THE Miss South Pacific Pageant is a celebration of young Pacific women and the perception that it's a beauty pageant is always going to be a battle, says reigning pageant queen Vanessa Marsh.
The 2008 Miss Niue arrived at Nausori Airport yesterday and greeted some of the 2009 contestants at the Peace Garden in Suva.
"There's such a diverse range of women at this year's pageant," she said. "They're extremely intelligent, confident and beautiful so it's going to be a very exciting week.
"The perception that this is a beauty pageant is one I think we're going to have to battle to try and not promote. We have various attributes and talents and these should all be praised.
"I believe beauty plays a minor role because beauty is reflected in several ways either physically or through your personality.
"To judge this as purely being a beauty pageant is very unfair."
Miss American Samoa Lorisa Matautia arrived yesterday ahead of Miss Samoa Tusisaleia Pomele who arrives today.
This is Ms Matautia's first time in Fiji.
"This is a good opportunity to voice issues affecting the community," she said. "This is really not about beauty. It's about how you present yourself and your culture."
The pageant officially opens on Saturday.
