Amist 10,000 live audience and a 600 million tv viewers - Riyo Mori who was Miss Japan wins the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant 2007!
It was a magical and historic night. You could see the glow on the beauty pageant contestant's faces. Their confidence, their hope to win what they've always dreamt of.
But the one to be crowned was 20 year old Riyo Mori - a japanese ballet dancer.
Zuleyka Rivera (last years queen) from Puerto Rico gave her a $250,000 crown studded with diamonds and pearls.
2 unfortunate events happened:
1- Rachel Smith who is Miss Usa - slipped on the runway. She regained her composure quickly - which was marvelous! But the audience didn't like her anyways.
2- Mexicans booed Smith which drained her confidence and am sure self-worth too. The reason behind that was because the US has strict laws against illegal immigrants from Mexico.
But mexicans trying to get back at the them through the cost of a young beauty pageant contestants was a very sad gesture.
All in all it was a very entertaining show. Glad to see the contestants give there all. At the end of the day only one takes home to crown so it makes it all more compeititive and exciting.
Angelina
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Simple Beauty Pageant Makeup Techniques
How much makeup is too much? I've heard that when you're on stage you should wear a lot, but some people say that's wrong. What do you think?
It’s not about wearing “a lot” it’s about wearing stronger colors and using them in different ways. We “see” by focusing on the way light reflects off a surface. Thus you don’t see as well at night, shiny surfaces look bigger, and stage lights make normal “street” makeup disappear.
Stage lighting is intense. It is very bright and hard - with the result that it “washes out” pale colors. To compensate, people who work onstage learn to use strong colors in ways that make their facial expressions stand out under the harsh lighting.
I think that is why there is a difference of opinion on this subject.
When competing in a pageant you want to look pretty and fresh under the harsh lights – for the judges. Judges are generally seated in the front row of the audience. Therefore you want to design your makeup to make you look beautiful to the first few rows and not worry too much about it “carrying” tothe back or you will risk looking over-made-up.
Try choosing stronger shades of the same colors you normally wear. A darker shade of your customary color in a pancake or cream foundation will provide more coverage and stand up to the lighting better. Be careful to blend the edges well to prevent a “line.” Powder your entire face and neck with loose translucent matte powder to avoid a shiny face.
Choose only matte finishes in all your cosmetics for a natural look. Never wear frosted colors onstage. Avoid bright unnatural eye shadow colors like blue or green.
Use dark eyeliner/pencil to define your eyes, soften with a cotton swab and try individual lashes combined with your own rather than heavy artificial eye lashes.
Use cream, off-white, gray or brown to contour (no white.) Don’t wear a vivid color nail polish – it pulls attention away from your face and is distracting when you move your hands.
Two Offbeat Makeup Tips:
Contrary to the urban legend you may have heard – don’t use Vaseline on your teeth, it makes them look yellow. If you truly have a difficult time with a bright natural smile because your mouth becomes too dry, try rubbing just a very small dab between your lip and gums.
If you are worried about your thighs jiggling as you walk the stage in your swimsuit there is a temporary cure - have plenty of hemorrhoid cream on hand. If you rub it on your skin right before you walk out on stage, it will make the skin appear firmer for those few moments when you walk past the judges.
A final thought about makeup: when you appear for your initial interview with the judges you will most likely be seated directly across a table from them. You want your make up to enhance your natural beauty and make you look just that – natural! So leave the stage makeup for the stage.
============
This is an excrept from "Insider Secrets To Winning The Beauty Pageant". Hang on a few weeks before you can lay your hands on it :-).
It’s not about wearing “a lot” it’s about wearing stronger colors and using them in different ways. We “see” by focusing on the way light reflects off a surface. Thus you don’t see as well at night, shiny surfaces look bigger, and stage lights make normal “street” makeup disappear.
Stage lighting is intense. It is very bright and hard - with the result that it “washes out” pale colors. To compensate, people who work onstage learn to use strong colors in ways that make their facial expressions stand out under the harsh lighting.
I think that is why there is a difference of opinion on this subject.
When competing in a pageant you want to look pretty and fresh under the harsh lights – for the judges. Judges are generally seated in the front row of the audience. Therefore you want to design your makeup to make you look beautiful to the first few rows and not worry too much about it “carrying” tothe back or you will risk looking over-made-up.
Try choosing stronger shades of the same colors you normally wear. A darker shade of your customary color in a pancake or cream foundation will provide more coverage and stand up to the lighting better. Be careful to blend the edges well to prevent a “line.” Powder your entire face and neck with loose translucent matte powder to avoid a shiny face.
Choose only matte finishes in all your cosmetics for a natural look. Never wear frosted colors onstage. Avoid bright unnatural eye shadow colors like blue or green.
Use dark eyeliner/pencil to define your eyes, soften with a cotton swab and try individual lashes combined with your own rather than heavy artificial eye lashes.
Use cream, off-white, gray or brown to contour (no white.) Don’t wear a vivid color nail polish – it pulls attention away from your face and is distracting when you move your hands.
Two Offbeat Makeup Tips:
Contrary to the urban legend you may have heard – don’t use Vaseline on your teeth, it makes them look yellow. If you truly have a difficult time with a bright natural smile because your mouth becomes too dry, try rubbing just a very small dab between your lip and gums.
If you are worried about your thighs jiggling as you walk the stage in your swimsuit there is a temporary cure - have plenty of hemorrhoid cream on hand. If you rub it on your skin right before you walk out on stage, it will make the skin appear firmer for those few moments when you walk past the judges.
A final thought about makeup: when you appear for your initial interview with the judges you will most likely be seated directly across a table from them. You want your make up to enhance your natural beauty and make you look just that – natural! So leave the stage makeup for the stage.
