IRAQI BEAUTIES

Miss IRAQ Past Winners

2012-01-20T15:51:00.001+03:00

Miss Iraq (Arabic: ملكة جمال العراق‎, Malkat Jamal El Irak, lit. "Iraq's Beauty Queen") is an annual beauty pageant in Iraq.

Winners

Year	Name	Birth year	Place of birth	Place of residence	Comments
1947	Renee Dangoor	1929	Baghdad	United Kingdom	Miss Baghdad 1947
1948	Laurette Tuma	1928	Mosul	United States	Miss Baghdad 1948
1949	Marie Konke	1930	Baghdad	South Africa	Miss Baghdad 1949
1950	Camilla Barak	1929	Baghdad	Israel
1951	Alexandra Kamal	1930	Basra	Australia	Miss Baghdad 1951
1952	Marina Piagotti	1931	Italy		Miss Baghdad 1952
1953	Saleema Barokh	1930	Mosul	Israel	Miss Baghdad 1953
1954	Nurit Kadoorie	1932	Baghdad	Spain	Miss Baghdad 1954
1955	Mavra Ramon	1933	Baghdad	Cuba	Miss Baghdad 1955
1956	Shakeeba Saleh	1936	Iraq	Israel
1957	Rose Amin	1935	Iraq	United States	Miss Baghdad 1957
1958	Dana Fouad	1935	Baghdad	London
1959	Ilana Jaleel	1938	Baghdad	Poland
1960	Dalia Dawood	1942	Baghdad	Turkey
1961	Nawal Midhat	1942	Kirkuk	Canada
1962	Anna Levy	1945	Baghdad	United States
1963	Eva Nissim	1945	Iraq	Iraq
1964	Rania Zakaria	1947	Iraq	New York
1965	Farha Eliahu	1946	Iraq	Michigan
1966	Suzanne Nouh	1948	Greece	Canada	Miss Baghdad 1966
1967	Ilana Barokh	1947	Iraq	Israel
1968	Dorit Isaac	1949	Iraq	London
1969	Paula Afif	1950	Iraq	Argentina
1970	Deborah Mussaffi	1951	Iraq	Iraq
1971	Vivian Battat	1952	Iraq	South Africa
1972	Wijdan Sulyman	1954	Baghdad		Represented Iraq in Miss Universe 1972
1973	Naomi Bekhor	1953	Baghdad	USA
1974	Sylvia Cohen	1956	Iraq	USA
1975	Helena Naom	1955	Iraq	New Zealand
1976	Rania Talal	1957	Iraq	Thailand
1977	Simha Ben Harush	1958	Iraq	Canada
1978	Rana Daly	1959	Baghdad	USA
1979	Nirmeen Kattan	1961	Baghdad	Cyprus
1980	Ifat Jaleel	1960	Iraq	Greece
1981	Halla Shau'l	1962	Iraq	U.K
1982	Lamees Setty	1961	Iraq	Iraq
1983	Rana Riyadh	1964	Baghdad	Jordan
1984	Rebecca Sassoon	1966	Iraq	Scotland
1985	Natalia Majeed	1967	Iraq	Dubai
1986	Daniela Murad	1967	Iraq	New Zealand
1987	Lamya Talat Kadret	1970	Baghdad, Iraq	Australia
1988	Sandra Munir	1969	Iraq	Canada
1989	Samira Azachi	1971	Iraq	Austria
1990	Rania Zeid	1973	Iraq	Dubai	Miss Baghdad 1989
1991	Umaya Ismael	1972	Ramadi, Iraq		Miss Baghdad 1990
1992	Iman Zorlak	1975	Yugoslavia	Holland
1993	Ivana Kohut	1974	Belgrade	Greece
1994	Esther Shlaimun	1973	Iraq	Turkey
1995	Dina Ramel	1976	Baghdad, Iraq	USA
1996	Tamara Ezra	1977	Iraq	Turkey
1997	Randa Kanadilo	1980	Yugoslavia	Germany
1998	Ban Kadret	1977	Baghdad	France
1999	Mays Al Qaraguli	1979	Baghdad	Canada
2000	Daniela Lednicer	1978	New York	New York
2001	Rania Talat Kadret	1980	Kenya	Mexico
2002	Anisa Abdi	1984	Somalia	Hong Kong
2003	Gwen Cripps	1983	Wales	U.K
2004	Christiane Steves	1985	Yugoslavia	France
2005	Milica Habibovic	1985	Yugoslavia	Belgium
2006	Silva Sahagian	1985	Iraq	USA
2007	Anais Catala	1986	France	France
2008	Myra Adel	1988	Spain	New York
2009	Alina Shohet	1989	Iraq	Los Angeles
2010	Olga Kojaman	1991	Latvia	Brazil
2011	Anat Sassoon	1990	Los Angeles	Dubai

