Though beauty pageants are not big business here in the UK, being more the preserve of our cousins ‘across the pond,’ there’s no denying that looks take top billing at such events – the title ‘beauty pageant’ puts across what the judges and spectators are looking for quite explicitly. I don’t know about you, but when I imagine what I perceive to be a typical beauty pageant contestant, I picture a tall, slim, shapely woman with long blonde hair – along the lines of Holly, Bridget & Kendra from ‘The Girls of the Playboy Mansion.’
One thing I don’t imagine is a contestant who is bald. I’m sure this is to do with my (limited) perceptions of what American beauty pageants are all about, and also to do with constructed ideals of beauty and femininity – nearly all of which involve long, flowing locks. But the current Miss Delaware may be about to change all that…
Kayla Martell is set to challenge stereotypes at the Miss America final this Saturday – as the first contestant without hair. Though she does not …
