Beauty contest
|
Mrs. Texas crowned in beauty contest |
A
beauty contest or
beauty pageant is a competition between people that is based largely, though not always entirely, on the
beauty of their
physical appearance. Almost invariably, competitions for men and women are separate events, and those for men are not referred to as
beauty contests except derogatorily. Those for women are more common, and winners are called
beauty queens. Beauty contests for men, like
Mr. Universe, are traditionally body building contests. In the 1990s, male beauty contests focusing more on the physical beauty and attractiveness of the contestants have emerged; these include
Mr. World and
Manhunt International. There are also beauty contests for
children; they are controversial, in particular if the term
sexy is used and/or the children (mostly females) are
dressed in no more than a
swimsuit.
Choosing symbolic kings and queens for May Day and other festivities is an ancient custom in
Europe, where beautiful young women also symbolized the nation, virtue, or other abstract ideals. The first modern pageant was staged by
P. T. Barnum in 1854, but his beauty contest was closed down by public protest (he had previously held dog, baby, and bird beauty contests). He substituted
daguerreotypes for judging, a practice quickly adopted by newspapers, which held photo beauty contests for many decades. The first "bathing beauty pageant" took place as part of a summer festival to promote business in
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, in 1880. Contests became a regular part of summer beach life, with the most elaborate at
Atlantic City, New Jersey, where the "Fall Frolic" attracted contestants from many cities and towns in competition for the title of Miss America. They eventually added preliminary eliminations, an evening gown competition, musical variety shows, and judging by panel. Still, the contest was shunned by middle-class society. Pageants did not become respectable until World War II, when beauty queens were recruited to sell bonds and entertain troops; scholarships and talent competitions accompanied closer scrutiny of contestants' morals and backgrounds. During the 1950s, pageants thrived to promote
county fairs and local products . For example, some of
Raquel Welch's titles included "Miss Photogenic" and "Miss Contour". The modern beauty pageant can trace its origin to the
Miss America pageant, first held in Atlantic City in
1921, under the title "Inter-City Beauty" contest. The following year, the title was renamed as Miss America. Other contests include the yearly
Miss World competition (founded by
Eric Morley in
1951),
Miss Universe (founded in
1952),
Miss International and
Miss Earth (founded in
2001 with environmental awareness as its concern), which are the
four largest and most famous international beauty contests. Minor contests, such as the
Miss Bondi contest in Australia, are common throughout the world in the
Summer months. Across the world, Women from around the world participate each year in local competitions for the chance to represent their country at the international titles. The organizers of the major beauty contests represent their contests as being events of world importance. A more common view is that beauty contests are titillating entertainment events of no great importance.
Many
feminists regard beauty contests for women as degrading to females in general, as well as to the women who compete in them. A common comparison made by feminists is that beauty contests are like a cattle market for women, further enforcing society's objectification of women. They have particularly objected to
swimsuit rounds in competitions, where the contestants parade dressed only in swimsuits and
high-heeled shoes. Partly because of this, beauty contests have declined in popularity in many countries since their peak in the
1960s.
The contests are highly controversial and regularly attract demonstrators. An extreme example is the
2002 Miss World contest, which was held in
Nigeria, the country of the
2001 winner, until mass riots which killed 200 and a
fatwa against a female journalist caused the organizers to move it to
London.
Many national 'Miss' pageants have come under heavy criticism and some have been the subjects of direct action.
Miss New Zealand was no longer televised in the early 2000s as a result of falling public interest, although it had once been very popular. There were also high-profile complaints against the
Miss America contest in the late 1960s. In contrast, pageants in some cultures, such as
Latin America, are the subject of less criticism.
Beauty pageants are generally multi-tiered, with local competitions feeding into the larger competitions. The worldwide pageants thus require hundreds or thousands of local competitions. In the
United States there is now a commercial beauty pageant industry that organizes thousands of local and regional events for all ages for profit, supporting magazines like Pageantry and Pride of Pageantry, the online epiczine.com, Pageant News Bureau, and The Crown Magazine, and a host of retailers of everything from
tiaras to
cosmetic surgery.
Beauty contests*
List of beauty contests (comprehensive list)
*
The Big Four*
Drag pageant*
International Mister Leather*
Manhunt International*
Miss Asia Pacific International*
Miss Bondi*
Miss Earth*
Miss Europe*
Miss Globe International*
Miss Intercontinental*
Miss International*
Miss Universe*
Miss World*
Miss ASEAN*
Mister Intercontinental*
Mister International*
Mister World*
Yahoo! Directory: Beauty Pageants*
Jimmy's Pageant Page Information on a huge number of pageants, both international and national.
*
Pageant Almanac Coverage of Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and other major international and American pageants.
*
Things to Consider When Participating in Child and Teen Pageants*
Miss Pakistan World A pageant for all Pakistani delegates
