beauty pageant

nostalgia

Miss Universe Pageant's Good, Bad, and Scandalous History

Today, the Miss Universe organization has found itself immersed in controversy once again when Miss Delaware Teen USA Melissa King resigned after a pornographic movie surfaced that allegedly features Melissa just months after she turned 18.

Today, the Miss Universe organization has found itself immersed in controversy once again when Miss Delaware Teen USA Melissa King resigned after a pornographic movie surfaced that allegedly features Melissa just months after she turned 18. Melissa denies that it's her, even if the girl in the video looks exactly like her and mentions personal details that match up. Last year, the Miss Universe Canada pageant was in hot water for disqualifying transgender beauty queen Jenna Talackova for not being born a woman. After a huge backlash from Jenna's supporters, the Miss Universe organization has reversed its decision.

The beauty pageant world has been riddled with scandals, missteps, and fallen-from-grace pageant royalty, as the somewhat sexualized nature of the competition seems at odds with the strict rules (you can be penalized for playing beer pong, for goodness sake). So click on to learn some of the scandalous and sexy moments in the 60-year history of the emotional and bikini-filled Miss Universe beauty pageant.

women

Transgender Beauty Queen Jenna Talackova Has Already Won

The Miss Universe Canada pageant wasn't feeling so congenial when it disqualified contestant Jenna Talackova, 23, on account of being transgender.

The Miss Universe Canada pageant wasn't feeling so congenial when it disqualified contestant Jenna Talackova, 23, on account of being transgender. But since the news broke last week, Jenna has received lots of positive support and her publicist released a statement today saying, "Jenna is overwhelmed, and deeply moved by the support she has received from around the globe."

When she was 19, Jenna, who was born a man and is seen on the right in the above photo, underwent gender reassignment surgery. Jenna says she knew she was meant to be a woman at the age of four, and started hormone therapy at age 14. The Miss Universe Canada pageant, which is owned by Donald Trump, said it disqualified her after she reached the finals in the Miss Vancouver competition because "she did not meet the requirements to compete despite having stated otherwise on her entry form." Prerequisites for competition include being a non-married Canadian citizen between the ages of 18 and 27. Although there are no specific rules about sex changes or cosmetic surgery, Miss Universe Canada says Jenna falsely stated that she had been born female on her application.

A Change.org petition asking the pageant to reinstate her already has over 30,000 signatures. It reads, "This is discriminatory, unjust, and quite frankly disgusting. She is a woman and deserves to be treated as any other woman would be. What kind of genitals she was or was not born with (and even what kind of genitals she has today) is completely irrelevant." Jenna says she hopes her experience will help prevent discrimination in the future, and it seems like she's well on her way to raising awareness. Would you sign the petition to get her reinstated?

women

Former Miss Venezuela Dies From Breast Cancer, Leaves Beautiful Legacy

At only 28 years old, former Miss Venezuela Eva Ekvall has died from breast cancer.

At only 28 years old, former Miss Venezuela Eva Ekvall has died from breast cancer. Eva was just 17 when she was crowned Miss Venezuela in 2000, and then the following year she was third runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant. But Eva was much more than a pretty face, as she went on to be not only a wife and mother, but a model, actress, television news anchor, and author before her life was cut tragically short.

Ironically, the pageant queen's most lasting legacy may be that of her battle against Venezuela's obsession with beauty. Eva said in an interview, "It's absurd that there should be a taboo about breast cancer in a country of breast implants, where women have few reservations about showing off their surgically-enhanced breasts." With shows like Toddlers & Tiaras, we may think the US has a beauty pageant addiction, but Venezuela is known for its focus on looks. The country has one of the biggest markets for breast augmentation in the world, and its beauty schools for girls churn out pageant queens (it even holds the record for most Miss World wins).

After being diagnosed with advanced breast cancer in 2010, Eva wanted to make a stand against this focus on appearance. She chronicled her struggle with the disease in her book, Fuera de Foco, which means "out of focus," and is photographed bald for the cover. In an interview she said, "I hate to see photos in which I come out ugly. But you know what? Nobody ever said cancer is pretty or that I should look like Miss Venezuela when I have cancer."

See this remarkable woman over the years now.

women

7 Things You Didn't Know About Miss World

Last night Miss Venezuela Ivian Lunasol Sarcos Colmenares was crowned Miss World 2011.

Last night Miss Venezuela Ivian Lunasol Sarcos Colmenares was crowned Miss World 2011. And while there were the expected pageant waves, tears, sparkly dresses, and plastered-on smiles, there's more to the 60-year-old beauty pageant than meets the eye. Here are some of the fun and juicy tidbits about Miss World that you may not know:

  • Venezuela is the country with the most Miss World wins, Ivian is the sixth to be crowned!
  • Miss World is the oldest major international beauty pageant, having begun in the UK in 1951, a year before Miss Universe.
  • The pageant controversially chose Nigeria's capital Abuja as the host city for the final in 2002, despite the country having a woman awaiting a death-by-stoning sentence for adultery. Many of the contestants boycotted the pageant, and ultimately it was moved to London.
  • Feminist protesters scared host Bob Hope when they tossed flour bombs at the pageant in 1970.
  • The US had a poor showing when the first American to win, 1973's Miss World Marjorie Wallace, had to give up her crown 104 days in because she wasn't living up to her royal responsibilities.
  • Several countries boycotted the 1976 pageant because South Africa had both a black and white representative. It wasn't until 1991 that the country changed its policy and was allowed back to the competition.
  • Miss World's 1980 winner, Gabriella Brum of Germany, resigned a day after the pageant, saying her boyfriend didn't approve. But in reality, Gabriella got the boot due to some naked magazine photos she had taken.

