Miss Ireland Jessica Hayes has defended beauty pageants – insisting they are not sexist.
The Cork beauty, 20, will head to London in December to compete in the Miss World pageant – which has been attacked for being behind the times.
She said: “There are always going to be people who will criticise Miss Ireland and Miss World and I am 100% going to defend it.
“It’s not about the two hours of the show. The girls are not superficial. They are well educated, well rounded people.
Not superficial: Jessica insists Miss Ireland girls are smart | VIPIRELAND.COM
“There’s a lot more to it than some people think – and the charity aspect is really important.”
But Jessica insists she has no problems stripping down into a two piece during the competition.
She said: “The bikini section is a very small part of the overall competition which is about personality and poise and the concept of beauty with a purpose.”
Beauty queen: Jessica insists the competition is not degrading
But Jessica admits she was nervous the first time she had to do it.
“To be honest I found it nerve-wracking the first time” she told the Star. “But I found once I did it, I ended up more confident then ever. When you do it once, you can do it millions of times.”
