Miss Tibet, a Pageant Loaded With Controversy and Drama

For Buddhists, the first noble truth is that all life is suffering—and that apparently applies to beauty pageants, too.

The Miss Tibet pageants, seen by many as a showcase of feminine beauty, have been fraught with controversy and drama. Even though the contests take place in a drowsy Himalayan town in India—home to the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan exiles—the Chinese government and some Tibetan elders have pressured contestants to withdraw. It is probably one of the few things that the political rivals can agree on. “Heavy is the head that wears the tiara,” one Tibetan TV station reported.

Unsurprisingly, there are few runners-up in the Miss Tibet pageants. This year, only two entered the contest, which is in its seventh edition.

And the winner was Sonam Choedon, a shy 18-year-old with shiny waist-length black hair and high cheekbones. At 16, she fled her homeland on the Tibetan plateau to Dharmsala, headquarters of the Tibetan Government in Exile.

“We can’t feel too much happiness with what was going on in Tibet,” Choedon said. “But winning Miss Tibet means I can contribute to the Tibetan cause. It gives me a platform to talk about Tibet.” Read Article

By Emily Wax