Why I still want to be Miss World

Are beauty pageants an antiquated reminder of what we don’t want for our youth? Brad Flahive asks Miss New Zealand if they still have a place in 2019.

In four months Lucy Brock represents New Zealand at Miss World; it may surprise some to know she prepares for the competition by focusing on others – not her gowns, makeup or nail polish.

In fact, if beauty pageant punters are expecting Miss World hopefuls to be judged on their physical appearance, they’d better call the 1980s and ask for a refund.

They’re no longer beauty pageants; instead it’s a competition which focuses on an entrant’s allround ability, including raising awareness about social issues affecting their community, according to Brock.

‘‘There is no section in Miss New Zealand that is judged on your physical beauty,’’ Brock tells Stuff. ‘‘We are judged on our fundraising efforts and awareness work, and on how well you interview and debate.’’

Brock warned would-be detractors not to assume the Miss World was an outdated event: ‘‘The competition has been around for 70

years, like many things around that long it changes, and so has this.’’

Added to the new judging criteria is a sports challenge which has the contestants running, swimming and long jumping.

However, a category more familiar to the casual observer remains: an evening gown and cocktail dress section assesses the entrant’s ‘‘confidence and stage presence’’.

‘‘If there was anything to do with physical appearance I didn’t win [that section]; I would like to think I won on the basis of who I am.’’

Brock is a senior creative strategist at New Zealand creative agency Motion Sickness. She got there by earning a scholarship, completing a five-year qualification in just three years and working at three of New Zealand’s most wellknown companies – she’s also only 24.

The 69th Miss World competition begins in Thailand on December 7. The final is a month-long festival taking entrants from 130 countries across some of the country’s cultural heritage sites.

Organisers say the main aim of the competition is to promote a charitable foundation called ‘Beauty With a Purpose’.

Brock’s purpose is to raise awareness about the safety of Kiwi kids online – in particular cyber bullying, child sexual abuse material and online hate speech.

With support and resources from Miss New Zealand, Brock will document her visits to schools and present that work at the final in Thailand.

Brock, born and raised on Auckland’s North Shore, comes from a family of four. From the outside, she says, it’s easy for inspired children to think she’s had it all her own way – but it was the setbacks and failures that helped shape her attitude.

‘‘There are always going to be challenges, and what’s got me through is a burning desire and drive to do the best you can and keep coming back.’’

‘‘I would like to think I won on the basis of who I am.’’ Lucy Brock, Miss New Zealand