Hello I'm James Reynolds. Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service.

In BBC OS conversations we bring people together to share their experiences

and this time we hear from Beauty Queens about why they enter contests and we hear from those who judge them.

In the United States recently there has been plenty of commentary about the future of the

pageant industry after two beauty queens quit. That debate has prompted us to take a

step back to look around the world at the experience of contestants.

When I first entered I actually had quite a lot of people at my work making fun of me and

you know what is all this kind of Barbie doll stuff?

I cry for attention and all these kind of things.

There is such a negative stereotype with it.

They don't really realize what beauty patents are.

The sudden resignations of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA have put the spotlight on a global multi million dollar business

Many have been having their say online about the future of the shows in the United States.

Around the world meanwhile, beauty pageants are increasing in popularity in some places,

whilst in others they have struggled to maintain relevance.

And it's interesting, isn't it, to see the differing levels of interest around the world.

I remember when I reported from Colombia many years ago, the Beauty Queen contests took over

the entire country.

You could just jump into a cab and the first thing the cab driver would ask you about was which was your favorite contestant.

Whereas in my own home country in the UK beauty contests have somewhat receded from the mainstream, although some on the inside believe

that those contests in different countries are now experiencing a revamp and a revival.

So to get a better idea of what it's like to be a contestant, what it's like to stand up and be judged,

...