Miss Teen Iraq 2011, Katy Shabi

2012-01-06T09:17:00.002+03:00

Miss Iraq 2011 Anat Sasoon

2012-01-06T09:14:00.002+03:00

Anat Sassoon has just completed a visit to France and Italy, she is back in Dubai, she will pass her crown to Miss Iraq 2012 in Dubai on May 14th, 2012.

MISS TEEN IRAQ 2010

2010-08-11T14:21:00.002+03:00

The Miss Teen Iraq 2010 was set to take place on August 9th in Colombo- Sri Lanka, but due to lack of sponsorship, Talat Model Management decided to handpick a winner, and the new titleholder is 17 year old Valeriya Mazin Shimon, who is about to start grade 12 this fall, she stands at 179m and will move to Dubai where she will share an apartment with current Miss Iraq, Olga Kojaman. The new Teen Queen will spend the year traveling the Middle East, Asia and Europe where she will deliver speeches and raise awareness on violence against women.

MISS IRAQ 2010, Olga Kojaman's Interview in Dubai

2010-05-22T19:43:00.003+03:00

Interview by Damian Herren

Miss Iraq 2010, Olga Kojaman,

Damain: Hi Olga, this is your first interview, this will be published in various magazines and I interviewed last years winner Alina Shohet after she took over from the winner and runner up who both resigned and I am referring to Zeena and Aure who both did not complete their reign. we are in Dubai now, I love your apartment, please tell me what has happened to you since you won on April 13th in the Comoros.

Olga: After I won, I made a few appearances in Comoros, in Moroni to be exact the very next day, promoting our sponsors and their businesses, then on April 16th I flew with my managers at Talat Models to Milan for my photo shoot and started work, while the other girls went home, except for the top 5 titleholders we flew to Milan and then they left home while I went to Dubai, I am accommodated in Sheikh Zayed road, and the apartment is owned by the Talat Organization that deals in real estate, and the winner uses it for a year as a base for her travels and also the other runners up or titleholders use it when they are here, its huge and I love it.

Damian: your name sounds Russian and I have dug up some info and googled your name, there are some negative vibes and sentiments written on message boards, I won't name any but some say that you don't look Iraq, some are displeased that all 20 girls are Jewish, etc....

Olga: my mother is from Latvia and my dad is Jewish and Iraqi, he left Iraq when he was young, and as for the forums I have read some of those comments on some forums that are run by Shiites and Kurds and I guess they are entitled to their opinion, Iraq is a free country and if I displease them as Miss Iraq 2010 then they can lodge a complaint to the organizers I guess.

Damian: How come there are no Shiite or Kurdish entries and the Sunni entries are few?

Olga: there have been many Sunni girls in the pageant prior to 2009, with the other communities I guess these type of pageants are against their culture, well Miss USA 2010, Rima Fakih is a Shiite so I guess they do compete in Pageants.

Damian: very well, what would Miss Universe 2010 look like if Miss Lebanon 2010 to be selected this June is a Christian, A Shiite Miss USA, Miss Israel and Jewish Miss Iraq in Miss Universe?

Olga: first of all, it's a beauty pageant not a world summit so I don't think that there would be issues, second I am not competing in any International Pageant, so I won't compete in Miss Universe, and I would love to meet all the Misses you mentioned and I don't have any issue with anyone, would love to meet Miss Israel, we share alot of sentiments and since we are both Jewish this is great, as for the others I would love to meet them as well, but If I am snubbed because I am a Jewish Miss Iraq then I would laugh it off and socialize with the other delegates I guess, but since Miss Iraq was held in the Comoros we breach Miss Universe rules to have the National pageant on National soil so we can't compete in Miss Universe or Miss World.

