Childhood Aspirations

The very first documented beauty pageant dates clear back to Paris of Troy. He had to choose between three beauties for a wife. He chose Helen, the daughter of Zeus and Leda. If there would have been titles back then like there are today then Helen would have been named Miss World. America didn’t start holding beauty pageants until the early 1920’s. They were originally a gimmick to keep tourists in town after the summer months. This was the birth of Miss America. The contest was held each year in Atlantic City and each year the number of contestants grew. The Miss America pageant was discontinued during the great depression, as the economy took a dive for the worst. The pageant came back in 1932, but there was not much interest in it. When it was found out that a 15 year old woman won the contest, she was disqualified and stripped of her title. In the late 1930’s, in an attempt to add an intellectual aspect, the beauty pageant introduced a talent competition which was mandatory for each of the contestants. The winner would receive a scholarship for college, back then this amount totaled around $5,000. In the year 1951, the beauty pageant expanded outside the borders of the United States and included contestants from other parts of the world, hence the birth of the Miss World Pageant. Shortly thereafter, the introduction of the Miss Universe Pageant was held in Long Beach, California. Then came the era of media, scholarships, and enhanced beauty for the contestants. The women were graded on the size of their hips, breasts, and waist. The women held themselves to these same guidelines. In 1961, the first child beauty pageant was held in New Jersey in an attempt to bring customers to the area. It was never thought that this w...

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