pageants
A Pageant Welcomed Trans Women, Then Rejected An Applicant For Her Male Passport
Miss Universe Philippines’ discriminatory application requirements for trans women make it virtually impossible for them to compete.
The Search for Syria’s First Queer Beauty Pageant Winner
We spoke to the director of ‘Mr. Gay Syria’ about representation and the need for refugee stories with human faces.
Inside an Erotic Dance Pageant at a Nudist Resort
The annual Nudes-a-Poppin' pageant was way more misogynistic than I'd anticipated.
Former Miss Teen USA Contestants Say Trump Walked in on Them Changing
Four contestants from Donald Trump's 1997 Miss Teen USA pageant and one from his 2001 Miss USA pageant remember him waltzing through the changing room while young women were undressed.
'Parades Are the Worst': Miss America Reflects on Her Reign
In her time as Miss America, Betty Cantrell has visited countless hospitals and charity events, traveled by C17 aircraft to eight countries in as many days, and become very, very exhausted.
Crowning Miss Max: Inside Brazil's Biggest Prison Beauty Pageant
Brazil is home to some of the biggest pageants in the world like Miss World and Miss Universe. Lesser known, however, is Miss Max—a beauty competition at a Sao Paolo prison.
You're Only Old Once: A Day at the Ms. Senior America Pageant
Ms. Senior America is the world's first and foremost pageant for women over the age of 60. Competition is fierce, but somehow everyone comes out a winner.
How Ireland's Inner Beauty Pageant Is Getting a Makeover
For one week in August, Ireland tunes in to watch The Rose of Tralee, the country's biggest celebration of inner beauty. Today, women in Ireland are pushing to change the pageant from the inside, but not burn it down.
Every Vagina Is a Snowflake: A Dispatch from Portland's Vagina Beauty Pageant
The contest's judges were supposed to rate vaginas on "20 percent physical beauty, 20 percent talent, 60 percent vagina beauty," but shock value mattered more than anything else.
We Went to Essex Fashion Week
We soaked up the strong looks and words of Essex Fashion Week attendees, then added dolphins.