Damain: What do you intend to do this year ? any trips to Baghdad?

Olga: yes I will be in Baghdad in October for a month I will visit the local charities that we work with and hand them the cheques , the money we raised for them, and I will be doing modeling assignments in Germany, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, Paris and New York.

Damian: Do you think Iraq will ever have a Miss Universe or Miss World winner?

Olga: Yes, why not? I am sure if the girl is prepared well enough she might make it, although in the Middle East we are not pageant crazed nations, so her Victory wouldn't matter much.

Damian: How many languages do you speak? and how tall are you?

Olga: I stand at 175m, and I speak Arabic, Hebrew, Russian and English.

Damian: Do think Iraqis resent having a Jewish Miss Iraq? is there another message being sent here, like Jews are better looking or that Iraq celebrates its Jewry through pageants?

Olga: Perhaps, I think you are better off conducting survey's on the streets of Baghdad asking people how they feel about a Jewish Miss Iraq, but I haven't had any issues not have we received any hate mail at Talat Model Managament. I don't think that there is any message, it's coincidental that there are more Jewish applicants.

Damian: Why does the pageant use a system similar to Miss Israel?

Olga: I guess the previous organizers back in the year 2000 liked that system and applied it, but I think in 2011 this may change, having only one winner on stage wearing a sash and crown and other titles for Runners Up such as Iraqi Beauty, Queen of Grace etc... might be omitted next year.

Damian: Thanks Olga you are great to talk to, it was fun hanging out with you in your apartment, tell me what is your favorite Dubai hot spot?

Olga: I love Dubai, aside from the Malls and I spend alot of time in the Mall of the Emirates, I love the Bhudda Bar and The Raffles Hotel, oh and the Grand Hayatt.

Damian: Can I come over in December for a chat?

Olga: You are welcome my dear any time.

Damian: Thanks, what happens if some Iraqi recognized you at a Mall or a restaurant?

Olga: I would invite them to join me for a meal or a drink.

Damian: I wish you the best and you seem like a well rounded person.

Olga: Thank You

2010 Contestants

2010-03-28T20:29:00.004+03:00

Miss Iraq 2010 delegates will arrive in Moroni on April 1st via Dubai, we have two new replacements, due to the fact that two of our girls withdrew and we wish them well ,we regret the withdrawal of Dema Baher Masri contestant # 2 and Sawsan Gorgy, contestant # 13 and we are excited to welcome Olga Kojaman and Nastya Levi on board as replacements, please join us back here when Alina Shohet, the reigning Miss Iraq gives you all the inside scoop from Moroni.

ملكة الجمال 2010

2010-02-28T16:38:00.003+03:00

ملكة الجمال لسنة 2010

2010-02-28T16:26:00.006+03:00

من سوف تتربع على عرش الجمال العراقي في جزر القمر في يوم 13 نيسان 2010 و من الفائرات اللواتي سوف يحصلن على القاب الجمال الخمس

ملكة الجمال العراق 2010

فاتنة الرافدين 2010

ملكة الحسناوات 2010

ملكة جمال سن المراهقة 2010

اميرة الجميلات 2010

MISS IRAQ 2009, ALINA SHOHET'S FIRST INTERVIEW

2009-09-14T13:03:00.004+03:00

Interview with Alina Shohet, Miss Iraq 2009-09-14

By Damian Herren

Lome – Togo - September 14^th, 2009-09-14

Damian: Hi Alina, how excited are you to hold the title of Miss Iraq 2009?

Alina: very excited!

Damian: even though you won by default? And tell us about how all this happened?

Alina: I received a call by Ahmed on September 12^th, he is owner of the Talat Model agency and of the contest, he asked me if I wanted to assume the title of Miss Iraq 2009, and I said YES.

Damian: what about the other two who held the title of Queen of Grace and Teen Queen, shouldn't they get an upgrade.