See more photos of Miss World Ivian looking like beauty pageant Barbie now!

women

Miss World Contestants Play Dirty at Scottish Highland Games

It's not often you see beauty pageant contestants competing by throwing logs, playing the bagpipes, and running with water jugs.

It's not often you see beauty pageant contestants competing by throwing logs, playing the bagpipes, and running with water jugs. But 122 Miss World hopefuls are doing just that as they participate in the Miss World Highland Games in Scotland. Created in the UK in 1951, the Miss World pageant is the oldest major international beauty pageant. And to celebrate its 60th birthday, the organizers have taken the competition to the great outdoors with an all-women twist on the Scottish Highland games.

The highland games are ancient competitions that have been going on for centuries — before recorded history! — that celebrate the culture and history of the Scottish Highlands. So the ladies of the Miss World pageant are trying their hands (and feet) at everything from Scottish dancing, the caber toss, bagpipe playing, and the farmyard dash. Watch these girls throw caution to the wind as they get down and dirty, smiling the whole time, in the Miss World Highland Games!

Video

Toddlers & Tiaras Pageant Mom Supports "Diva" Son

Usually the pageant moms on Toddlers & Tiaras get a lot of flak for pushing their children into the beauty pageant lifestyle.

Usually the pageant moms on Toddlers & Tiaras get a lot of flak for pushing their children into the beauty pageant lifestyle. But in the case of 7-year-old Brock, who describes himself as a "diva," his mom should be commended for her loving support of her son's involvement in pageants. Brock is passionate about dancing, saying he'd love to be on Broadway when he grows up, a refreshing change of pace from the girls who are dragged kicking and screaming onto the stage. In the video below, Brock's mom talks about how when Brock was only 2 years old he wanted to take tap dance lessons, and ever since then both she and her husband have encouraged him to be who he is, even when that means dressing up like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz and playing with dolls. Watch the sweet video below.

New Zealand

This Beauty Queen Lost Her Crown For Dyeing Her Hair

We're already not enamored of beauty pageants, but this news is just ridiculous.

We're already not enamored of beauty pageants, but this news is just ridiculous. Fifteen-year-old Kiwi Olivia O'Neil has been stripped of her Miss Teen Wanganui crown. Her offense? She dyed her hair from blond to dark brown. When the pageant organizer, Barbara Osborne, saw it, she asked, "Is that a wig? I hope it is. Don't give me heart failure."

Our plucky pageant queen declared that it was indeed her real hair color, and that if Osborne didn't approve, then beauty pageantry might not be the right world for her. That's when things got crazy, with Osborne saying, "Well, you better decide, miss. Hand over your crown with an attitude like that. I'm sure someone will step into your place with manners." So Olivia did just that, at which point the organizer told the teenager that she "would not go far in this world." (What a nice lady!) Do you think Olivia should have been able to keep her crown, or is hair dye a serious offense?

beauty pageant

A Peek Inside the Plastic Surgery Beauty Pageant

I'd heard about the Hungarian Miss Plastic Hungary beauty contest a few months ago, but now there's footage of this unprecedented event.

I'd heard about the Hungarian Miss Plastic Hungary beauty contest a few months ago, but now there's footage of this unprecedented event. The contestants, all of whom have gone under the knife and are oddly dressed like Leeloo from The Fifth Element, competed for prizes including a car and an apartment. (In case you're wondering, no, cosmetic procedures such as Botox didn't count — only surgery such as rhinoplasty did.)

I find this concept odd, but then again, I have always found beauty pageants unsettling. At the same time, there's something refreshing about this one's frank acknowledgment of the nips and tucks. After all, in traditional beauty pageants, many contestants have had some surgical tweaking, but that's not disclosed. At least this Hungarian pageant says, "Nope, nothing fully natural here." Do you think that's a better way to go about pageantry, or do you find the whole thing bizarre in the first place?

beauty pageant

Baby Beauty Pageants Move On to the UK

We've talked about this a couple times before, but now baby beauty pageants have moved across the pond, and it seems like Brits are willing to go to even greater extremes than their American counterparts.

We've talked about this a couple times before, but now baby beauty pageants have moved across the pond, and it seems like Brits are willing to go to even greater extremes than their American counterparts. Baby Beauty Queens, a new BBC3 documentary, follows three girls who are part of the growing UK child pageant scene. One of the girls, at age 7, had plastic surgery to "correct" her ears (her story starts at about the 7:15 minute mark). To find out more about these pageants, read on.