Beauty contests are heavily criticized today, and other events that 'celebrate' the female figure are looking for ways to update and adapt to modern times. However, in the past there were plenty of reasons to put a woman in a swimsuit or a tight dress on stage and declare her queen of... something. Beef, pork, fish, fruits, vegetables, alcoholic beverages... if there was an industry behind it, it almost certainly had its own queen, princess, or 'miss'.
A simple look at the history of beauty contests reveals that they managed to survive quite turbulent situations. One of the biggest points of conflict was undoubtedly the introduction of the bikini, resisted by different religious groups, and even Pope Pius XII declared Kiki Håkansson, winner of Miss World 1951, 'sinful' for being crowned in a bikini. But that didn't stop other organizers from covering their queens with sausages, oranges, potatoes, kitchen utensils, and more. Don't believe me? Check out this gallery, originally published by Sad and Useless.
A Gallery of Unusual Beauty Queens