Alina: No, because the system awards 4 titles and sometimes 5 titles if they award the princess of beauty title, so the finalists get the upgrade, so I took the Miss Iraq title and Corina assumed the Maiden of Beauty title.

Damian: you are a Jewish woman and there have been so many Jewish entries and winners, what sets you apart from the others?

Alina: yes , well Moslems have a problem with the whole image of a beauty queen and it is a title that is frowned upon within the Moslem and even the Christian community, especially when it comes to beachwear , the Iraqi Christians are also conservative but they can accept it to a certain point, some of them at least like the Iraqi Armenians are more accepting than the rest.

And what sets Iraqi Jews apart from the rest is that we are hard working, when I received the call I immediately thought of the 6 months left right away and I discussed details with Ahmed Kadret regarding what I want to do, I will meet with CEO's of companies in Togo and promote my name as well as the title and try and get funding for my causes and travel to promote the pageant and my causes.

Damian: Will you get the sash that was awarded to the previous titleholders? And why do you think that Muslim winners back out and will this affect their entry in future pageants?

Alina: I will get 2 sashes, one in English that says MISS IRAQ and one in Arabic which reads Queen of Beauty 2009, and I haven’t received them yet but I am due to meet with Mr. Kadret in Kenya later this month as I plan to visit Kenya and will get them by then, as for the other girls backing down, It may not have been the right time, and I am sure they have their reasons.

Damian: you worked for the Iraqi Intelligence, tell us about that?

Alina: I had a six month contract with them as a public relations officer and I can't tell you more, but I learned a lot and it was great work, my contract ended on July 1^st and I am back in Togo now.

Damian: Some people question the pageant and say that many of you have Israeli sounding names and perhaps this is not official?

Alina: well, we have Jewish sounding names and we are Jews of Iraqi descent, I was born in Togo and my parents moved here during the 1950's when they were young and the pageant is registered and its official and they admit you even if you have one parent who is Iraqi or of Iraqi descent as long as you provide proof.

Damian: what are the age requirements?

Alina: you have to be over 17 and under 24 by February 1^st in the year that you compete, unmarried, a natural woman, no plastic surgery and never given birth to a child and you must be over 170 m in height.

Damian: Will you sign the contract with Talat Model Management for official representation?

Alina: Yes I received it through email, will sign and scan and send it and will keep a copy with me and hand the signed contract to the owner when we meet.

Damian: Why does the Miss Iraq system follow the Miss Israel system?

Alina: I guess the Miss Israel system hands more than one beauty title to each runner up and Hebrew and Arabic are similar and instead of runners up they hand out different titles to girls to make them feel like winners and so they can also compete in an International level and also to promote the culture and language as well to make the pageant more local and identify it with the local culture, I am not so sure if this system will remain next year for the 2010 Miss Iraq contest.

Damian: Do you approve of Stefania Fernandez winning Miss Universe back to back? And would you like to compete in Miss Universe? And what are the chances of a Middle Eastern Nation winning Miss Universe?

Alina: I love Stefania she was my favorite for the crown, I didn't think that it was possible for Miss Universe to have two winners back to back from the same country but I am glad that she won, she is amazing, I also liked Miss Russia and Miss Slovak Republic, I would love to be representing Iraq in Miss Universe although I think it would cause a lot of controversy especially when you have a Jewish woman representing an Arab country in Miss Universe, and the chances of a Middle Eastern state to win Miss Universe is slim, because of politics and the winner might be a liability for Miss Universe in terms of security and she may not be granted visa entries to so many countries especially if she is from Iraq, Israel or even Lebanon.

Damian: What about Miss World? Who gets to represent Iraq in Miss World and I heard that Talat Model Managament received the license for Miss World 2009 and also the Miss Iraq organizers received the 1998 Miss World license back then?

