Mrs Universal Empire is one of the world’s leading middle-aged beauty pageants.

 

“Age is not necessary. It’s the way you age that makes the difference. I encourage women to celebrate who they are. A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman.”

 

– The President of Mrs Universal Empire

 

Mrs Universal Empire Beauty Pageant is a worldwide movement that will directly challenge the existing pageantry protocols and prejudices, which are not just limiting but also potentially harmful, particularly in respect of what beauty is considered to be and how it is to be measured. 

 

Mrs Universal Empire Beauty Pageant is a unique platform that aims to effect enormous change in a new direction. We aim to eradicate the culture of women being invisible merely due to their age, health, culture, colour or religion and to edit out the distractions that prevent women from achieving their full potential and being allowed to join in and celebrate who they are, regardless of their circumstances or life experiences.

 

The aim is to create a more holistic, healthy, and inclusive environment. The adverse impact that the beauty pageant, the fashion industry or modelling may have on one’s wellbeing can be substantial. The development of eating disorders, body dysmorphia, addiction, depression, anxiety, and self-harm, as well as low self-worth and low self-esteem through perpetual societal ageism has been well documented over the years. Never before has such a movement so intentionally and purposefully tackled age discrimination as well as mental and physical health conditions within the beauty industry. Being inclusive and stimulating positive projection will help to eliminate the harmful effects from the industry.     

 

It is wonderfully exciting that for the first time in pageant history, an international beauty contest will be recognising beauty across the age spectrum, health conditions and cultures. The world is, at last, a changing place for the better. 

 

Layla Najafe believes that when it comes to beauty, age and health are not about being invisible or obsolete. It’s about being appreciated for all their qualities, inside and out. It is about acknowledging that beauty does not have just one prescriptive definition but is a compilation of the person as a whole, which includes all the qualities and attributes that give pleasure or contentment to her mind. This includes all perspectives, such as sensory, visual, personality, physical, mental, emotional and social characteristics of an individual.

 

Beauty is in the learning from real-life experiences and in those who know the value of love, care and kindness for others as well as for themselves. Women are beautiful at each and every age of their existence – their looks may change but not their beauty. They evolve with a deeper expression of their emotions and a richness in their personalities. That is when their inner light can shine through.