============
This is an excrept from "Insider Secrets To Winning The Beauty Pageant". Hang on a few weeks before you can lay your hands on it :-).
Monday, May 7, 2007
Cool Pictures of Miss Universe 2007 Contestants
Hey girls!
Am back with some cool pictures of our Miss Universe contestants.
Checkout their fashion pictures here:
Contestants Pose In Their Bikinis.
2 Things I want you to notice:
Am back with some cool pictures of our Miss Universe contestants.
Checkout their fashion pictures here:
Contestants Pose In Their Bikinis.
2 Things I want you to notice:
1- Have a look at the photo of Trinere Lynes from Bahamas & Jelena Maros from Croatia in the above link. Notice their legs are wide apart. She's trying to give that overly sexly thought - but you know what? It'll backfire.
It's slutty to spread your legs so wide apart in a bikini. Heck that's the pose you'll find in the advertisments of porn sites. You'll never see a classy girl EVER doing that.
And the judges want a classy girl. They don't want a pornstar. That's why you'll never see a girl with extra-ordinarly (naturally or artificially) heavy busts winning any of the top 3 beauty pageants.
Instead - the girls that crossed their legs were the clever ones. People like mystery, they want to see what they can't see & are interesed in what's hidden from them. So by crossing the legs and not exposing their most prized possession - those girls are winning big points.
While the others who think their overly sexy pose will be a hit among judges - are dead wrong.
2- Most of the girls gave a good facial expression. But a majority of them did NOT take advantage of expressing their body language in the right way. They just gave shots standing up starring at the camera not knowing what to do with their hands or sitting down trying to look cool.
Some were even playing with a prop - which they shouldn't have - because many others were playing with the SAME prop! They should've noticed this.
It's too late and I've to go bed. But I'd love to teach you what body language means and how to use it to it's full potential. Though I do go indepth about it in my upcoming beauty pageant course. So if you're serious about becoming a queen - then you'll want to get it as soon as it's released.
Talk soon!
Angelina
Sunday, May 6, 2007
2 Hot Beauty Pageant News From Mexico & Philadelphia
Hi everyone!
I just read this sweet article: One lassie's beauty pageant dreams.
It's a narration of a beauty pageant's experiance (by herself). And that too from Philadelphia.
The winner doesn't get loads of cash but instead - along with the coveted tiara, gets a "a bouquet of white roses and an emerald green sash embroidered with the title and a paid round trip to Ireland to represent Philadelphia in the international Mary from Dungloe festival."
A very interesting read - specially since the author did NOT win the pageant! But she describes the experiance being a big thing on it's own. A great mindset I must add.
.........
Now lets checkout how the pageants are doing in Mexico for Miss Universe 2007.
Here's a fresh out-of-the-oven video:
Contestants enjoy a cocktail party in Mexico City
Notice the fake smiles :-)
That's one thing you should remember. The first time people take your pictures whereever you go - is thrilling and nice and exciting. But we won't feel as excited everytime that happens - specially when it'll happen day and night.
But you STILL have to give a geniune smile. From the heart. Not a fake photo-shoot smile.
And being social and friendly is one of the MUST have qualities for a beauty pageant queen.
Lets see who knows all that in the upcoming Miss Universe 2007. :-)
Angelina
I just read this sweet article: One lassie's beauty pageant dreams.
It's a narration of a beauty pageant's experiance (by herself). And that too from Philadelphia.
The winner doesn't get loads of cash but instead - along with the coveted tiara, gets a "a bouquet of white roses and an emerald green sash embroidered with the title and a paid round trip to Ireland to represent Philadelphia in the international Mary from Dungloe festival."
A very interesting read - specially since the author did NOT win the pageant! But she describes the experiance being a big thing on it's own. A great mindset I must add.
.........
Now lets checkout how the pageants are doing in Mexico for Miss Universe 2007.
Here's a fresh out-of-the-oven video:
Contestants enjoy a cocktail party in Mexico City
Notice the fake smiles :-)
That's one thing you should remember. The first time people take your pictures whereever you go - is thrilling and nice and exciting. But we won't feel as excited everytime that happens - specially when it'll happen day and night.
But you STILL have to give a geniune smile. From the heart. Not a fake photo-shoot smile.
And being social and friendly is one of the MUST have qualities for a beauty pageant queen.
Lets see who knows all that in the upcoming Miss Universe 2007. :-)
Angelina
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Miss Universe 2007 is rocking in Mexico!
The wait is over.
Miss Universe 2007 has begin!
So fasten your seat belt. It's going be a wild ride!
Here's the event schedule:
April 30th-May 3rd
Arrivals, Fittings and Registration
May 6th
Contestants Travel to Chiapas
May 6th
Official Welcome Event
May 6th
Governor's Dinner
May 7th
Taping of Telecast Introductions
May 7th
Dinner, Crowne Plaza Hotel
May 8th
Hospital Event
May 9th
Media Interviews
May 10th
Contestants Travel to Cancun
May 10th
Beach Party
May 11th
Swimsuit Poster Photo-Shoot
May 11th
Governor's Dinner (Quintana Roo)
May 12th
Taping of Telecast Introductions
May 13th
Avon Fashion Show
May 14th
Governor's Dinner
May 15th
Hard Rock Cafe Event
May 16th
National Gift Auction
May 19th
Benefit Gala at Centro Banamex
May 20th
National Costume Competition
May 21th-22nd
Personality Interviews
May 23rd
Preliminary Competition, National Auditorium
May 24rd-27th
Rehearsals
May 28th
Miss Universe 2007 Final
May 28th
Coronation Ball
May 29th
Departures
Someone's life is going to change 180 degrees in the next 25 days.
