Beauty pageant
[1][2][3] Hundreds and thousands of beauty contests are held annually,[4] but the Big Four are considered the most prestigious,[5] and are widely covered and broadcast by news media.
[6][7][8][9][10][11] The earliest formal beauty pageants were held in the 19th century, although similar informal events date back to at least the post-classical period.
Reforms of pageants in the 21st century marked a shift from primarily focusing on physical appearance to placing more weight on other characteristics.
Possible awards of beauty contests include titles, tiaras, crowns, sashes, bouquets, scepters, savings bonds, scholarships, and prize money.
All participants had to supply a photograph and a short description of themselves to be eligible to enter and a final selection of 21 was judged by a formal panel.
Sixteen-year-old Margaret Gorman of Washington, D.C., was crowned Miss America 1921, having won both the popularity and beauty contests, and was awarded $100.
Miss Earth started in 2001, which channels the beauty pageant entertainment industry to actively promote the preservation of the environment.
[38][39][40] These four are considered the biggest and most well known pageants, the four largest and most famous international beauty contests for single or unmarried women (except Miss Universe).
[70] In Miss Earth, the 2002 winner, Dzejla Glavovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was dethroned of her crown six months into her reign, after she failed to show up at several environmental events.
[79] The Miss International organizer cited the reason for her dethronement was due to her involvement in a contract dispute with a talent agency in which she claimed that she was pressured to sign by Burning Productions, a film production company which is rumored to be linked with the Japanese underworld, but she refused and went ahead by starting her own company.
[80] Yoshimatsu filed criminal charges against one of Japan's most powerful talent agency executives, Genichi Taniguchi of Burning Productions, for allegedly stalking, intimidating, and harassing her.
Her success in winning the title was hugely symbolic and personal to Jewish people at that time because it in the direct aftermath of the Holocaust.
[92] Researchers suggest that the emergence of beauty pageants in countries outside the United States is linked to an economic boom geared towards a more consumeristic lifestyle.
[94] Critics of beauty pageants argue that such contests reinforce the idea that girls and women should be valued primarily for their physical appearance, and that this puts tremendous pressure on women to conform to conventional beauty standards by spending time and money on fashion, cosmetics, hair styling, and even cosmetic surgery.
High profile demonstrations led to some charities abandoning their use of such contests for fundraising and also saw some remove offensive language from their organisational titles.
[100] Researchers suggest that these events strengthen skills, such as interpersonal communications, self-assurance, and public speaking, which prove to be useful in future career paths.
Pope Pius XII condemned the crowning as sinful,[42][43] and countries with religious traditions threatened to withdraw delegates.
It was not until the late 1990s that they became permitted again,[22] but still generated controversy when finals were held in countries where bikinis (or swimsuits in general) were socially disapproved.
[22][45] For example, in 2003, Vida Samadzai from Afghanistan caused an uproar in her native country when she participated in the Miss Earth 2003 contest in a red bikini.
In December 2017, HuffPost published emails written by then-Miss America CEO Sam Haskell that disparaged former pageant contestants, making vulgar references to their weight and personal lives.
[115] Laura Zúñiga, former Miss Hispanic America, was detained with her boyfriend and six other people, and charged with racketeering, drug trafficking, weapons violations, and money laundering.
[117][118] During the pageant, judge Aimee Teegarden asked: "Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map.
[119][120] As a guest on NBC's The Today Show, Upton told Ann Curry and Matt Lauer that she was overwhelmed when asked the question and did not comprehend it correctly.
