‘Miss Big Arabian Beauty’: Arabs crown their first plus-size queen

The ‘Miss Big Arabian Beauty’ competition, held in Lebanon, hosted 10 contestants from different Arab countries, all competing to win the crown and become the region’s first plus-size beauty queen.

The winner was Lebanese-national Eliana Neama, 21, who weighs 110 kilograms. The first runner up was Zeina Hadhably from Tunisia and the second one was Dunia Kamana from Lebanon.

The competition, which was part of a program aired on Lebanon’s LBC TV, aimed to give overweight Arabian women a chance to feel more confident about their looks and encourage their self-esteem.

The event was originally held in countries like Brazil, France and Britain. Lebanon’s show marks its first time in the Arab world.

The show hosted participants from Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, but mainly saw Lebanese contestants compete for the top title.

The ladies participating were aged between 21-42, and their weight ranged from 80-150 kilograms.

The contestants were judged according to a strict set of criteria.

Twenty percent of the vote was based upon their style in casual clothes, 20 percent of the vote was based upon their grace while walking in a swimsuit, 20 percent was based upon their looks in an evening dress and the final 40 percent was based upon the competence of answers they gave when questioned by the judicial panel.