A beauty contest, or beauty pageant, is a competition between people, 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; for an example of a male beauty contest, see Mr. Universe. 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 or frilly dresses. The term "prosti-tot" came into being after the still unsolved murder of JonBenét Ramsey. [1] This page is about the pleasant phenomenon. ... Variation in the physical appearance of humans is believed by anthropologists to be an important factor in the development of personality and social relations in particular physical attractiveness. ... Mr. ... A male Caucasian toddler child A child (plural: children) is a young human. ... (See also List of types of clothing) Introduction Humans often wear articles of clothing (also known as dress, garments or attire) on the body (for the alternative, see nudity). ... Male model in swimsuit, 2003 A swimsuit (also swimmers), bathing suit (also bathers) or swimming costume (sometimes shortened to cozzie) is an item of clothing designed to be worn for swimming. ... Image:JonBenet Ramsey jonben-1. ...

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 gowns competition, musical variety shows, and panel judging by panel. Still, the contest was hardly considered respectable entertainment and 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 background. Parody of Jenny Linds first American tour for P. T. Barnum, New York City, October 1850. ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... An early daguerreotype, claimed by some to be Abraham Lincoln, although many experts disagree with this claim. ... Rehoboth Beach is a city located in Sussex County, Delaware. ... State nickname: The First State Other U.S. States Capital Dover Largest city Wilmington Governor Ruth Ann Minner Official languages None Area 6,452 km² (49th)  - Land 5,068 km²  - Water 1,387 km² (21. ... 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Atlantic City is a city located in Atlantic County, New Jersey, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 40,517. ... State nickname: The Garden State Other U.S. States Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Governor Richard Codey (D) Official languages None defined Area 22,608 km² (47th)  - Land 19,231 km²  - Water 3,378 km² (14. ...

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), and Miss Earth (founded in 2001 with environmental awareness as its concern), which are the three largest and most famous international beauty contests. Women from around the world participate each year in the competitions for these titles. The organisers of the major beauty contests represent their contests as being events of world importance. Many other people consider beauty contests to be titillating entertainment events of no great importance. Erika Harold, Miss America 2003, wears the traditional winners tiara. ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Miss World pageant (not to be confused with Miss Universe) is an international beauty pageant founded in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... The Miss Universe beauty contest has been held since 1952 (not to be confused with the similar Miss World). ... 1952 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Miss Earth is the third-largest international pageant competition among women from countries around the world, after Miss Universe and Miss World. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Beauty contests and politics

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. 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 since their peak in the 1960s. These criticisms were presented in high-profile complaints against the Miss America contest in the late 1960s. Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ... Male model in swimsuit, 2003 A swimsuit (also swimmers), bathing suit (also bathers) or swimming costume (sometimes shortened to cozzie) is an item of clothing designed to be worn for swimming. ... High-heeled shoes are shoes where the heel of the wearers foot is raised to be significantly higher than their toes. ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

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. 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A fatwa (Arabic: ) plural fatāwa (Arabic: ) , is a legal pronouncement in Islam, issued by a religious law specialist on a specific issue. ... Italic text St. ...

Beauty contests and "sexual purity"

Beauty contests for women often have rules regarding the sexual "purity" of the contestants: for example, they must not be married, must not become pregnant, must agree to remain celibate during their "reign", and must agree to refrain from other acts that the contest organizers regard as "moral turpitude". Breaking any of those rules disqualifies the contestant, and such disqualifications occur with some frequency: resignations have been forced by the threat to release extant nude photographs of contestants.

Selecting a Beauty Queen

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 and race

• Margaret Gorman of Washington, D.C., USA was the first White Miss America in 1921. She was also the first Miss America.
• Kiki Haakonson of Sweden was the first White Miss World in 1951. She was also the first Miss World.
• Armi Kuusela of Finland was the first White Miss Universe in 1952. She was also the first Miss Universe.
• Jackie Loughery of New York, USA was the first White Miss USA in 1952. She was also the first Miss USA.
• Carmen Dujim Zubilaga of Venezuela was the first Latina Miss World in 1955.
• Gladys Zender of Peru was the first Latina Miss Universe in 1957.
• Akiko Kojima of Japan was the first Asian Miss Universe in 1959.
• Maria Stella Márquez Zawadzky of Colombia was the first Latina Miss International in 1960. She was also the first Miss International.
• Stam Van Baer was the first White Miss International in 1961.
• Macel Leilani Wilson was the first Asian Miss USA in 1962.
• Gemma Theresa Guerrero Cruz of the Philippines was the first Asian Miss International in 1964.
• Reita Faria of India was the first Asian Miss World in 1966.
• Jennifer Hosten of Grenada was the first black Miss World in 1970.
• Janelle Commissiong of Trinidad & Tobago was the first black Miss Universe in 1977.
• Vanessa Williams was the first black Miss America in 1984.
• Laura Martinez-Herring was the first Latina Miss USA in 1985.
• Carole Gist was the first black Miss USA in 1990.
• Veronique De La Cruz was the first black Miss France in 1993.
• Lola Odusoga was the first black Miss Finland in 1996.
• Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana was the first black African Miss Universe in 1999.
• Lucbel Carolina Indriago Pinto was the first colored Miss Venezuela in 1999.
• Angela Perez Baraquio was the first Asian Miss America in 2001.
• Agbani Darego of Nigeria was the first black African Miss World in 2001.
• Catharina Svensson of Denmark was the first White Miss Earth in 2001. She was also the first Miss Earth.
• Malou Hansson was the first black Miss Sweden in 2002.
• Erika Cruz Escalante was the first colored Miss Mexico in 2002.
• Adriana Zubiate Flores was the first colored Miss Peru in 2002.
• Erika Ramírez Marín was the first black Miss Honduras in 2002.
• Ruth Ocumárez Apatano was the first black Miss Dominican Republic in 2002.
• Vanessa Mendoza Bustos was the first black Miss Colombia in 2002.
• Winnie Adah Omwakwe of Kenya was the first black Miss Earth in 2002.
• Dania Patricia Prince Méndez of Honduras was the first Latina Miss Earth in 2003.
• Jeymmy Paola Vargas Gomez of Colombia was the first black Miss International in 2004.
• Marva Weatherborn was the first black Miss Guatemala in 2004.
• Helene Trasavik was the first biracial (Thai and Norwegian) Miss Norway in 2004-05.

