Watch I Was Once a Beauty Queen

I Was Once a Beauty Queen is a docu-series streaming on BBC Select that takes a deep dive into the fascinating and often complex world of beauty pageants. The four-part series follows six former beauty queens from around the world as they reflect on their experiences, discuss the highs and lows of their reign, and explore the legacy of being crowned a beauty queen.

Each of the six women featured in the series has a unique story to tell, and their experiences offer a diverse and nuanced view of the pageant industry. From a former Miss Universe who used her platform to advocate for mental health awareness, to a former beauty queen who struggled with the intense pressure to maintain a certain look and faced backlash for speaking out on social issues, I Was Once a Beauty Queen offers a thought-provoking and intimate look at the lives of these former pageant winners.

Throughout the series, viewers are given behind-the-scenes access to the world of beauty pageants, with footage from rehearsals, interviews, and events. We see the grueling training regimens these women went through to prepare for competitions, as well as the intense scrutiny and judgment they faced from judges and the public alike. But we also see the bonds of sisterhood that form among contestants and the sense of purpose and pride these women feel in representing their countries on an international stage.

One of the most powerful themes that emerges from the series is the idea that being a beauty queen is about more than just physical appearance. For many of the women featured in I Was Once a Beauty Queen, their reigns were opportunities to promote causes that were important to them, whether it was advocating for HIV/AIDS awareness, promoting education for underprivileged children, or standing up for their own rights as women.

The series also grapples with some of the criticisms that have been leveled at beauty pageants over the years, such as the idea that they reinforce harmful beauty standards or that they are inherently sexist. While these issues are not shied away from, the show also highlights the ways in which pageants can offer a sense of empowerment to the women who participate in them.

Overall, I Was Once a Beauty Queen is a captivating and engaging series that sheds light on a world that is often misunderstood or dismissed. By putting a human face on the pageant industry, the show invites viewers to reconsider their preconceived notions about what it means to be a beauty queen and to think critically about the role these competitions play in our society.