Too Disgusting to Be Confused

The message is joy, but it's very serious...

Founded in 1972 by sculptor Andrew Logan, The Alternative Miss World is a celebration of transformation and unorthodox beauty. Starting as makeshift private parties held in his artist studio in an old jigsaw factory, the event married the Miss World competition with Crufts dog show, all with a sense of joy and humour. An instant smash hit, early judges and competitors included cultural legends like David Hockney, Derek Jarman, Zandra Rhodes and Leigh Bowrey. 1978 saw them take the party public, hiring a big-top tent on Clapham Common for a circus themed extravaganza, hosted by drag icon Divine. A film about the night premiered at Cannes in 1980, and was meant to make it's London debut on the same evening as the Miss World event. However there was an attempt to scupper this homecoming when later that year they found themselves in The Royal Court of Justice, being sued by Miss World and represented by a trainee barrister by the name of Tony Blair.

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