How Beauty Contests Have Evolved, and Why Married, Divorced, and Pregnant Women Can Participate in Miss Universe 2023

A beauty contest is not an exclusively modern phenomenon. They were held in ancient and medieval times. But they became huge and popular in the 20th century. For some time, beauty contests were considered a thing of the past, but public opinion is changing now. So, one of the biggest organizations, Miss Universe allowed married, divorced, and pregnant ladies to take part in the competition for the title.

We at CHEERY decided to find out how beauty contests have evolved over time, and if they have a future in the modern world.

The first beauty contests were for men.

The first beauty contests were held back in Ancient Greece, but for men, not for women. The ancient world really valued men’s attractiveness, and not always young ones. In Athens, there was a special competition for older participants.

The first competitions for women appeared in medieval times, and they were usually devoted to some celebrations. For the May Day festival, people would choose a Queen, usually the most attractive girl in the settlement. Women wouldn’t get money for it, but they could rule the entire event.

The history of modern competitions started on beaches.

In the Victorian era, there were very strict rules, describing the clothes women could wear in public. At the same time, the first beauty pageants were held on beaches. Usually, working-class women would take part. These events became truly popular only at the beginning of the 20th century when women were allowed to wear more revealing swimsuits.

In the 20s of the previous century, the authorities of Atlantic City, famous for its sandy beaches, decided to prolong the holiday season. So, they organized the first big beauty contest Miss America, in which respectable young girls took part. Since 1921, the event was sponsored by Catalina Swimwear.

Miss Universe appeared due to the stubbornness of one girl. In 1951, the girl that won the crown didn’t want to wear the swimsuit, belonging to the sponsor, for the photo shoot. So, Catalina Swimwear decided to give up on the 30-year-long collaboration and organize its own events: Miss Universe and Miss USA.

The first Miss Universe was not a girl from the USA.

The first Miss USA and Miss Universe were held at the same time in Long Beach, so there were finalists among the US girls. But the crown went to a 17-year-old girl from Finland, Armi Kuusela. Aside from other prizes, the girl got a long-term contract with the movie studios Universal Studios and went on a tour around the world.

In the Philippines, Armi met businessman Virgilio Hilario and decided to give up the title to marry him. They lived in Manila and had 5 children. Armi is still doing charity work and supports different foundations and programs.

How beauty standards have changed over the years.

The standards of women’s beauty and how it’s presented have changed through the history of beauty contests. While in the 1950s, women would wear quite closed swimsuits, in the past decades the clothes have become more revealing. Also, the body mass index has started to decline since the 80s.

These factors concern experts. It looks like these beauty contests create unrealistic beauty expectations in people. Girls try to match the standards, which might lead to eating disorders.

A study by a non-profit organization YMCA England showed that 40% of girls and young women suffer from the pressure from society that makes them look attractive.

Contests have not always gone as planned.

The strict rules of contests that prohibited the participants from being married, divorced, or having children, and forced them to show certain moral qualities, often led to the disqualification of women and loss of the crown. Besides, women had to match the standards for a year after winning, and only then they could do what they wanted.

Alicia Machado, who won the title in 1996, was forced to have a diet and follow a special training program when they thought the girl started to gain weight. Otherwise, she would lose the crown. The girl did what they asked, but the scandal broke out anyway.

How outdated beauty contests really are.

Some critics say that in the 21st century, an event, where girls demonstrate their beauty on a stage, wearing swimsuits, and judges evaluate their attractiveness, seems very outdated. It attracts too much attention to the female body, ignoring other strong sides of the participants.

But many finalists disagree. They say that Miss Universe gives women a much-needed platform to express their ideas. They do charity work and attract attention to important social problems. Besides, beauty standards are changing, and women are allowed to show their individuality.

Flaviana Matata, who presented Tanzania in 2007, appeared with a shaved head at Miss Universe. And the 2019 finalist Zozibini Tunzi urged girls to value their natural beauty and not care much about stereotypes.

There are beauty contests for married ladies.

Until 1984, only non-married girls took part in big beauty contests. And then a new big event appeared: Mrs. World. Women aged from 21 to 48 can win the crown. And the most important condition: they should be married.

The organizers think that modern society is too interested in young and single girls, and we shouldn’t neglect those that sacrificed a lot for the family and built their careers. Married women and mothers should have a place to speak their minds. Unfortunately, divorced ladies can’t participate in Mrs. World, which caused some controversy.

Miss Universe decided to make some unprecedented steps.

In 2019, Joyce Prado, who won the Miss Bolivia Universe 2018, lost her crown because of her pregnancy. Some people think that beauty contests are not going to change together with the world, but in fact, they are ready to take some big steps.

The organizers of Miss Universe, that were quite conservative, announced that they made corrections to the criteria for the participants, and it’s a historical moment in itself. By 2023, there will be mothers and married women, and the winner will be able to keep the title even if she gets pregnant.

As the organizers of Miss Universe said, “We all believe that women should have agency over their lives and that a human’s personal decisions should not be a barrier to their success.” So, maybe in the near future, we will see other changes to the stages of the events and the choice of participants.

What changes would you make to modern beauty contests?