Alina: Yes you are right, they did and Julia Morley declined the entry later because of the Miss Iraq compulsory swimsuit competition and she wanted a special Pageant like a Miss World Iraq for her competition which was declined by Talat Models and they will send the 1^st Runner Up to Miss World in 2010, hopefully, and Miss Earth entry was cancelled because the 1^st Runner up (Maiden of Beauty) and then she stepped up to assume the title lost the title all together a few days back because she didn’t sign the representation contract and never bothered to try and meet with sponsors and raise funds for her Miss Earth entry and also the potential sponsors refused to sponsor her. In 1998 the organizer of Miss Iraq Ms. Edith Nouri received the franchise for Miss World but Eric Morley back then declined Iraq's entry because of sanctions.

Damian: when and where will the 2010 pageant take place and have the 2010 delegates been selected and will the contestants come from the Jewish community?

Alina: The 2010 Miss Iraq will be held on April 13^th and Miss Teen Iraq later in the summer, they will be held in Comoros, but if the Talat Model Management get the 2010 Miss Universe franchise, they will set a special Miss Universe Iraq for 2010 to take place in Erbil and send a representative, and as for you second question, well the sponsors in Comoros are two Iraqi Jewish business owners who work in the field of Tourism in Africa and they wanted to promote the contest in Comoros to promote their businesses in Comoros and most entries come from the Jewish community so maybe the 2010 delegates will all be from the Jewish community.

Damian: What happened in 2006? Why did the winner walk out from Miss Universe 2006?

Alina: The 2006 Miss Iraq contest was held in Baghdad, it was a one day event and was held early in the morning due to the bad security situation there, and someone started posting on some discussion board that Ben Laden was offering money to kill her, such irresponsible actions and words can harm people, remember what you post online people read and see and the Talat Model Management team are always on the search for anything published regarding the pageant and that is done for security reasons. And the winner also had personal issues, she quit and moved with her then boyfriend in Amman and the Teen Queen / third runner up held both the Teen Queen and IBQ ( Iraq's Beauty Queen / Miss Iraq) title, and Miss Universe organization declined the entry saying that the organizers of Miss Iraq needed to apply for the license prior to conducting the 2006 Miss Iraq pageant and also after that in 2007 and 2008 , the Miss Iraq pageant was held in Izmir –Turkey (2007) and Nice – France ( 2008) and in 2009 they said it was not ' feasible' to have a Miss Iraq entry, so maybe by 2010 or 2011 they might admit Iraq back. Miss World is ready to admit Iraq for the first time in 2010. Miss Iraq has only competed in Miss Universe once back in 1972, but I know Iraq never competed in Miss World or Miss International and there was several attempts to compete in Miss Earth (2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009) and Miss Asia Pacific in 1999 and Miss Europe 2001, but Miss Europe organizers said that Iraq must acquire the license for Eurovision and or have the Miss Iraq pageant air on a TV network that is registered with the European Television networks.

Damian: You have so much that you want to accomplish in the next 6 months, and one of them is a trip to Israel, tell us about that?

Alina: Yes, I wish I had taken over earlier, and as soon as my family found out that I was offered the Miss Iraq title, my dad called a friend in Tel Aviv who owns a night club and he said that he wanted to invite me to promote his club.

Damian: Would you consider visiting Arab states?

Alina: Why not? If they invite me to promote any club or endorse a product or event in Dubai or Beirut I will gladly go but they need to contact Talat Model Management for them to arrange it all, and I would love to attend Miss Lebanon, Miss Egypt or any other Arab States' beauty pageant. I was told that some countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia ban the entry of pageant winners into their country, and I also heard that Miss Universe 2009 almost took place in Dubai but the Dubai government declined.

Damian: lets' talk sashes, will you wear the sash that reads 'Queen of Beauty' in Arabic in public?

Alina: should I make an appearance in an Arabic speaking environment, yes I would, and when traveling Internationally I will use the other sash, since what's the point of wearing a sash in a language that no one can read lets say if I am in Athens or Rome.

Damian: Alina I wish you all the best and enjoy the rest of the year and see you in Comoros, I have one question though? Tell us about the crown?

Alina: Thank you Damian and I will work extra hard to make a name for myself and the pageant, and the crown, well they use different rhine stone crowns that we get to keep as of 2008 but I think for 2010 the winner will have an exclusive crown to be used annually to crown the winners, not sure if this will be effective for the 2010 pageant or 2011.

