AI-generated beauty pageants have come onto the scene reshaping the beauty competition landscape. They are evolving the longstanding tradition and changing what it means to win a title.
鈥淲e want to have AI women that aren't physically perfect, that aren't flawless and have these impossible standards of beauty that nobody can hope to achieve,鈥� said Sally-Ann Fawcett, a beauty pageant historian and author, while speaking on 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 Disrupted.
Fawcett is a judge for , the world鈥檚 first beauty competition for AI creators. The organization hosted its first competition this year.
The competition was created as an opportunity to highlight the capabilities of artificial intelligence. The popularity of AI art exploded in 2022, with numerous creators experimenting with the technology. Generators such as and have made it easier than ever to create your own avatar.
AI models, whose social media accounts can rack up thousands of followers, have a responsibility, said Fawcett. She believes they should promote encouragement, support and inspiration to their audience.
While the standards for beauty are changing in the artificial world, in the real world, competitors are changing the way people view mental health.
鈥淚 remember the first time I was admitted into the mental hospital,鈥� said Shavana Clarke, 2024 Miss 黑料吃瓜网 USA. 鈥淥nce I came out [of the hospital], I was very much like, 鈥榮o I was just in the mental hospital鈥� ... and I just straight up said that on my social media.鈥�
Clarke, who participated in pageants since the age of two, runs , a blog where she shares her personal journey with Borderline Personality Disorder. Clarke鈥檚 mission is to destigmatize the disorder, and how mental health issues are treated and seen in society.
鈥淭here is strength in saying 鈥榚verything's not great right now. I need help, and there is this resource out there that is willing to help me.鈥欌��
Clarke also wants others to know that pageant constants aren鈥檛 one size fits all. 鈥淚t's so easy to want to put someone in a box, especially on their outward appearance,鈥� she said.
Today鈥檚 beauty pageants require contestants to impress judges with interviews, achievements and goals, rather than relying solely on appearance. Organizations have also broadened their rules, allowing older women, transgender women and mothers to compete.
鈥淧ageants are evolving, and we are going to see a new level of what it means to be a queen,鈥� Clarke said.
黑料吃瓜网's Khalilah Brown-Dean, Kevin Chang Barnum, and Wayne Edwards contributed to this report.
