They are almost a hundred years old: rare vintage photos from the first beauty contests
The first "beauty contest" was the cause of one of the most legendary battles - the Trojan War. And despite the fact that this is just a myth, it was then that the jury decided (and let only Paris be the judge), according to which the goddess of love Aphrodite, the most beautiful of all, was conditionally recognized as the winner. Therefore, beauty contests are rooted in the ancient world, and only confirm the theory that a girl should be beautiful both internally and externally.
Modern beauty contests became popular in the 1880s. One of the very first competitions was held in Belgium in 1888. Then everything was very simple: 350 girls sent their photos with a short story about themselves to the judges, and 21 candidates were chosen from them. After that, the final took place, at which the judges (only male representatives) chose the most beautiful girl. Then there was no crown, but only a cash prize. However, the competition did not immediately succeed in gaining popularity, so it was not held for a long time.
The United States breathed a second life into such competitions three decades later. In 1921, the first beauty contest was held, which served as the basis for all subsequent competitions. It was in the 1920s that the crown appeared and the same format, familiar to everyone: interviews, fashion shows, a photo shoot for the media, a swimsuit competition, and, finally, a coronation ending. We found rare photos from the earliest beauty contests in which young participants, as today, are charming and beautiful.