23 Creepy Photos From History S Most Bizarre Beauty Pageants

Discover why the contests for Miss Fabulous Frankfurter and Miss National Catfish Queen are even stranger than they sound.

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1 of 24Contestants in the Miss Lovely Eyes beauty pageant in Florida wear masks to obscure the rest of their faces. Circa 1930. FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images 2 of 24A policeman judges an ankle competition in Hounslow, London. 1930. Fox Photos/Getty Images 3 of 24Actor Geene Courtney models a scarf, skirt, bracelets, and a crown made from hot dogs, frankfurters, and kielbasa in her role as Queen of National Hot Dog Week, as selected by the Zion Meat Products Company. Location unspecified. 1955.Hulton Archive /Stringer/Getty Images 4 of 24A perfect figure contest. Competitors wore facial masks so that the judges could see only the contestants’ bodies. 1947.WATFORD/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix/Getty Images 5 of 24Participants in the Beautiful Leg Contest wear pillow cases over their heads so that the judges can see only their legs. Palisades Amusement Park, New Jersey. 1951.Bettmann/Getty Images 6 of 24The legs of contestants being judged in a Miss World beauty pageant dangle over the side of a plane while staff stands below. England. 1953.Thurston Hopkins/Picture Post/Getty Images 7 of 24Gail Hooper, 18, from Memphis, Tennessee, selected as Miss National Catfish Queen, holds a 56-pound catfish at the Hotel New Yorker. 1954.Al Pucci/NY Daily News/Getty Images 8 of 24Ruth Hurschler, a contestant in a Perfect Back contest, is examined and X-rayed by a chiropractor in the final stage of the competition. Los Angeles. Circa 1930.Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images 9 of 24The winner of the Neatest Figure competition at the Lido in Margate, England wears a hood so that the judges could not be influenced by her face and instead only judge her body. 1946. Fox Photos/Getty Images 10 of 24At a chiropractic beauty contest, a chiropractor shows a spine replica to model Lois Conway, one of three winners at the contest. 1956.Wallace Kirland/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images 11 of 24Miss Fabulous Frankfurter Lorraine Cole is crowned Frankfurter Queen by Hebrew National at the Hotel Wellington in New York. 1956. Al Pucci/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images 12 of 24Donut Queen Kris Nodland, wearing high heels and a bikini, poses with donuts and the Gingerbread Donut Boy at the Governor Clinton Hotel in New York. 1951. Hulton Archive/Getty Images 13 of 24Judges and competitors at a prettiest ankle contest. Cliftonville, Kent, England. 1933. Fox Photos/Getty Images 14 of 24Entrants participate in a Miss Lovely Legs competition in Cliftonville, England. Date unspecified.Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images 15 of 24A pair of female judges examine the legs of women who are holding up their skirts during an unspecified beauty contest in New York. Circa mid-20th century. Irving Haberman/IH Images/Getty Images 16 of 24A contestant participates in a knobbly knees competition at Butlin’s Holiday Camp in Filey, England. 1953.Bert Hardy/Getty Images 17 of 24National Posture Queen Diane Stopky of St. Louis, poses next to an X-ray of her spine. New York. 1957.Leonard Detrick/NY Daily News/Getty Images 18 of 24Women at Butlin’s holiday camp wear Marilyn Monroe face masks. Clacton-on-Sea, England. 1952.Fred Ramage/Getty Images 19 of 24Miss Donut Queen Pat Marlowe wears a paper crown, a one-piece swimsuit, and platform shoes as she holds donuts in each hand. Location unspecified. 1947. Hulton Archive/Getty Images 20 of 24Participants line up during the Miss War Worker Beauty Contest in Toronto, Canada. 1942.Wikimedia Commons 21 of 24Patti Sharon Jones, a 17-year-old high school senior chosen as Miss Posture Queen by the Michigan Academy of Chiropractors, Inc. The unique judging was based upon spinal x-rays submitted by the contestants. 1956. Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images 22 of 24Beauty contestants are judged solely on their figures, thanks to the introduction of papier mache masks, at Butlin’s holiday camp in Clacton-on-Sea, England. 1952.Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images 23 of 24Contest for the most beautiful legs. Paris. 1946.AGIP/RDA/Getty Images 24 of 24Like this gallery?Share it:

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Let’s be honest — many of us think that beauty pageants are a bit ridiculous. There is something slightly off-putting about the idea of being judged solely on your physical assets and not on your talents or your personality.

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1 of 24Contestants in the Miss Lovely Eyes beauty pageant in Florida wear masks to obscure the rest of their faces. Circa 1930. FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

2 of 24A policeman judges an ankle competition in Hounslow, London. 1930. Fox Photos/Getty Images

3 of 24Actor Geene Courtney models a scarf, skirt, bracelets, and a crown made from hot dogs, frankfurters, and kielbasa in her role as Queen of National Hot Dog Week, as selected by the Zion Meat Products Company. Location unspecified. 1955.Hulton Archive /Stringer/Getty Images

4 of 24A perfect figure contest. Competitors wore facial masks so that the judges could see only the contestants’ bodies. 1947.WATFORD/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix/Getty Images

5 of 24Participants in the Beautiful Leg Contest wear pillow cases over their heads so that the judges can see only their legs. Palisades Amusement Park, New Jersey. 1951.Bettmann/Getty Images

6 of 24The legs of contestants being judged in a Miss World beauty pageant dangle over the side of a plane while staff stands below. England. 1953.Thurston Hopkins/Picture Post/Getty Images

