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Appearance is – no mind is needed
There was no question of assessing intellectual abilities or personal individuality at that time – they appeared only in the 80s. At the very beginning, the whole focus was aimed only at the beauty of the participants, among whom there were only professional models.
It is noteworthy that the winner of the first competition, Kerstin Hakansson from Sweden, was awarded the crown immediately after the fashion show in a swimsuit. It was this detail that caused many disagreements, because it was far from everywhere considered the norm to show off your body in a bikini.
You must be more modest
After some time, the organizers of the competition decided that the fashion show should be in more modest swimsuits (or rather, completely closed). A couple of years later, girls were invited to the coronation in evening dresses.
By the way, the order of the announcement of the winners of the competition – first the third, the second and only then the announcement of the first miss – was invented by the familiar Mr. Eric Morley.
Public love
In 1959, the BBC began broadcasting the competition, which significantly increased its popularity.
Only “Miss Universe” was a little less rated competition. It was created in 1952 as a sequel to Miss America. The competition was held in Long Beach, California and was sponsored by the Californian apparel and swimwear company Catalina. That is why here, too, the girls had to defile in bikinis, as well as demonstrate beachwear for a month.
Requirements for participants
Girls from 17 to 27 years old, unmarried and without children, could participate in both competitions. After the victory, the finalists entered into contracts under which they could not get married for another year.
Before participating in the Miss World contest, girls were allowed to be at least 172 centimeters tall, but in Miss Universe – beauties of any height, the event was considered a contest not for models.
We offer you to see how the participants of the first competitions looked in the gallery.