Miss World is today’s fancy dress theme as yesterday we discussed animals and today we look at an event which, although it still exists in various forms and formats, was once looked upon as a ‘cattle market’ – the Miss World Contest.

First held on this date in 1951, and thus celebrating its 60^th anniversary, this annual contest of international pulchritude has had a varied history, being picketed by feminists on several occasions and with allegations of corruption and scandal regularly rearing their heads. At one time, disregarding other complaints, the common comment was that one could see prettier girls in one’s own locality than were being seen in the contest, but nowadays with so many reality shows and media outlets available, not to mention the ‘social networking’ of the Internet, the issue has less relevance. Nonetheless, whilst many still regard the whole beauty contest thing as non-PC, the continuing trend towards wearing what you want where you want (echoed in the increasingly popular ‘short n skimpy’ sexy costumes of all types available on the market) arguably makes the whole contest ethos obsolete. Be that as it may, don’t let that stop you from entering our photo competition above – please upload your best costume creations as we are always keen to see our customers and costumes in action – if you look good it reflects well on us!

So, costume suggestions for this theme include the men dressing up as women, always a great laugh if you know that your male friends will join in the fun. Ladies can wear swimsuits, if they dare, evening gowns, or dress up in a country costume that represents their homeland.