Some years the winners get to keep the tiara some years expensive crowns are borrowed from jewelers which are returned to the jeweler and not kept by the winner, it's not the crown that matters its what you do to enhance your personal and professional life that counts.

Damian: you are awesome; I want to see you In Miss Universe next year.

Alina: Thanks Damian you are kind, I am happy with my title but competing in Miss Universe is one up.

MISS UNIVERSE®2002, OXANA FEDEROVA

2008-07-16T19:55:00.006+03:00

Hi all,

I wanted to share with all of you my personal photo's with Oxana Federova of Russia, Miss Universe 2002, although she only reigned for a few months , she will always be one of my favourite Miss Universe winners ever.

All Photo's are courtesy of Talat Model Management.

ENTRY INTO THE TALAT PAGEANTS

2008-07-15T16:40:00.006+03:00

If you want to become the next Miss Iraq, Miss Teen Iraq, Mister Iraq's Super Model of the year then please send us an email on:

talatmodels@europe.com or

missiraq@europe.com for the Miss Iraq Pageant

misteriraq@paris.com for Mister Iraq and

supermodel@madrid.com for the Super Model of Iraq competition.

for eligibility please see the post TALAT MODEL MANAGEMENT

TALAT MODEL MANAGEMENT

2008-05-21T15:44:00.017+03:00

Talat Model Management, A Model agency that started during the summer of 2005, It was formerly known as Iraq Model Management.

Talat Models purchased the rights to produce the Miss Iraq, Mister Iraq and Super Model of Iraq contests. It started organizing these events in 2006, The Miss Teen Iraq title which was handed out to the third runner up (since the year 2000) ,started its debut as an independent pageant in January 2008.

Talat Model Management, producers of the MISS IRAQ®, MISS TEEN IRAQ®, MISTER IRAQ®, and IRAQ'S SUPER MODEL OF THE YEAR® competitions, is a national company that advances and supports today's women & men. These women and men are savvy, goal-oriented and aware. The delegates who become part of the Talat Model Management display those characteristics in their everyday lives, both as individuals who participate in the competitions to advance their careers, personal and humanitarian goals, and as women & men who seek to improve the lives of others.

Glamour ... and More

Talat Model Management is the producer of four landmark annual events, Just as the Eurovision song contest is known for the annual live television event, Talat Models is most recognized for its four special events, the Miss Iraq, Miss Teen Iraq pageants, the Mister Iraq pageant and the Super Model of Iraq competition.

The agency has redefined itself, just as it is redefining the Iraqi views of the women and men who attain its exclusive titles and as it is communicating women's & men’s views of their own roles.

Talat Models provides the opportunities - the mentoring, career training, resources and life experiences - for women & men to be personally enriched through the organization's year-round support of all aspects of their lives, from their own personal career goals to social and humanitarian causes and work.

The titleholders of the Talat Models contests personify the combination of beauty and intelligence that defines the 21st Century. In keeping with its national view and position as creator of role models, Talat Models has a new corporate structure and enhanced corporate goals.

National Resources

Talat Models has an office in West Baghdad; it is staffed by experts in fields ranging from marketing to travel, providing a range of services for women & men.

The MISS TEEN IRAQ® is held in the summer, the winner of the Teen Title, MISS IRAQ® pageant which is usually held during the spring / summer and is followed by the MISTER IRAQ® event which is held in the fall, while IRAQ'S SUPER MODEL OF THE YEAR® takes place during the late fall.

The current Titleholders are:

MISS IRAQ 2011 – Anat Sassoon

MISS TEEN IRAQ 2011 - Katy Shabi

IRAQ'S SUPER MODEL OF THE YEAR 2010 – TBA

20 Delegates from all over Iraq aggressively vie for the title of MISS IRAQ® each year, IRAQ'S SUPER MODEL OF THE YEAR ® MISS TEEN IRAQ® and MISTER IRAQ® competitions.