7 of 24Gail Hooper, 18, from Memphis, Tennessee, selected as Miss National Catfish Queen, holds a 56-pound catfish at the Hotel New Yorker. 1954.Al Pucci/NY Daily News/Getty Images

8 of 24Ruth Hurschler, a contestant in a Perfect Back contest, is examined and X-rayed by a chiropractor in the final stage of the competition. Los Angeles. Circa 1930.Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images

9 of 24The winner of the Neatest Figure competition at the Lido in Margate, England wears a hood so that the judges could not be influenced by her face and instead only judge her body. 1946. Fox Photos/Getty Images

10 of 24At a chiropractic beauty contest, a chiropractor shows a spine replica to model Lois Conway, one of three winners at the contest. 1956.Wallace Kirland/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

11 of 24Miss Fabulous Frankfurter Lorraine Cole is crowned Frankfurter Queen by Hebrew National at the Hotel Wellington in New York. 1956. Al Pucci/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images

12 of 24Donut Queen Kris Nodland, wearing high heels and a bikini, poses with donuts and the Gingerbread Donut Boy at the Governor Clinton Hotel in New York. 1951. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

13 of 24Judges and competitors at a prettiest ankle contest. Cliftonville, Kent, England. 1933. Fox Photos/Getty Images

14 of 24Entrants participate in a Miss Lovely Legs competition in Cliftonville, England. Date unspecified.Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images

15 of 24A pair of female judges examine the legs of women who are holding up their skirts during an unspecified beauty contest in New York. Circa mid-20th century. Irving Haberman/IH Images/Getty Images

16 of 24A contestant participates in a knobbly knees competition at Butlin’s Holiday Camp in Filey, England. 1953.Bert Hardy/Getty Images

17 of 24National Posture Queen Diane Stopky of St. Louis, poses next to an X-ray of her spine. New York. 1957.Leonard Detrick/NY Daily News/Getty Images

18 of 24Women at Butlin’s holiday camp wear Marilyn Monroe face masks. Clacton-on-Sea, England. 1952.Fred Ramage/Getty Images

19 of 24Miss Donut Queen Pat Marlowe wears a paper crown, a one-piece swimsuit, and platform shoes as she holds donuts in each hand. Location unspecified. 1947. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

20 of 24Participants line up during the Miss War Worker Beauty Contest in Toronto, Canada. 1942.Wikimedia Commons

21 of 24Patti Sharon Jones, a 17-year-old high school senior chosen as Miss Posture Queen by the Michigan Academy of Chiropractors, Inc. The unique judging was based upon spinal x-rays submitted by the contestants. 1956. Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images

22 of 24Beauty contestants are judged solely on their figures, thanks to the introduction of papier mache masks, at Butlin’s holiday camp in Clacton-on-Sea, England. 1952.Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

23 of 24Contest for the most beautiful legs. Paris. 1946.AGIP/RDA/Getty Images

24 of 24Like this gallery?Share it:

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23 Creepy Photos From History’s Most Bizarre Beauty Pageants View Gallery

23 Creepy Photos From History’s Most Bizarre Beauty Pageants

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However, beauty contests have been around for centuries and are, by now, deeply-rooted traditions in most societies. Still, it is interesting to note that, back in the day, many beauty pageants were slightly more bizarre and, dare we say, more fun?

For example, “Miss Lovely Eyes” contests were extremely popular in 1930s America. During these bizarre contests, most of the participants’ physical features, except for the eyes, were hidden so as to not distract the judges.

The British must have been deeply impressed with this American contest for they imitated it a couple of decades later. The contestants’ bodies were hidden in numbered stalls and their faces were covered with yashmaks. The whole affair was filmed, and the announcer excitedly predicted that in the future, “we might well have competitions for beautiful ears, or even noses!”

“Miss Beautiful Legs” and “Miss Prettiest Ankles” competitions were also popular, especially in Britain and France. During these pageants, the contestants’ bodies were usually hidden behind curtains to ensure that they were judged solely on their legs and ankles, and nothing more. The judges took their time in examining the legs and ankles of the participants, sometimes even touching and measuring them.

“Miss Perfect Posture” competitions, held in the 1950s and 1960s, were different from regular beauty contests in that those competing had to possess good posture — clinically good posture. The judges were made up entirely out of chiropractors who checked the contestants’ posture using a variety of methods, including X-rays, weighing scales, and plumb bobs (used for determining how straight the back was).

As with most bizarre vintage beauty contests, “Miss Perfect Posture” was nothing more than a publicity stunt, in this case meant to enhance chiropractors’ reputation. It is worth noting that “Mr. Perfect Posture” contests were also a fad (albeit a short-lived one). They were far less popular however because the men apparently always slouched.

Then there was the “Miss Frankfurter Queen” contest, the “Miss Donut Queen” competition, and the “Miss NASA Queen” pageant, among many, many others.

And if you were a man, you could have tried your luck at the “Knobbly Knees” competition. We are not exactly sure what the requirements for any of these contests were, but you have to admit that these bizarre vintage pageants do sound rather fun.

Next, take a behind-the-scenes look at the Miss World Muslimah beauty pageant for young Muslim women. Then, read up on the first albino beauty pageant that took place in Nairobi.

Discover why the contests for Miss Fabulous Frankfurter and Miss National Catfish Queen are even stranger than they sound.#

Discover why the contests for Miss Fabulous Frankfurter and Miss National Catfish Queen are even stranger than they sound.