Israel Is A Greater Good Poke Meets The Catwalk
In a cultural center in the southern desert town of Beersheva, participants change their hair and apply makeup and laughing together as they sing in Hebrew, "We are the most beautiful women in the world We are the World Miss."
To be eligible, applicants must have at least 80 kilograms (176 pounds) and 2011 the competition includes multiple weighing about 120 kg (264 pounds).
Unlike your average beauty contest, which tends to adhere to a strict standard thin and flexible, this is the queen of curves.
Before the show, the atmosphere is one of the emotion behind the scenes.
"They are very beautiful and I'm going to win," 23-year-old Tanya Fayman said he was confident AFP.
"I'm very proud of myself and my body and my beauty, and nobody has the right to dictate my weight, so why should I be thin?"
For the evening wear section, sports Fayman a tight tight dress, high heels and necklaces of chain, with black hair that hung to his shoulders pine.
Proud of its size, shows no sign of shame when the side of its summit cracks a bit as he talks, just grab a needle and thread to sew the tear.
The confidence of the Russian-born beauty was well founded. After two rounds in which 20 candidates strut around in ball gowns and pants, and a set-top, Fayman was crowned the winner.
As strobe lights flash and colored confetti rained on the stage, Fayman obtained the crown, and the runners-up received bouquets of flowers.
Political science student at the University near Tel Aviv, who works part time selling shoes, Fayman was happy to win, but stressed physical beauty is not important to him.
"The most important beauty is the beauty of the soul and beauty of the heart, not just the beauty of body and face," he said.
The annual "Miss Fat and Beautiful" contest is the result of agent modeling Nagid Esther, who said he met with some resistance when first proposed in the mid 1990's.
"I launched this competition for the first time 15 years ago, and when I raised the idea that you called me mad," she told AFP.
"But when I arranged and promoted, even I was surprised how many women wanted to participate.
"The participants have to go far - to learn to walk on stage, and the practice of stopping in front of the camera," she said.
"The idea is to increase competition in all the confidence of these women and let them know that beauty is not just thin people.
"All women in this scene are beautiful and magical ... they must know that everyone is beautiful," he said.
And competition has become famous enough to attract any hopes of the Jewish state.
Adi Isaac, 24, of the northern port city of Haifa, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) to participate in the contest.
As a child, she was badly bullied for being overweight, "she said. She has since learned to be content with himself and not pay attention to the negative opinions on how it looks.
No win, but do not regret joining the competition.