Miss Tiffany's Universe ()—now known as Miss Tiffany—is a

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes sol ...

for Thai

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

women in

Pattaya Pattaya is a city in Eastern Thailand, the second-largest city in Chonburi province and the List of municipalities in Thailand, eighth-largest city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, and h ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, which has taken place annually since 1998. The winner represents Thailand at

Miss International Queen Miss International Queen is the world's biggest beauty pageant for transgender women. The pageant was conceived in 2004 and named the largest and most prestigious transgender pageant by CNN original American documentary television series '' Thi ...

pageant. The reigning Miss Tiffany is Preeyakorn Pohnprom of

Chonburi Chonburi (, , IAST: , ) is the capital of Chonburi Province and, as part of the district Mueang Chonburi District, Mueang Chonburi, the List of municipalities in Thailand, seventh-largest city in Thailand. It is about 100 km southeast of Ba ...

Background

The contest is open to all transgender women who may or may not have gone through

sex reassignment surgery Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their gender identity. The phrase is most often associat ...

, or who simply

crossdress Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes traditionally or stereotypically associated with a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and express onesel ...

and/or live their lives as females. "Ladyboy" (or "

kathoey ''Kathoey'' or ''katoey'' (, ; , , ; ; , ), commonly translated as ''ladyboys'' in English, is a term used by some people in Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, whose identities in English may be best translated as transgender women in some cas ...

"), while potentially considered a derogatory description or even a hateful slur in some parts of the world, is commonly used by both the

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

+ community and others within

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

in reference to effeminate gay men who crossdress and

drag Drag or The Drag may refer to: Places * Drag, Norway, a village in Tysfjord municipality, Nordland, Norway * ''Drág'', the Hungarian name for Dragu Commune in Sălaj County, Romania * Drag (Austin, Texas), the portion of Guadalupe Street a ...

entertainers, as well as transgender women. Each year, about 100 applicants from across Thailand submit their résumés and audition to take part in the pageant. All contestants need to have Thai nationality and be between the ages of 18 and 25. Contestants under the age of 20 are required to show proof of parental permission to participate. Contestants come from a variety of backgrounds, including university students, doctors, engineers, pharmacists, and more. Once chosen to participate in the pageant, the contestants are judged based on physical attributes and overall performance, in several categories, in accordance to the feminine ideal. The Miss Tiffany's Universe winner receives a trophy and crown, a car (

Honda Jazz The Honda Jazz nameplate has been used by the Japanese manufacturer Honda to denote several different motorized vehicles since 1982: * 1982–1986 — The first generation Honda City when marketed in Europe, as Opel owned the City name * ...

), cash prize, jewelry and other gifts from sponsors. Besides the overall winner, other awards include Miss Photogenic, Miss Sexy Star, Miss Congeniality and Miss Popular Vote. Miss Tiffany's Universe is Thailand's official prerequisite pageant to Miss International Queen. Miss Tiffany’s Universe pageant, held once per year, is receiving more attention than ever as it is now broadcast live on Thai television, averaging an audience of more than 15 million viewers. Miss Tiffany's Universe is a registered trademark of Tiffany's Show Pattaya Co, Ltd. The organization supports charity events for the less fortunate and supports The Royal-sponsored AIDS Foundation. The ultimate goal of the contest is to promote trans and LGBT rights and equality and improve the overall quality of life for transgender persons, in Thailand. The pageant is also a source of significant income and opens up lucrative opportunities and sponsorships for pageant contestants.

Miss Tiffany's Universe winners

Winners by province

Winners by region

Miss International Queen

Color keys

Past franchises

Queen of the Universe

Color keys

References

External links

Official Website

Documentary Film on Miss Tiffany Universe
{{Miss International Queen Tiffany's Universe Transgender beauty pageants LGBTQ events in Thailand Events in Pattaya Recurring events established in 2004 2004 establishments in Thailand

Kathoey