Margaret Gorman (1905-1995) is best known for being the very first Miss America, from the year 1921. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the... ... For other uses, see White (disambiguation). ... Erika Harold, Miss America 2003, wears the traditional winners tiara. ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Kerstin Kiki Haakonson was the winner of the first Miss World beauty pageant in 1951, representing Sweden. ... The Miss World pageant (not to be confused with Miss Universe) is an international beauty pageant founded in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... The Original Miss Universe, Armi Kuusela Armi Kuusela was the first-ever winner of the Miss Universe, a beauty pageant originally created to sell swimsuits for Catalina swimwear. ... The Miss Universe beauty contest has been held since 1952 (not to be confused with the similar Miss World). ... 1952 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Jackie Loughery (1930- ) or Jacqueline Loughery is a woman originally from New York, known for being the winner of the first Miss USA beauty pageant, which was held until in Long Beach, California. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki (R) Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... The Miss USA Pageant (not to be confused with the similar Miss America pageant) is a beauty contest that has been held every year since 1952, and is the sister pageant of Miss Universe. ... Latina may refer to one of the following: The female gender of the noun Latino in reference to Latin-American immigrants and their descendants. ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gladys Zender (b. ... 1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term Asian can refer to something or someone from Asia. ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Maria Stella Márquez Zawadzky was Miss Colombia in 1959 and was therefore able to compete in the first Miss International beauty pageant held in Long Beach, California, USA. She won that competition by half a point, becoming the very first Miss International, and the first Latina Miss International. ... Miss International is a beauty pageant (officially titled The International Beauty Pageant) that was created in Long Beach, California, USA in 1960. ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1961 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Reita Faria was the first Indian woman, in 1966, to win the Miss World title. ... 1966 was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ... The term Blacks is often used in the West to denote race for persons whose progenitors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan Africa. ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... Vanessa Lynn Williams This article is about Vanessa Williams the actress and singer, for the actress on Melrose Place see Vanessa Williams (actress). ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Miss France pageant is a long-standing competition which awards prizes to young women contestants from France. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Mpule Kwelagobe of Lobatse, Botswana was crowned Miss Universe in May of 1999 in Trinidad & Tobago. ... World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second_largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Colored and person of color (or people of color in the plural sense) are terms that were commonly used to describe people who do not have white skin or a Caucasian appearance. ... Monica Spear Mootz, Miss Venezuela 2004 The Miss Venezuela contest is the national beauty pageant of Venezuela and has been held since 1952. ... Angela Perez Baraquio was crowned Miss America 2001. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Born Ibiagbanidokibubo Asenite Darego, and affectionately known as Agbani, she was given the title of Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria in 2001. ... Miss Earth is the third-largest international pageant competition among women from countries around the world, after Miss Universe and Miss World. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Debora Sulca, Miss Peru 2005 Peru has been competing in the Miss Universe pageants for over 50 years. ... Miss Colombia is officially known as the Concurso Nacional de Belleza of Colombia, namely the National Contest of Beauty. ... 2004 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The terms multiracial, biracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestors are not of a single race. ...

See also

• Miss Earth
• Miss International
• Miss Universe
• Miss World
• Miss Russian Army

Miss Earth is the third-largest international pageant competition among women from countries around the world, after Miss Universe and Miss World. ... Miss International is a beauty pageant (officially titled The International Beauty Pageant) that was created in Long Beach, California, USA in 1960. ... The Miss Universe beauty contest has been held since 1952 (not to be confused with the similar Miss World). ... The Miss World pageant (not to be confused with Miss Universe) is an international beauty pageant founded in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. ...

External links

• Yahoo! Directory: Beauty Pageants
• Global Beauties, a website about beauty contests
• Pageant Almanac: Coverage of Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA
• Jimmy's Pageant Page Information on a huge number of pageants, both international and national.