![Miss Peru](https://d.latintimes.com/en/full/426524/miss-peru.png?w=736&f=046fc85be7111ebd94f8912429167974)
A group of 23 beautiful women from Peru competed in the national beauty pageant Miss Peru 2018, which will lead the winner to participate in the Miss Universe contest. With the slogan "The strength behind beauty," the organization of the event, in charge of Jessica Newton, Miss Peru 1987, decided to break the tradition and give a special twist to the beauty contest, using the platform to empower women.
The young contestants, instead of telling the judges and the public their measurements, they simply shared information related to gender violence in their country. "My measurements are: 2,202 cases of feminicides reported in the last nine years in my country," said one participant.
"My measurements are: A girl dies every six minutes of sexual exploitation," said Samantha Batallanos Cortegana, while Juana Acevedo reported that "more than 70% of women in our country [Peru] are victims of street harassment." Miss Peru 2018 winner Romina Lozano said, “I represent the constitutional province of Callaomy and my measurements are: 3,114 women victims of trafficking up until 2014.”
During the next stage of the contest that gave way to the bathing suits parade, the girls modeled with images in the background of newspapers and magazines with local news of cases of violence against women.
"I returned to Miss Peru, and it is to turn it into a platform that empowers women and above all that, to help. I’m against harassment, mistreatment, rape and others," organizer Jessica Newton told local newspaper Peru21.
According to Peru21, Newton said "Be aware that it is a challenge. Many people assume that we are stupid for being models. We have to demonstrate the opposite. It is time for the media to stop pointing the finger at women. If we want to go out with one, with two, with ten men, it's each one's decision; we have to respect each other's private life."
“Women can walk out naked if they want to. Naked. It’s a personal decision,” Newton told Buzzfeed News, “If I walk out in a bathing suit I am just as decent as a woman who walks out in an evening dress.”
Watch the full show below:
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