China Hosts Beauty Pageant for Goldfish - as part of the news series by GeoBeats.

Beauty pageants conjure up images of evening gowns, bathing suits and high heels.

However, competitors in a recent pageant in China didn’t need any extravagant outfits or accessories. The three thousand participants were actually goldfish. Battling for the title of ‘World Goldfish Queen’, they came from various countries including Indonesia, Brazil and Malaysia and were arranged in bowls, ready for officials to look them over.

One of the judges speaks of the deciding factors stating “We judge goldfish mainly by five criteria: breed, body shape, swimming gesture, color, which is very important, and overall impression”.

One rare contestant made quite an impression. The fish weighed nearly 4 pounds, leaving judges stunned.

Venezuela is home to another beauty pageant that features non-human contestants. The competition involves Barbie dolls, which are all dressed up by their owners. Dubbed the Miss Barbie Venezuela Pageant, the dolls are given a special name and an imaginary profession and then they are presented to the judges.

What are your thoughts on beauty pageants? good or bad idea?