lawal's plight.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2002/11/27/miss_world_2002_will_be_the|title=Miss World Riots in Nigeria|publisher=Democracynow.org |access-date=24 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2116540.stm|title=Nigerian woman fights stoning |work=[[BBC News]] |date=8 July 2002|access-date=24 May 2011}}</ref> No British channel agreed to broadcast the event,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/dec/07/fashion.gender|title=Dogged by criticism and ridicule, the Miss World pageant continues|first=Hadley|last=Freeman|date=7 December 2002|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=13 April 2019}}</ref> and there were objections to the contest.<ref>{{cite news|date=9 December 2002|title=Should the Miss World pageant have gone ahead?|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/2553049.stm|access-date=24 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=26 November 2002|title=Mayor's frosty reception for Miss World|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/uk_news/england/2515189.stm|access-date=24 May 2011}}</ref>

Former Miss World [[Aishwarya Rai]] attended the [[Miss World 2014]] ceremony with her husband [[Abhishek Bachchan]], daughter Aaradhya and mother Brinda Rai.<ref>{{cite web | title=Aishwarya Rai: most successful Miss World ever | website=[[MSN]] | date=18 December 2014 | url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/celebrity/aishwarya-rai-most-successful-miss-world-ever/ss-BBgZPYt | access-date=19 October 2016}}</ref> The pageant has been broadcast on local TV channel [[London Live (TV channel)|London Live]] since 2014.