Fancy being Mr Universe but think it looks like a bit too much work? You could always try your luck in a less demanding contest by competing for the title of Mr Ugly, Zimbabwe's most unusual "beauty" pageant.
Held in a nightclub in the capital city, Harare, and sponsored by local businesses, Mr Ugly Zimbabwe has been an institution since 2011 – and despite attracting some criticism, only seems to be increasing in popularity.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Participants get token prizes of clothes or groceries, with cash prizes for the runners-up.
However, the lucky winner gets to walk away with the all-important Mr Ugly crown, as well as cash and other goodies.
A chance to be voted Zimbabwe's ugliest man might not seem like the most attractive prospect, but event organiser David Machowa says that, on the contrary, the contest has become so popular that this year preliminary rounds will be introduced to whittle down the large number of hopefuls. They'll have their work cut out to defeat reigning champion William Masvinu, a local market porter who has held the title since the contest started in 2011.
"My ugliness comes naturally to me," he boasted after defending his title in 2012. Masvinu even has a manager, who ascribes his client's success to his "choreography" and "funny clothing".
"We are looking for natural ugliness," Machowa told Associated Press. "People have always seen ugliness as something to be ashamed of," he said. "Looks are God given. We should all be proud of who we are."
Machowa plans to expand the Mr Ugly pageant to neighbouring countries – but there are no current plans to launch a Miss Ugly contest.
-
Moon dust has earthly elements thanks to a magnetic bridgeUnder the radar The substances could help supply a lunar base
-
World’s oldest rock art discovered in IndonesiaUnder the Radar Ancient handprint on Sulawesi cave wall suggests complexity of thought, challenging long-held belief that human intelligence erupted in Europe
-
Claude Code: the viral AI coding app making a splash in techThe Explainer Engineers and noncoders alike are helping the app go viral
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