Stay tuned for more exciting new about Miss Universe 2007!
Miss Universe 2007 has begin!
So fasten your seat belt. It's going be a wild ride!
Here's the event schedule:
April 30th-May 3rd
Arrivals, Fittings and Registration
May 6th
Contestants Travel to Chiapas
May 6th
Official Welcome Event
May 6th
Governor's Dinner
May 7th
Taping of Telecast Introductions
May 7th
Dinner, Crowne Plaza Hotel
May 8th
Hospital Event
May 9th
Media Interviews
May 10th
Contestants Travel to Cancun
May 10th
Beach Party
May 11th
Swimsuit Poster Photo-Shoot
May 11th
Governor's Dinner (Quintana Roo)
May 12th
Taping of Telecast Introductions
May 13th
Avon Fashion Show
May 14th
Governor's Dinner
May 15th
Hard Rock Cafe Event
May 16th
National Gift Auction
May 19th
Benefit Gala at Centro Banamex
May 20th
National Costume Competition
May 21th-22nd
Personality Interviews
May 23rd
Preliminary Competition, National Auditorium
May 24rd-27th
Rehearsals
May 28th
Miss Universe 2007 Final
May 28th
Coronation Ball
May 29th
Departures
Someone's life is going to change 180 degrees in the next 25 days.
Stay tuned for more exciting new about Miss Universe 2007!
Monday, April 30, 2007
How To Choose a Swimsuit For My Beauty Pageant Contest?
How To Choose a Swimsuit For My Beauty Pageant Contest?
How do I pick the perfect swimsuit?
Depending upon which pageant system you enter there may not be a swimsuit competition or the pageant may choose to supply the swimsuit for all the contestants in order to get a uniform look.
If you are in a pageant that expects you to provide your own swimsuit here are some things to keep in mind:
Your swimsuit should make your figure look well proportioned and fit, camouflage figure flaws, create a winning image and help you stand out from the crowd.
If you are competing at a national level you are going to want to go to a specialty shop to find the right suit – a swimsuit which is designed especially for beauty pageants. If you are competing locally you will need to shop carefully to find a suit with all the right characteristics – but it can be done!
Start with the fit. What many people don’t think about is that you can alter a swimsuit just like you can alter a dress. A good fit is not loose but neither is it so tight that the suit cuts into the shoulder, arms, legs, back or bust. A well fitted suit should create a sleek look and mold against the body with no wrinkles.
The seat should smoothly cover and support the derriere with no cheeks showing. The brassiere part should not be so tight that the bust appears to be popping out. Always do fittings with any padding you plan to use in the pageant.
Next choose a suit to camouflage figure flaws. Whatever the flaw, emphasize the opposite. The eye will follow the line of the suit, vertical lines lengthen and slenderize, and horizontal lines shorten and broaden. The finish on the fabric can also make a big difference. Shiny fabrics reflect light and look bigger. If you wrap yourself in a shiny swimsuit you are going to look bigger.
You can also use color to camouflage some flaws. Dark fabrics can cause judges to notice the contrast spot where fabric meets flesh. If you have larger thighs you do not want to draw the judges’ eye there with a dark suit.
A better choice would be a medium shade like peach, pastel blue or green, or a rose color. These are closer to skin tone and will create more of an uninterrupted look. The goal is to get the judges eye to travel from top to bottom without stopping anywhere.
A suntan also helps create a winning image in the swimsuit competition because it makes you look slimmer, healthier and more athletic. Intense stage lighting washes out normal skin coloring so many contestants rely on a tan to help them look better onstage. Remember there is a risk of skin cancer from sun-tanning and consider the use of self-tanning creams or sprays.
Pay attention to the bustline. Although you do not have to be busty to win, padding and taping to create a larger bustline have become commonplace in most pageants. A good bustline is important because it balances your hips to help you achieve the evenly proportioned figure judges look for.
Foam rubber push-up pads work well in swimsuits because they have no tell-tale seams. External silicone pads are also popular.
Many contestants use taping techniques to create cleavage and shape the bustline. Some prefer surgical adhesive tape available in drugstores and others prefer easy to remove clear packaging tape. It’s less painful to get off than masking tape or surgical tape and it does just as good a job for the length of time you need to wear it.
Never ever use duct tape or regular adhesive tape because it will take your skin off when removed. Always perform a pre-test to check for allergic reactions and ease of removal.
To tape the bust for cleavage: take a piece of tape about 12 to 14 inches long, bend forward at the waist without bra on, stick the piece of tape to the outside of one breast. Pull your breasts together as close as you can with one hand and stretch the tape across underneath the bottom of the breast then stick it to the other side. Add a little padding to the side and you are done.
Nothing is more embarrassing than a swimsuit that rides up and shows your cheek. Many contestants use a product called Firm Grip, an aerosol spray adhesive, to keep their bathing suit in place.
If you choose this option remember to lift the suit away from your skin, spray and then let the adhesive dry a little before you put the bathing suit in place. It needs to become tacky to work; otherwise the suit will just absorb it.
Judges look for these things when judging the swimsuit competition:
• First Impressions. Oftentimes you will present your swimsuit in a group rather than individually. You need to stand out.
• Beauty of face and figure
• Well-proportioned body
• Good muscle tone
• Poise, posture, carriage
• Graceful walk and modeling
• Proper swimsuit fit
• Confidence
• Energy and charisma
• Overall presentation
============
I took out this article from my "Insider Secrets To Winning The Beauty Pageant" course. Want more? Get the full course!
How do I pick the perfect swimsuit?
Depending upon which pageant system you enter there may not be a swimsuit competition or the pageant may choose to supply the swimsuit for all the contestants in order to get a uniform look.