The Delegates

MISS IRAQ® delegates must be at least 17 years old and under 25 (by February 1st in the year they participate in the national event). MISTER IRAQ® candidates must be at least 18 and under 25 (by March 1^st. IRAQ'S SUPER MODEL OF THE YEAR must be at least 14 and under 21 (by May 1st in the year they participate in the national event), while MISS TEEN IRAQ® contestants must be at least 15 and under 19 years of age as of September 1st.

HOW:

Talat Models is a national model agency reaching every canton and scores of counties around Iraq. As their preliminary steps the Delegates compete in the national final and then they are prepared for the International competitions, such as MISS UNIVERSE®.MISS WORLD®, MISS INTERNATIONAL®, MISS EARTH®, MISS TOURISM®, MISS TOURISM INTERCONTINENTAL®, FORD'S SUPER MODEL OF THE YEAR®, MISTER WORLD®, MANHUNT INTERNATIONAL®, MISTER INTERNATIONAL®, and INTERNATIONAL MAN® Competitions.

An Unbelievable Year Ahead

The Titleholders then embark on a year unlike anything else, receiving exciting prizes, cash

and services, as well as:

· Part of each Titleholder's prize package is an employment contract with Talat Models.

· The Titleholder becomes a representative of the agency for one year, traveling the nation, meeting heads of state, dignitaries, participating in official charity and social events, appearing on television, speaking on a variety of topics, and getting the education, experiences and values to fulfill his/ her career goals.

CONCLUSION:

Talat Model Management, long a national tradition, is redefined with new ownership, leadership and vision for Iraq of the 21st century.

History of Beauty Competitions in Iraq

2008-05-21T15:37:00.018+03:00

HISTORY OF BEAUTY PAGEANTS IN IRAQ

The 1930’s

In the mid 1930’s, Arshak Photoshop started displaying the photos of the fairest women in Baghdad, he labeled them beauty queens of the month, then when the idea was successful it became an annual event with the winners from each month would compete for Miss Baghdad or Baghdad’s Queen of Beauty.

The idea proved successful, more customers were coming in, generating more business to the owner. In 1934 the very first official MISS BAGHDAD or Baghdad's Beauty Queen was elected, sponsored by Arashak, Winners of this title would promote Arashak's Photoshop and have their photos published in local news papers as the fairest women in Baghdad. This tradition continued until 1946.

1947 The Miss Iraq Pageant is born

In 1947 Mr. Naim Dangoor and owner of the Cocal Cola franchise in Iraq organized the first Miss Iraq Beauty Pageant (The Iraqi Kingdom’s Queen of Beauty)

In December 1947 the very first MISS KINGDOM OF IRAQ was crowned, Renee Dangoor, wife of Naim Dangoor , she also held the title of Miss Baghdad, which she had won earlier in April.

The 1950’s

In 1950 The Ministry of Tourism started organizing the event, because of Mr. Dangoor and many Iraqi Jews who funded the pageant were expelled from Iraq due to the establishment of the State of Israel.

In the early years of the Miss Iraq contest, married women were allowed to compete; in 1957 new regulations stipulated that married women are NOT allowed entry into the contest.

In 1958 scholarships were offered to the winners

The 1960’s

The Directorate General for Tourism took over in 1963.

Swimsuits were first introduced during the 1963 pageant as part of the preliminary show only and thus they were not worn on stage during the actual event.

Scholarships were handed out for the last time as part of the prize package in 1963.

The Titleholder's duties were merely making appearances in parades and festivals, especially the spring festival which was always held on March 21st of every year.

The 1970’s A new era and a new phase

In 1970, swimsuits were discarded, due to the then feminist's movements around the globe.

In the 1970’s the winners won contracts with the Iraqi Television as part of the prize. In 1972 the semi finals were introduced for the first time. Previously, all participants were judged in interview and evening gowns and then runners up were named and the winner's names were called, they crowned a beauty queen and regional queens such as Miss Northern Iraq, Miss Southern Iraq, Miss Baghdad, Miss Basra, Miss Nineveh, Miss Babylon and Miss Sumer & Akkad.

The swimsuit segment was brought back in 1974.

The 1980’s

In 1988 the State Directorate for Tourism was abolished and an Iraqi business woman and entrepreneur of French and Scottish descent named Edith Nouri took over the Beauty Competition and decided to modernize it.

