Weird Wide World of Pageants

Don't think you have what it takes to compete in a pageant? Think again. Tiza did a little digging and found an extraordinarily wide range of competitions to choose from. That's right. You don't have to be Barbie to win a crown--check out the real world of pageants, from the weird and wondrous to downright wacky.

In 2004, China held a Miss Plastic Surgery pageant. The idea came from a previous pageant in which a contestant was disqualified for having had cosmetic surgery. Can't beat them, join them, right?

Ms. Pregnant pageant. Yep. Bare your belly bikini style. From the looks of it, we can only guess being in your third trimester is a requirement.

The annual Ms. Landmine Pageant, held in the country of Angola, created by Norwegian artist Morten Traavik, celebrates physical imperfection caused by wartime landmine explosions. Tiza applauds this pageant for its humanistic approach to real beauty.

Prison Pageants are apparently all the rage all over the world. In Bogota, Columbia, the incarcerated can be crowned Miss Prisoner--if they have what it takes. For some, it means freedom, as the parole board takes into account prison community involvement.

Miss Jumbo Queen is the brainchild of an elephant conservation project in Thailand. Though the last Miss Jumbo was crowned in 2005, we're hoping more philanthropies will hop on this grand idea.

Every girl dreams of being Miss Worm Gruntin' Queen or Miss Meat Pie, right? Harvest Festival Queens certainly hold the most...interesting titles. Personally, we're rooting for Miss Garlic Girl, 2009.

Exotic animals and pumpkins aren't your thing? The pageant world doesn't stop there.

How about the Zombie Beauty Pageant. More gore more gorgeous.

Not quite feeling up to Miss Universe this year? That's okay. Tiza's found a few alternatives to choose from...choose your platform wisely.