If you are in a pageant that expects you to provide your own swimsuit here are some things to keep in mind:
Your swimsuit should make your figure look well proportioned and fit, camouflage figure flaws, create a winning image and help you stand out from the crowd.
If you are competing at a national level you are going to want to go to a specialty shop to find the right suit – a swimsuit which is designed especially for beauty pageants. If you are competing locally you will need to shop carefully to find a suit with all the right characteristics – but it can be done!
Start with the fit. What many people don’t think about is that you can alter a swimsuit just like you can alter a dress. A good fit is not loose but neither is it so tight that the suit cuts into the shoulder, arms, legs, back or bust. A well fitted suit should create a sleek look and mold against the body with no wrinkles.
The seat should smoothly cover and support the derriere with no cheeks showing. The brassiere part should not be so tight that the bust appears to be popping out. Always do fittings with any padding you plan to use in the pageant.
Next choose a suit to camouflage figure flaws. Whatever the flaw, emphasize the opposite. The eye will follow the line of the suit, vertical lines lengthen and slenderize, and horizontal lines shorten and broaden. The finish on the fabric can also make a big difference. Shiny fabrics reflect light and look bigger. If you wrap yourself in a shiny swimsuit you are going to look bigger.
You can also use color to camouflage some flaws. Dark fabrics can cause judges to notice the contrast spot where fabric meets flesh. If you have larger thighs you do not want to draw the judges’ eye there with a dark suit.
A better choice would be a medium shade like peach, pastel blue or green, or a rose color. These are closer to skin tone and will create more of an uninterrupted look. The goal is to get the judges eye to travel from top to bottom without stopping anywhere.
A suntan also helps create a winning image in the swimsuit competition because it makes you look slimmer, healthier and more athletic. Intense stage lighting washes out normal skin coloring so many contestants rely on a tan to help them look better onstage. Remember there is a risk of skin cancer from sun-tanning and consider the use of self-tanning creams or sprays.
Pay attention to the bustline. Although you do not have to be busty to win, padding and taping to create a larger bustline have become commonplace in most pageants. A good bustline is important because it balances your hips to help you achieve the evenly proportioned figure judges look for.
Foam rubber push-up pads work well in swimsuits because they have no tell-tale seams. External silicone pads are also popular.
Many contestants use taping techniques to create cleavage and shape the bustline. Some prefer surgical adhesive tape available in drugstores and others prefer easy to remove clear packaging tape. It’s less painful to get off than masking tape or surgical tape and it does just as good a job for the length of time you need to wear it.
Never ever use duct tape or regular adhesive tape because it will take your skin off when removed. Always perform a pre-test to check for allergic reactions and ease of removal.
To tape the bust for cleavage: take a piece of tape about 12 to 14 inches long, bend forward at the waist without bra on, stick the piece of tape to the outside of one breast. Pull your breasts together as close as you can with one hand and stretch the tape across underneath the bottom of the breast then stick it to the other side. Add a little padding to the side and you are done.
Nothing is more embarrassing than a swimsuit that rides up and shows your cheek. Many contestants use a product called Firm Grip, an aerosol spray adhesive, to keep their bathing suit in place.
If you choose this option remember to lift the suit away from your skin, spray and then let the adhesive dry a little before you put the bathing suit in place. It needs to become tacky to work; otherwise the suit will just absorb it.
Judges look for these things when judging the swimsuit competition:
• First Impressions. Oftentimes you will present your swimsuit in a group rather than individually. You need to stand out.
• Beauty of face and figure
• Well-proportioned body
• Good muscle tone
• Poise, posture, carriage
• Graceful walk and modeling
• Proper swimsuit fit
• Confidence
• Energy and charisma
• Overall presentation
============
I took out this article from my "Insider Secrets To Winning The Beauty Pageant" course. Want more? Get the full course!
Beauty Pageant History
Beauty Pageant History
Each year there are an estimated 700,000 beauty pageants being held in the United States alone. How did this phenomenon start – and how did it grow to be such a major part of our culture?
In 1921 a group of hotel owners in Atlantic City were looking for a promotional gimmick to entice summer tourists to stay in town past Labor Day. They decided to stage a fall festival and include a "National Beauty Tournament" on the beach to select "the most beautiful bathing beauty in America". Eastern newspaper editors were invited to run photo contests to pick winners to represent their communities at the new pageant.
Eight contestants competed for the first Miss America title which was won by a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl named Margaret Gorman, representing the nation's capital as Miss Washington D.C. The “bathing beauty” image remained throughout the 1920’s and Miss America was crowned wearing her bathing suit and smiling at the ever increasing numbers of spectators.
During the 1930’s the contest added an optional talent competition as a reflection of the nation's growing fascination with Hollywood. Winners received Hollywood screen tests and Hollywood agents scoured the pageant looking for potential starlets. Some contestants made it to Hollywood including Dorothy Lamour (1935) who later co-starred with Bob Hope in the Road Picture series. In 1938 the talent competition became a mandatory category of the pageant.
In 1932 Marian Bergeron, a 15-year-old policeman’s daughter, won the pageant and became the first winner to be crowned in an evening gown rather than a swimsuit.
During the 1940’s pageant officials considered discontinuing the Miss America Pageant for the duration of World War II, but the decision was made to allow it to continue since it was felt that the pageant strengthened the American spirit. In 1945 Lenora Slaughter, the first female director of the Miss America Pageant, began a scholarship program to help contestants attend college. Miss New York, Bess Myerson, won the title and the first
scholarship.
The evolving pageant hit a milestone during the 1950’s when the new Miss America Yolande Betbeze (1951) refused to pose in a swimsuit, insisting that she was a classical singer, not a pin-up. Officials supported her decision and one of the major sponsors of the pageant, Catalina Swimwear, discontinued its sponsorship and began planning its own promotional vehicle, the sexier sister pageants, "Miss USA" and "Miss Universe."
