Why should you be excited by the Iraq beauty pageant

Let’s not get into whether beauty pageants are tools of the patriarchy. We get it—some people are just not into them. Us, though? We love the idea of a pageant as a symbol of feminist progress. Are we serious? You bet we are.

In December, Iraq—yes, Iraq—held its very first official Miss Iraq pageant since 1972. While it did not have a swimsuit competition, it gave a platform to women from all over the country.

Here are few reasons why the pageant is a great thing

1. Despite receiving death threats, contestants went through with it. It was a show of defiance against anyone who hates women and women’s bodies.

2. More than 150 women applied for the pageant in the hope that it would go some way toward reviving their country. Consider it a giant pep rally for Iraq.

3. Many of the contestants have been directly affected by Islamic State, including the winner, 20-year-old economics student Shaima Qassem Abdulrahman. Abdulrahman, who hails from Kirkuk, lost two of her cousins, who died fighting militants, while five of her fellow contestants had to free Mosul when the city was occupied by ISIS.

4. The entrants were a mix of faiths and tribes, proving that people can come together despite their differences. The contestants hailed from all over the country and belonged to different beliefs—Muslim and Christian, Sunni and Shiite.