Inside an International Beauty Pageant: What It’s Really Like to Compete on the Global Stage

What goes on behind the scenes of an international beauty pageant? 

It’s not like the movies. Behind the stage and smiles is a world of unexpected challenges and life-changing moments. It’s not all crowns, gowns and world peace (though, wouldn’t world peace be nice?), and none of it is quite what Hollywood leads you to believe. 

In my experience, a lot of people are surprised by who today’s pageant women actually are and why they choose to invest themselves in a world that a lot of people don’t really understand. The most frequently asked questions about pageants? Are they still even relevant today, what actually happens backstage, and what happens if you don’t win? 

After High Fashion Runway, one of the on-stage competition sections of the International United Miss pageant.

In July 2025, I competed at the International United Miss pageant in Orlando, Florida as Ms. Australia Pacific. Going to an international pageant like International United Miss is like going to the Olympics for successful, polished, well-spoken women, where the competitors are confident and each is very accomplished in their own right. 

But make no mistake, this isn’t the pageantry of 50 years ago.

What a lot of people don’t realise about modern pageants like International United Miss is that the journey of being a queen is much more complex than you’d think. The real work starts well before you arrive at an international pageant, often months or even a full year ahead of boarding the plane. And the result often is that you’re not the same person from before you started to after the pageant ends - in the best ways.

Travelling halfway across the world to compete for an international title took me 11 months of training, community service, and personal development. When I packed my suitcases ready for a 20+ hour solo journey, I also took with me everything I learned about who I am, what I stand for, and how I want to show up as a person.

Behind the scenes of modern beauty pageants, everyday women spend months carving out a legacy in areas we care about, through “platforms” that share campaigns covering topics from education to health to environmental advocacy and much more. 

It’s called a “platform” because, just like a stage or podium, modern pageants give you a visible place to stand out and be heard both nationally and internationally. Women in leadership positions are still overcoming obstacles and are relatively rare, with a unique experience and set of challenges, despite how far we’ve objectively come as a society. Beauty pageants still offer a space for us to become who we know we’re meant to be by providing us with those leadership opportunities and experiences to explore.

At International United Miss in particular, women of all ages and stages of life are welcome, so while these women are building their legacies they’re also working professionals, mothers, grandmothers, carers, wives, and more. You name it, you’ll find it. 

Beauty pageants are surrounded by stigma and stereotypes. We have a cultural narrative that (incorrectly) shows women and girls that participate in beauty pageants as glamorous but with a hidden mean streak. We’re often portrayed as superficial, unintelligent, or false advocates for important causes that exploit social and community issues as a fast track to success.

But this isn’t the case in real life.

With 7 years of pageant experience, I can tell you that modern pageantry is vastly different to what you’ve been led to believe. My recent experience at International United Miss is proof of the direction that modern beauty pageants are heading. 

Backstage you’ll find everyday women - teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, business owners, mothers - who have poured a significant part of who they are into a dream to be an advocate and brand ambassador for an organisation that aligns with their values. We build platforms and personally commit hundreds of hours of community service. While nerves run high backstage, we’re still all equally supportive of each other. I have never once seen someone celebrate if another woman trips on stage, or has a wardrobe malfunction. In fact, I’ve overwhelmingly seen the opposite, where a swarm of women will rush over to help.

Some of the women and girls I met at International United Miss.

These are the same women you see waiting in line at your local grocery store and driving their kids to school. They’re normal people - daughters, sisters, mothers, fiancees, girlfriends, wives - who unite in a common set of values and ambitions under the banner of a pageant organisation. It’s quite an experience to meet and spend time with exceptional women who have this specific way of looking at the world. 

A moment that stands out for me backstage at International United Miss really shows just how unique of an experience pageantry is. I can honestly tell you that my hands were shaking as I stood in the wings waiting for my turn to go on stage. I’d travelled thousands of kilometres and worked for the best part of a year for this opportunity, which really came down to a couple of minutes in front of judges and an audience, with a livestream beamed across the world. 

One of the contestants behind me lightly touched my arm. “You’ve got this,” she said. 

That moment is what real pageants are. There were no unkind words and no cold indifference. It was a genuine show of support from one woman to another, with a shared understanding of the personal importance of what we were experiencing alongside each other. 

Often in beauty pageants, there are multiple women competing for one dream title. It’s not uncommon to scroll through social media during pageant week and see women stepping out of the interview portion of the pageant to post a caption saying: “I just interviewed for my dream job”. 

But the reality is that there’s only one woman who will win the crown, and at an international level, you’re up against people who may have won or been appointed titles on a national scale. It really is competing against the best of the best. Oftentimes, it comes down to who was the best on the day, what the judges are looking for, and even decimal point differences in scoring.

In my 7 years of pageantry, I’ve never won an international title. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t have an overflow of personal wins. 

Returning from International United Miss, I won the title of National Ambassador through an optional essay competition, and now get to lead the organisation’s charitable efforts for a year. With this official role, I’ll drive a charity-led initiative focused on empowering women into employment through Dress for Success. I also won 2nd runner up in the optional Talent portion of the competition.

In my division, I was honoured to be the only international contestant to place in the Top 3, making it the highest placement achieved by any international entrant across all International United Miss divisions this year.

Wrapping up pageant week as National Ambassador and placing Top 3 in the world in the Ms. division.

I didn’t “win” an international title, but I still had wins. 

Aside from the awards, I’ve grown my sustainable fashion education platform - About Your Clothes - to educate women through online workshops, podcasts, and my writing, reaching 5 countries on where, how, why, and what impact their clothes have on the global community and the environment. 

I’ve grown my onstage walk and pageant interview abilities, both personal goals for my International United Miss experience. 

New doors opened beyond pageantry in local and global organisations, with even more developments falling into place only days after I wrapped up competing. 

I also found a new side of myself that I’m still exploring - in leadership, in advocacy, and in personal confidence. 

So, what is it really like to compete in an international beauty pageant? Well, besides what you now know after this journey into the realities of modern pageantry, I can sum it up in one very fitting word. 

Life-changing. 

Follow my journey on Instagram and learn more about International United Miss.