Another important benchmark was the inauguration of the first Miss World Pageant in 1951 held to promote the Festival of Britain. Miss Sweden, Kiki Haakonson, won. The new contest adopted the slogan "Beauty with a Purpose" and aligned itself with Variety Clubs International to raise funds for world charities.
Catalina held the Miss USA-Miss Universe sister pageants together in Long Beach, California in 1952. Thirty American women competed for the first Miss USA title and twenty nine international contestants competed for the first Miss Universe title.
In 1954 the first live coast-to-coast broadcast of the Miss America Pageant aired on television. Lee Meriwether was awarded the crown by a panel of judges that included movie queen Grace Kelly.
Television personality, Bert Parks was hired as the Miss America Pageant's master of ceremonies in 1955. He sang Bernie Wayne's tune, There She Is for the first time on national TV. A legend was born.
In 1958 Jaycees began the America's Junior Miss Pageant, a scholarship program to recognize outstanding achievement by high school seniors. Contestants were judged on talent, poise, community service, and school grades. Rather than present the teenagers in swimsuits, officials substituted a choreographed physical fitness competition.
Corrine Huff made history in 1960 when she won the Miss Iowa-USA title and became the first black woman to win a state title and compete in a major national pageant, the Miss USA Pageant.
Children’s Beauty Pageants were introduced in 1960 when the first international pageant for children was staged in Miami, Florida--"Little Miss Universe." The contest was discontinued in 1966.
The "Little Miss America Pageant" contest started in New Jersey in 1961, affiliated with Palisades Amusement Park. That was also the year the Miss Teenage America Pageant was founded as a program to honor young women’s achievement. Following the example of America’s Junior Miss, the scholarship pageant had no swimsuit competition.
In the year 1968 the first Miss Black America Pageant was held in Atlantic City as a protest against the absence of black women in the Miss America Pageant. Two years later Cheryl Browne won the Miss Iowa title and became the first African-American woman to compete in the Miss America Pageant.
Another controversy surfaced in 1968 when The Women's Liberation Front protested the Miss America Pageant as FBI anti-riot squads kept them under surveillance. The picketers tossed symbols of the beauty culture into a "freedom trash can" and infiltrated Convention Hall during the pageant creating a commotion that was audible during the telecast.
The 1970’s saw the inauguration of several new contests: The Miss National Teen-Ager Pageant was founded in 1971 as a scholarship pageant, the Miss United Teenager Pageant began in 1974 as well as a children’s scholarship pageant named after a favorite fairy tale, The Cinderella Pageant. The Miss Teen All America Pageant began in 1977 and The Mrs. America Pageant was revived as a glamorous televised beauty pageant for married women.
Feminists returned to Atlantic City in 1974 where they staged a feminist conference and protested the Miss America pageant.
In the year 1973 the Miss Universe Pageant began a tradition of televising from exotic locales around the globe when it was broadcast live worldwide via satellite for the first time from the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.
'TEEN Magazine acquired the rights to the Miss Teenage America Pageant from the Dr. Pepper Company in 1981 and transformed it into a nationwide mail-entry contest celebrating teen achievement. Finalists are judged on grades, community service, and intelligence. The winner serves as a ‘TEEN columnist and spokesperson
Marking the most important racial milestone in pageant history in l983, Vanessa Williams became the first African-American to win the Miss America title. In another racial breakthrough, 1985 became the year of the Latina beauties. Laura Martinez Herring, a naturalized Mexican-American, was named Miss USA, making her the first Hispanic to win a major U.S. pageant title. Deborah Carthy-Deu, Miss Puerto Rico, won the Miss Universe title that same year.
Kaye Lani Rafko, an oncology nurse from Michigan, won the 1988 Miss America title and voluntarily devoted part of her year of service to advocating hospice care and promoting the nursing profession. This new precedent of social activism for titleholders was so positively received by the public, that the pageant began developing an official "platform" through which future titleholders could be role models for public service. In 1992 The Miss Teen of America Pageant was founded. Macy Jarrett, of Kansas, won the first title.
After performing a ballet to music she could not hear and interviewing with Regis Philbin on live national television in 1994, Heather Whitestone became the first woman with a physical handicap to win the Miss America title. An inspiration to Americans, the profoundly deaf Miss America was the first national titleholder interviewed on a Barbara Walters' special. In response to perennial demands that the swimsuit competition be eliminated, the Miss America Pageant put the matter to a public vote in 1994. Viewers called in to vote on whether or not the Miss America swimsuit competition should be kept or eliminated. By a 3-1 margin, callers voted for the swimsuits to stay with 73% voting in favor of keeping the traditional category.
Business tycoon Donald Trump purchased the Miss Universe system which consists of the "triple crown"--the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA, and Miss Universe pageants in 1997.
In 1998 Virginia's Nicole Johnson, who is a diabetic who wears an insulin pump on her hip, became the first woman with a long term physical illness to win the Miss America title. She championed diabetes awareness as her platform and inspired millions of Americans.
Odd Pageant Happenings
Beauty Pageants have provided their share of scandals, disasters and other odd events over the years.
Only hours after Margaret Bergeron received her crown at the 1932 Miss America pageant it was stolen from the queen's hotel suite.
In 1937, again only a few hours after being crowned Miss America, Bette Cooper disappeared with her bachelor chaperone, Lou Off, in the middle of the night. The next morning when she was a no-show for a photo shoot, a statewide police search ensued and newspapers published photos of an empty throne surrounded by runners-up. Rumors about the disappearance included the supposition that, like King Edward, who had abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, the American beauty queen had abandoned her throne for love. Actually, Bette, who wanted to return to school, had called her chaperone and asked him to smuggle her out of her hotel and back home.
