A Scottish model is hoping to impress the judges in a beauty contest with a difference this weekend.
The Miss Progress international competition doesn’t have a bikini round and focuses more on the girls’ personalities and charity work.
Salon owner and hair stylist Madiha Iqbal said she wanted to prove that “real beauty is within”.
The 26-year-old is already Miss Progress Aberdeen and has a long list of beauty pageant titles under her sash.
The former Cults Academy pupil started modelling when she was just seven and went on to direct contests such as Miss British Empire.
She will represent Scotland at the national Miss Progress pageant in Leicester today in the hope of scooping the UK title and going through to the international final in Italy later this year.
Ms Iqbal said: “The main reason why I entered for Miss Progress was because it doesn’t have a bikini round.
“I obviously come from an Asian background, and although I don’t have anything against other pageants that have bikini rounds, I’m personally not in favour.
“It’s about my religion, it’s about my culture, and it’s what I don’t believe in. Personally I don’t think it’s necessary for a beauty pageant queen to have to show her body to the world because I think real beauty is within.
“Obviously you see outer beauty on stage too, but I believe judgements should be made on a contestant’s personality as well.
“It’s wrong to think that if people don’t have a hot body or they have a bit of flab they’re not good enough, which is how it is in a lot of American style pageants.
“In this pageant you are scored highly for your positive work in your community, it’s not just winning the crown and looking pretty.”
Ms Iqbal hopes her efforts to raise cash for various charities around Aberdeen will boost her chances of being crowned Miss Progress.
She added: “Me and my friend Julia Stewart held a Grampian Glamour Ball two years ago at the Douglas Hotel. We did raffles, auctions, and a fun fashion show, and raised £2,000 in cash for Macmillan Cancer Care.
“It’s exciting, I’m just preparing for the final stages on Sunday now, it will really be a dream come true for me to win.”