Jha gets ready back stage.Photo: Li Hao/GT

Spreading a positive message

For four and a half hours, the women taking part in the pageant pranced, posed, shimmied and swaggered on the stage to the enthusiastic applause of the judges and audience.

The pageant was divided into five segments: a group Cha-Cha dance; casual wear, work clothes and evening gown parades; and a final section where the women were asked to show off a talent.

The only criteria for entering the pageant, said Sibanda, was that the women were size 14 or higher.

Taking home top honors for the night was Marvon Karidza, a 26-year-old student from Zimbabwe who was awarded the title of Miss Plus Size Beijing Queen.

First runner-up went to Gao Yiping, 53, from China, and second runner-up was won by Tatiana Vederuikova, 31, from Russia.

"I think I won the contest because of a combination of confidence and dressing appropriately," Karidza said. "I am proud of being big, and I want to share my joy with others."

Karidza said she was happy to have the platform offered by the pageant to share the message that "big is beautiful," and that she planned to continue actively spreading the message through the media along with other contestants.

"Changing people's minds may be difficult, but we think we can do it gradually," said Karidza.