The newly-crowned Miss USA 1957, Leona Gage, resigned after her mother-in-law informed the press that 18-year-old Gage was not only married to an Air Force sergeant, but was also the mother of two small sons. Teary-eyed titleholder Gage explained that she entered the competition to earn prize money to supplement her family's military salary.
In 1968 Pageant chairman, Albert Marks, attempted to dump the Miss America coronation song There She Is, but after a public uproar, the decision was reversed. Fourteen years later, in 1982, There She Is was replaced by Look at Her and Miss America, You're Beautiful after a contract dispute between pageant officials and songwriter Bernie Wayne. There was so much public outrage over the change however, that There She Is was soon returned by popular demand.
Marjorie Wallace, the first American to be named Miss World (in 1973), was stripped of her title after rumors of affairs with a string of famous bachelors.
In 1974 Philippine First Lady, Imelda Marcos spared no expense to host the Miss Universe Pageant, only to have the event threatened by an approaching typhoon. Marcos called in the military to seed monsoon clouds in an effort to diffuse the storm. Amparo Munoz, Miss Spain, won the crown.
Moments after the credits rolled at the end of the 1979 Miss Universe Pageant in Australia, the stage collapsed as 200 reporters and contestants rushed forward to congratulate the winner, Maritza Sayalero, of Venezuela. Eight contestants plunged through the stage floor to the concrete beneath and Miss Malta and Miss Turkey were hospitalized for minor injuries after rescue workers pulled them from the debris.
Media frenzy erupted in 1984 after reporters revealed that Miss America, Vanessa Williams, posed for sexually explicit pictures before her victory. When Penthouse magazine published the photos, pageant officials requested that Vanessa step down. She resigned during a nationally televised press conference and was replaced by her first runner-up, Suzette Charles, who became the second African-American woman to hold the title.
The Lone Star state achieved a monopoly on the Miss USA title when Texans won the national crown for five consecutive years from 1985-1989. All five women prepared for the pageant under the tutelage of Richard Guy and Rex Holt, the flamboyant founders of GuyRex, Inc. The pair later joined the Miss USA organization as staff members.
After appearing as a celebrity guest at the Miss Black America Pageant in 1991, world heavy weight boxing champion Mike Tyson was arrested for raping a contestant, Desiree Washington, during pageant week. After the national winner and other contestants claim he groped them, the pageant’s director labeled the boxer a "serial buttocks fondler” and sued for damages. The case created a media frenzy and Tyson was later convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in prison.
As Hurricane Andrew threatened to hit the site of the Miss Teen USA Pageant, Biloxi, Mississippi, in 1992, producers decided to hold the contest early. To maintain suspense, they taped the crowning of two winners, Miss Iowa and Miss Oklahoma, and kept the name of the actual winner a secret. Later that night, the pre-taped pageant aired and Miss Iowa, Jamie Solinger, was revealed as the new Miss Teen USA.
Miss Colombia, Andrea Noceti, threatened to sue David Letterman, host of the famous late night talk show in 2001, for quipping that her talent performance would include swallowing bags of heroin. "I don't know if you've seen a beauty pageant lately, but you know what's really gotten very impressive; the talent competition...For example, Miss Colombia ... swallowed 50 balloons full of heroin." Letterman later apologized.
Due to security concerns, Miss Israel, Ilanit Levy, an 18-year-old soldier from Haifa, wore a bulletproof dress studded with rhinestones at the Miss Universe Pageant competition, in Puerto Rico in 2001.
Oksana Fyodorova, a police lieutenant from St. Petersburg, became the first Miss Russia to win the Miss Universe title when judges selected her as Miss Universe 2002. She was stripped of her title on September 23rd, 2002 for failing to fulfill her duties. Fedorova claimed that no one informed her of the demanding schedule she would face if she won the international title. Justine Pasek of Panama assumed her duties as Miss Universe.
At the 2002 Miss Universe Pageant, Miss Lebanon, Christina Sawaya, dropped out of the competition after stating that she would not compete in a pageant with Miss Israel. That contestant, Yamit Har-Noy hesitated to wear her Miss Israel titleholder sash in public due to security concerns.
At the beginning of 2005 Donald Trump offered to buy the Miss America pageant after ABC-TV decided to drop it from their broadcast channel. Pageant followers worried that combining the pageant with the Miss Universe pageants could result in less diversity among the contests.
We are coming close to 100 years of young women competing for the chance to wear a crown. Perhaps this is YOUR year to become part of this fabulous tradition!
============
This is an excerpt from my "Insider Secrets To Winning The Beauty Pageant" course. Check it out!
Each year there are an estimated 700,000 beauty pageants being held in the United States alone. How did this phenomenon start – and how did it grow to be such a major part of our culture?
In 1921 a group of hotel owners in Atlantic City were looking for a promotional gimmick to entice summer tourists to stay in town past Labor Day. They decided to stage a fall festival and include a "National Beauty Tournament" on the beach to select "the most beautiful bathing beauty in America". Eastern newspaper editors were invited to run photo contests to pick winners to represent their communities at the new pageant.
Eight contestants competed for the first Miss America title which was won by a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl named Margaret Gorman, representing the nation's capital as Miss Washington D.C. The “bathing beauty” image remained throughout the 1920’s and Miss America was crowned wearing her bathing suit and smiling at the ever increasing numbers of spectators.