The 1990’s

Previously, the pageant admitted 15 – 30 contestants and in 1990 there was a fixed number of 20 contestants, they were judged for their personality rather than just looks for the first time, the promoter of the pageant wanted Miss Iraq to follow International standards, but lack of funding ( which was the main cause during the 70’s and the Iraq – Iran war during the 80’s made it difficult to send representatives to International beauty competitions. The 1990’s decade was even more difficult, especially with Sanctions and the second gulf war.

Ms. Nouri’s MISS IRAQ COMMITTEE, redefined the pageant adding a sense of philanthropic side to the title, unlike previous winners who only attended gala events and parades, the new winners had a contract that urged fund raising and other charitable events that helped the community.

In 1998, the committee introduced the Super Model of Iraq and the Elite Model look –Iraq competitions in an effort to encourage young women to enter the modeling industry, and to encourage aspiring Iraqi fashion designers, stylists and jewelers to display their creations during these events.

In 1999 the MISTER IRAQ pageant started its debut, in order to promote Iraqi males to enter the modeling industry and appear in advertisements.

The new Millennium, The 2000’s

In 2000, a second queen was crowned: "Fatinat El Rafidain" - Iraq's Maiden of Beauty (IMB).

In 2002, other titles were added : The third queen was named "Malkat El Hasnawat" - Iraq's Queen of Grace (IQG) , the fourth queen was : "Malkat Jamal Sinn Al Murahaka" - Iraq's Teen Queen (ITQ), A fifth queen was added: "Ameerat Al Jameelat" - Iraq's Princess of Beauty These two are not elected every year.

Another notable title introduced during the year 2002, was Audience favorite title, this is voted on by the audience attending the show; they submit the name / number of their favorite contestant.

In 2002 Edith Nouri signed a deal with an Iraqi business man called Mahmoud Al Damirci ,they started the MARDUK ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY, in an effort to turn these events into annual TV productions ,they also wanted to add the EUROVISION IRAQ song contest, acquiring a Eurovision franchise proved to be an unsuccessful venture, because they were unable to find a TV station in Iraq that was a member of the European broadcast corporation.

In 2003 they parted ways and Ms. Nouri stared a new company with another partner and called the company " MISS IRAQ ORGANIZATION” which later in September of the same year Ms. Nouri's business partner pulled out due to financial losses and 2003 proved to be almost fatal for the pageants produced during this tough year.

Edith was not torn by the down fall that almost brought these events to a halt, she started IRAQ MODEL MANAGEMENT in November - 2003.

In May 2005, Edith decided to leave Iraq and to return to her native France.

Miss Iraq Pageant’s of 2003, 2004 and 2005 were held in Kenya as were the Mister Iraq Pageants of 2003, 2004 and 2007. The 2006 Mister Iraq Pageant was held in Baghdad - Iraq.

The 2007 Miss Iraq Pageant was held in Izmir - Turkey while
The 2008 Miss Iraq pageant was held in Nice - France.

In the summer of 2005, Ms. Nouri sold the company to Talat Model Management, The 2006 events were organized under TALAT MODEL MANAGEMENT.

In 2008 the Miss Teen Iraq pageant made its first official debut as a separate pageant, held simultaneously with the Miss Iraq 2008 pageant, previously, the Teen Title had been rewarded to the Third Runner Up (4th place winner) to Miss Iraq since the year 2002.

In 2009 Miss Teen Iraq was held in January and not simultaneously with the Miss Iraq 2009 pageant. There was an effort to produce Miss Teen Iraq in 1993 and 1998, but both efforts failed at the last minute due to lack of funds, however the 1993’ edition a winner was appointed as Miss Teen Iraq 1993, she was Randa Kanadilo, who later won Miss Iraq 1997.

The First Queen of Beauty, Meet Renee Dangoor, Miss Iraq®1947

2008-05-21T15:14:00.006+03:00

MISS IRAQ®1947 , RENEE DANGOOR

Below: Naim and Renne Dangoor ( right) in 1971, they were

invited at a gala, hosted by the Ambassador of Persia.