Behind the curtain at Alternative Miss World 1981

After a visit to the Crufts dog show, artist Andrew Logan was struck by genius. He would apply canine criteria – poise, personality, and originality – to contestants in a beauty pageant unlike any before: Alternative Miss World. In 1972, Logan hosted the first edition at his Hackney studio, setting the underground aflame with subversive notions of glamour, style, and self invention. 

Seizing the moment, Logan staged the 1978 edition, co-hosted by Divine, as the subject of The Alternative Miss World, a 1980 documentary film that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Incensed, the Miss World organisation struck back, attempting to block the film’s London debut, which was scheduled the same night at their televised pageant. In a curious twist of fate, future Prime Minister Tony Blair represented the Alternative Miss World organisation in court, with Lord Denning ultimately dismissing the case. 

The following year, Logan came back strong, staging the largest edition in the pageant’s history at the Grand Hall of Olympia on October 2, 1981, and later broadcast on Channel 4. The theme was royalty, and with it came untold decadence. The runway ran long, as did the event, with 35 contestants parading up and down a 250-foot catwalk until three in the morning. Among those in the mix was photographer David Corio, who revisits the unforgettable displays of pomp and circumstance in Alternative Miss World Olympia, London 1981 (Café Royal Books). 

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“London was really buzzing in 1981,” says Corio, then 21, who was outside most nights photographing concerts and clubs for New Musical Express and THE FACE. ​“I was shooting anything and everything from music to political demos. It was a time of a lot of experimentation and fashion trends. Bands like Bow Wow Wow were wearing Vivienne Westwood and every week seemed to bring another act that was going to be the next big thing.” 

Corio remembers mid-century beauty pageants as ​“a very odd scene” despite their popularity among the mainstream. ​“Seeing white women with large hair in swimsuits and high heels being interviewed about world affairs and what they would do to improve the world was just plain weird!” he remembers. 

But Alternative Miss World offered a reprieve, embracing the carnivalesque possibilities of glamour gone wild. French singer Hermine Demoriane and Miss Dinosaur make a delightful pair, reminding women when in doubt to choose the bear. Fashion designer Zandra Rhodes and New Romantic visionary Steve Strange kiki in the front row, while stylist Judy Blame carries on backstage. 

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Given free reign to shoot anywhere he liked, Corio naturally gravitated to the backstage scene. Amidst the mayhem, the competitors soldiered on, going through multiple costume changes and an interview with Logan. ​“There was a general sense of panic and disorganisation, which is probably the case at a lot of fashion shows. It was chaotic on the stage as well with the dinosaur falling over, rollerskaters crashing into other contestants,” Corio says. ​“The whole evening was general mayhem really – that much I do remember – in a nice way of course!”

Alternative Miss World Olympia, London 1981 by David Corio is published by Café Royal Books.

Miss Rosen is a freelance arts and photography writer, follow her on X.

Buy your copy of Huck 83 here.

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