Whether you think they’re a waste of time or absolutely wonderful, you can’t help admit they’re fascinating. Here we take you through the history and give you the facts about beauty contests.

Did you know that...

• The very first beauty contests....when Paris had to choose between the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite... happened to start the Trojan War.

• Years ago when foot binding was a common ritual in China, women competed in tiny foot festivals. They stood behind curtains with only their feet showing.

• Miss World began in London to encourage visitors to the Festival of Britain after World War Two.

• In Bangkok, Thailand beauty pageants have become such big business, there are camps where teenage girls undergo rigorous mental and physical training to compete in international competition. Their diet is restricted to fruit and vegetables, boyfriends are not allowed, and the physical demands are challenging. Plastic surgery is also encouraged!

• In Venezuela being a "beauty queen" is a serious profession, contributing to the country's being the world's biggest per capita consumer of cosmetics and a leader in plastic surgery.

• In Nigeria, the Wodaabe tribe holds beauty contests for men! Because it's the women in the tribe who hold the financial purse strings, it's the men who spend hours primping before competing in contests judged by women.