During the 1930’s the contest added an optional talent competition as a reflection of the nation's growing fascination with Hollywood. Winners received Hollywood screen tests and Hollywood agents scoured the pageant looking for potential starlets. Some contestants made it to Hollywood including Dorothy Lamour (1935) who later co-starred with Bob Hope in the Road Picture series. In 1938 the talent competition became a mandatory category of the pageant.
In 1932 Marian Bergeron, a 15-year-old policeman’s daughter, won the pageant and became the first winner to be crowned in an evening gown rather than a swimsuit.
During the 1940’s pageant officials considered discontinuing the Miss America Pageant for the duration of World War II, but the decision was made to allow it to continue since it was felt that the pageant strengthened the American spirit. In 1945 Lenora Slaughter, the first female director of the Miss America Pageant, began a scholarship program to help contestants attend college. Miss New York, Bess Myerson, won the title and the first
scholarship.
The evolving pageant hit a milestone during the 1950’s when the new Miss America Yolande Betbeze (1951) refused to pose in a swimsuit, insisting that she was a classical singer, not a pin-up. Officials supported her decision and one of the major sponsors of the pageant, Catalina Swimwear, discontinued its sponsorship and began planning its own promotional vehicle, the sexier sister pageants, "Miss USA" and "Miss Universe."
Another important benchmark was the inauguration of the first Miss World Pageant in 1951 held to promote the Festival of Britain. Miss Sweden, Kiki Haakonson, won. The new contest adopted the slogan "Beauty with a Purpose" and aligned itself with Variety Clubs International to raise funds for world charities.
Catalina held the Miss USA-Miss Universe sister pageants together in Long Beach, California in 1952. Thirty American women competed for the first Miss USA title and twenty nine international contestants competed for the first Miss Universe title.
In 1954 the first live coast-to-coast broadcast of the Miss America Pageant aired on television. Lee Meriwether was awarded the crown by a panel of judges that included movie queen Grace Kelly.
Television personality, Bert Parks was hired as the Miss America Pageant's master of ceremonies in 1955. He sang Bernie Wayne's tune, There She Is for the first time on national TV. A legend was born.
In 1958 Jaycees began the America's Junior Miss Pageant, a scholarship program to recognize outstanding achievement by high school seniors. Contestants were judged on talent, poise, community service, and school grades. Rather than present the teenagers in swimsuits, officials substituted a choreographed physical fitness competition.
Corrine Huff made history in 1960 when she won the Miss Iowa-USA title and became the first black woman to win a state title and compete in a major national pageant, the Miss USA Pageant.
Children’s Beauty Pageants were introduced in 1960 when the first international pageant for children was staged in Miami, Florida--"Little Miss Universe." The contest was discontinued in 1966.
The "Little Miss America Pageant" contest started in New Jersey in 1961, affiliated with Palisades Amusement Park. That was also the year the Miss Teenage America Pageant was founded as a program to honor young women’s achievement. Following the example of America’s Junior Miss, the scholarship pageant had no swimsuit competition.
In the year 1968 the first Miss Black America Pageant was held in Atlantic City as a protest against the absence of black women in the Miss America Pageant. Two years later Cheryl Browne won the Miss Iowa title and became the first African-American woman to compete in the Miss America Pageant.
Another controversy surfaced in 1968 when The Women's Liberation Front protested the Miss America Pageant as FBI anti-riot squads kept them under surveillance. The picketers tossed symbols of the beauty culture into a "freedom trash can" and infiltrated Convention Hall during the pageant creating a commotion that was audible during the telecast.
The 1970’s saw the inauguration of several new contests: The Miss National Teen-Ager Pageant was founded in 1971 as a scholarship pageant, the Miss United Teenager Pageant began in 1974 as well as a children’s scholarship pageant named after a favorite fairy tale, The Cinderella Pageant. The Miss Teen All America Pageant began in 1977 and The Mrs. America Pageant was revived as a glamorous televised beauty pageant for married women.
Feminists returned to Atlantic City in 1974 where they staged a feminist conference and protested the Miss America pageant.
In the year 1973 the Miss Universe Pageant began a tradition of televising from exotic locales around the globe when it was broadcast live worldwide via satellite for the first time from the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.
'TEEN Magazine acquired the rights to the Miss Teenage America Pageant from the Dr. Pepper Company in 1981 and transformed it into a nationwide mail-entry contest celebrating teen achievement. Finalists are judged on grades, community service, and intelligence. The winner serves as a ‘TEEN columnist and spokesperson
Marking the most important racial milestone in pageant history in l983, Vanessa Williams became the first African-American to win the Miss America title. In another racial breakthrough, 1985 became the year of the Latina beauties. Laura Martinez Herring, a naturalized Mexican-American, was named Miss USA, making her the first Hispanic to win a major U.S. pageant title. Deborah Carthy-Deu, Miss Puerto Rico, won the Miss Universe title that same year.
Kaye Lani Rafko, an oncology nurse from Michigan, won the 1988 Miss America title and voluntarily devoted part of her year of service to advocating hospice care and promoting the nursing profession. This new precedent of social activism for titleholders was so positively received by the public, that the pageant began developing an official "platform" through which future titleholders could be role models for public service. In 1992 The Miss Teen of America Pageant was founded. Macy Jarrett, of Kansas, won the first title.
After performing a ballet to music she could not hear and interviewing with Regis Philbin on live national television in 1994, Heather Whitestone became the first woman with a physical handicap to win the Miss America title. An inspiration to Americans, the profoundly deaf Miss America was the first national titleholder interviewed on a Barbara Walters' special. In response to perennial demands that the swimsuit competition be eliminated, the Miss America Pageant put the matter to a public vote in 1994. Viewers called in to vote on whether or not the Miss America swimsuit competition should be kept or eliminated. By a 3-1 margin, callers voted for the swimsuits to stay with 73% voting in favor of keeping the traditional category.
