The new Miss Tibet was crowned on October 10 in Dharamsala, north India, despite criticism from those who say that the very idea of a Miss Tibet contest and a swimsuit competition conflicts with Tibetan culture and Buddhist ideals and traditions and apes the worst kind of Western exhibitionism. 24-year-old Tashi Yangchen, a computer engineer from Sikkim, India, was selected out of 5 contestants who secretly left their homeland desperate to avoid Chinese detection.

Pageant coordinator Ngawang Samdup said about 20 Tibetan girls had originally applied to take part in the competition but most of them withdrew their bids, probably because of pressure from their families.

Last year there was only one participant of the contest, who was crowned unopposed. This year Miss Tibet competition was held the third time and marked the end of a triumphant Free Spirit Festival highlighting the plight of Tibet, gathering more than 2,000. The winner Yangchen also received an honorable title “Woman of Wisdom From the Roof of the World”, which carries major responsibilities to represent Tibetan culture worldwide, and was awarded with a US$2,190 check, presented by the director of the Tibet Free Spirit Festival, Lobsang Wangyal.

Apart from beauty, participants were judged during seven rounds over three days on articulation, confidence and stage presence. The physical criteria included figure, skin quality and posture. Each woman delivered a speech on a topic about Tibetan culture, history and current affairs. In the talent round, all of them sang songs about Tibet, its beauty and culture, reports Asia Times. The swimsuit round, held on October 8, was closed for the public.

“It is a dream come true,” said the new Tibetan beauty queen. “I will try to mobilize the power of the youth, especially the women’s, to raise Tibet’s profile in the international arena and follow the path of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.”

“The youth in Tibet, especially young Tibetan women, now have a new platform to be themselves and to live like other women around the world,” said the organizer of the festival Wangyal.