Pageantry’s Troubled Past and the Lessons for Miss Universe
The fall
of Miss Jamaica, Dr. Gabrielle Henry, is not the first time a beauty pageant
has been forced to confront its vulnerabilities. History is filled with
controversies that reveal how fragile the balance between spectacle and safety
can be, and how often organizations have failed to learn from past mistakes.
In earlier decades, pageants were criticized for their lack of inclusivity, with women of color and contestants from smaller nations often marginalized or overlooked.