Business tycoon Donald Trump purchased the Miss Universe system which consists of the "triple crown"--the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA, and Miss Universe pageants in 1997.
In 1998 Virginia's Nicole Johnson, who is a diabetic who wears an insulin pump on her hip, became the first woman with a long term physical illness to win the Miss America title. She championed diabetes awareness as her platform and inspired millions of Americans.
Odd Pageant Happenings
Beauty Pageants have provided their share of scandals, disasters and other odd events over the years.
Only hours after Margaret Bergeron received her crown at the 1932 Miss America pageant it was stolen from the queen's hotel suite.
In 1937, again only a few hours after being crowned Miss America, Bette Cooper disappeared with her bachelor chaperone, Lou Off, in the middle of the night. The next morning when she was a no-show for a photo shoot, a statewide police search ensued and newspapers published photos of an empty throne surrounded by runners-up. Rumors about the disappearance included the supposition that, like King Edward, who had abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, the American beauty queen had abandoned her throne for love. Actually, Bette, who wanted to return to school, had called her chaperone and asked him to smuggle her out of her hotel and back home.
The newly-crowned Miss USA 1957, Leona Gage, resigned after her mother-in-law informed the press that 18-year-old Gage was not only married to an Air Force sergeant, but was also the mother of two small sons. Teary-eyed titleholder Gage explained that she entered the competition to earn prize money to supplement her family's military salary.
In 1968 Pageant chairman, Albert Marks, attempted to dump the Miss America coronation song There She Is, but after a public uproar, the decision was reversed. Fourteen years later, in 1982, There She Is was replaced by Look at Her and Miss America, You're Beautiful after a contract dispute between pageant officials and songwriter Bernie Wayne. There was so much public outrage over the change however, that There She Is was soon returned by popular demand.
Marjorie Wallace, the first American to be named Miss World (in 1973), was stripped of her title after rumors of affairs with a string of famous bachelors.
In 1974 Philippine First Lady, Imelda Marcos spared no expense to host the Miss Universe Pageant, only to have the event threatened by an approaching typhoon. Marcos called in the military to seed monsoon clouds in an effort to diffuse the storm. Amparo Munoz, Miss Spain, won the crown.
Moments after the credits rolled at the end of the 1979 Miss Universe Pageant in Australia, the stage collapsed as 200 reporters and contestants rushed forward to congratulate the winner, Maritza Sayalero, of Venezuela. Eight contestants plunged through the stage floor to the concrete beneath and Miss Malta and Miss Turkey were hospitalized for minor injuries after rescue workers pulled them from the debris.
Media frenzy erupted in 1984 after reporters revealed that Miss America, Vanessa Williams, posed for sexually explicit pictures before her victory. When Penthouse magazine published the photos, pageant officials requested that Vanessa step down. She resigned during a nationally televised press conference and was replaced by her first runner-up, Suzette Charles, who became the second African-American woman to hold the title.
The Lone Star state achieved a monopoly on the Miss USA title when Texans won the national crown for five consecutive years from 1985-1989. All five women prepared for the pageant under the tutelage of Richard Guy and Rex Holt, the flamboyant founders of GuyRex, Inc. The pair later joined the Miss USA organization as staff members.
After appearing as a celebrity guest at the Miss Black America Pageant in 1991, world heavy weight boxing champion Mike Tyson was arrested for raping a contestant, Desiree Washington, during pageant week. After the national winner and other contestants claim he groped them, the pageant’s director labeled the boxer a "serial buttocks fondler” and sued for damages. The case created a media frenzy and Tyson was later convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in prison.
As Hurricane Andrew threatened to hit the site of the Miss Teen USA Pageant, Biloxi, Mississippi, in 1992, producers decided to hold the contest early. To maintain suspense, they taped the crowning of two winners, Miss Iowa and Miss Oklahoma, and kept the name of the actual winner a secret. Later that night, the pre-taped pageant aired and Miss Iowa, Jamie Solinger, was revealed as the new Miss Teen USA.
Miss Colombia, Andrea Noceti, threatened to sue David Letterman, host of the famous late night talk show in 2001, for quipping that her talent performance would include swallowing bags of heroin. "I don't know if you've seen a beauty pageant lately, but you know what's really gotten very impressive; the talent competition...For example, Miss Colombia ... swallowed 50 balloons full of heroin." Letterman later apologized.
Due to security concerns, Miss Israel, Ilanit Levy, an 18-year-old soldier from Haifa, wore a bulletproof dress studded with rhinestones at the Miss Universe Pageant competition, in Puerto Rico in 2001.
Oksana Fyodorova, a police lieutenant from St. Petersburg, became the first Miss Russia to win the Miss Universe title when judges selected her as Miss Universe 2002. She was stripped of her title on September 23rd, 2002 for failing to fulfill her duties. Fedorova claimed that no one informed her of the demanding schedule she would face if she won the international title. Justine Pasek of Panama assumed her duties as Miss Universe.
At the 2002 Miss Universe Pageant, Miss Lebanon, Christina Sawaya, dropped out of the competition after stating that she would not compete in a pageant with Miss Israel. That contestant, Yamit Har-Noy hesitated to wear her Miss Israel titleholder sash in public due to security concerns.
At the beginning of 2005 Donald Trump offered to buy the Miss America pageant after ABC-TV decided to drop it from their broadcast channel. Pageant followers worried that combining the pageant with the Miss Universe pageants could result in less diversity among the contests.
We are coming close to 100 years of young women competing for the chance to wear a crown. Perhaps this is YOUR year to become part of this fabulous tradition!
============
This is an excerpt from my "Insider Secrets To Winning The Beauty Pageant" course. Check it out!
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