The Miss International 2010 pageant is being hosted by China on November 7, 2010. The venue in Chengdu, Sichuan Province Gymnasium is all set to glitter as 70 beauties hot it up in a slugfest to equal skin deep beauty with poise and brains to match.

As people wait with bated breath for the contestants to be crowned, and root for their favourites, Noewegians must sure be fuming. In an earlier pageant held in China recently, the stunning Miss Norway, a brilliant 23 year old student, did not even make it to the top 10.

This was seen as a Chinese conspiracy to vent their ire against Norway, which awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace prize to the famed dissenter rebel Xiaobo, who has been jailed for supposed “sedition”. The two nations are involved since in a bitter international spat.

Political sparring apart, beauty pageants are not exactly a rage with feisty feminists who seen the ideal standardized definition of beauty and womanhood as ridiculous. But for just eye candy quotient, many tune in to the live broadcast. Expect deadening clichés about world peace and women’s empowerment to be mouthed by the girls dolled up head to toe.

The categoty for best national ethnic dress usually throws up eclectic fashions at pageants, beyond the standard pastel gowns.

Anagabriela Espinoza of Mexico won the 2009 edition of Miss International, and she is set to pass on the baton, the crown rather, to another ravishing beauty.