Beauty queens’ statistics are no longer vital: Miss Venezuela pageant will not publish contestants’ measurements for first time in bid to fight stereotypes (but they will still parade in swimsuits)
- Waist, bust and hip dimensions will not be released for the first time in its history
- Pageants faced criticism for focusing on their physical appearance too much
- Planners say they want to fight stereotypes over what an ideal woman looks like
For the first time in its history, the Miss Venezuela contest will not publish the 24 contestants’ waist, bust and hip measurements, organizers said – as pageants face criticism for their primary focus on physical appearance.
The event, which will take place in Caracas on Thursday, has been running since 1952 and has an enviable record on the international stage, having produced seven Miss Universe winners and six in Miss World.
Traditionally, the contestants’ vital statistics have been publicized – with a 90-centimetre (36- inch) bust, 60-centiment waist and 90-centimeter hips long considered the ideal.
Contestants’ perform during an open rehearsal for the media at the Miss Venezuela beauty contest in Caracas
This year, contestants will still parade on stage in swimsuits and evening gowns, but organizers say they want to fight stereotypes about what an ideal woman looks like and hence will not reveal their measurements.
Miss Venezuela Sthefany Gutierrez participates in the swimsuit at last year’s Miss Universe competition
‘A woman’s beauty isn’t 90, 60, 90 … It is measured by each one’s talent,’ said Gabriela Isler, the pageant’s spokeswoman and Venezuela’s last Miss Universe winner in 2013.
At past pageants, presenters would tell the audience the exact size of each contestant, many of whom underwent cosmetic surgery and followed strict diets in a bid to achieve the supposedly ideal physique.
Miss Venezuela is normally big business in the crisis-wracked Latin American country, but it is suffering from the same difficulties as the rest of the population.
One of those is frequent blackouts, the latest of which hit the country on July 22.
Isler revealed that the pageant did not have enough money to put in place contingency measures in case of a power outage on Thursday.
Over an estimated half a billion people tune from 190 countries in to watch the annual Miss Universe Pageant.
Venezuela and the US hold the joint record for the most Miss Universe winners with seven winners apiece.
Among the notable winners of the Miss Universe contest was Miss America contestant Olivia Culpo who picked up the award in 2012.
‘A woman’s beauty isn’t 90, 60, 90 … It is measured by each one’s talent,’ said Gabriela Isler
She won the competition at 22 years old before crowning Gabriela Isler a year later.
Last year, over 90 women competed for the much-feted award but it was a particularly noteworthy year due to the first entry of a transgender contestant in the pageant.
Although transgender contestants had been allowed to compete since 2012, it was the first time in the competition’s 66-year history that one had progressed to the final draw.