Research Topic:

Gender “norms” related to beauty and transgendered women in the Miss Universe

Organization.

Thesis:

The stereotypical and objectifying physical standards placed on women by The Miss

Universe Organization do not fit the mold of the average woman today. The Miss Universe

Organization’s removal of a transgendered contestant was based on their views of

homosexuals/transgenderality in regards to gender and beauty norms rather than disqualification

due to “incorrect application information” when Jenna Talackova stated on her entry form she

was a “naturally born female.”

Purpose and Background:

The purpose of this study is to examine the definition of the terms “beauty” and “gender”

related to the recent controversy of transphobia concerning the Miss Universe Organization. This

study will examine the Miss Universe Organization and the recent decision by the Miss Universe

Organization and owner Donald Trump to allow transgendered women to compete. According to

the Miss Universe Organization, there was a previous rule that stating that all competing

contestants must be “natural-born women.” The Miss Universe Organization has held

objectifying standards of “beauty” to which contestants have been held to since the pageants

beginning. This project will look at Jenna Talackova, a transgendered Miss Canada contestant

and the past 10 Miss Canada winners. The purpose of this study is to analyze the Miss Universe

Organization, especially the standards of “beauty” they hold themselves to, in order to find out

what exactly the organization stands for, while trying to understand the controversy and incidents

behind the Miss Universe Organization’s accepting of transgendered individuals. Using Gayatri

Spivak’s concept of the subaltern, this project will study transgendered individuals who are

excluded from society’s established structures. This project uses Judith Butler’s question of

social transformation to determine the makers of gender, appearance and beauty in society.

During research, this project establishes whether or not Jenna Talackova’s success in overturning

the “natural born woman” rule was really a success for her and gave her a voice or if this

incident was simply a case of conforming to the social “norms” related to gender. By focusing on

the Miss Universe Organization, this study will give a concrete idea about what exactly the Miss

Universe Organization considers the “perfect” role model.

This project will be limited to the amount of information on the subject. The idea of

transgendered individuals competing in American beauty pageants is very recent, as the rule

stating that Miss Universe contestants be “natural born women” has only just recently been

changed. With that being said, there are only a few openly transgendered pageant queen

contestants to which this study can research. The boundaries of this study and research will be

kept to the news stories and other social media articles surrounding the acceptance of

transgendered women competing in the Miss Universe Organization. This project looks at the

views and opinions of those individuals involved within the organization as well as the aftermath

of the changing to the “natural born woman” rule. This study will also rely solely on the most

recent news surrounding some of the transgendered pageant contestants, the Miss Universe

Organization and the Miss Universe Organization’s CEO, Mr. Donald Trump.

Literature Review:

According to Minority Rights Group International, America’s history is filled with a

pattern of unconstitutional disobedience against minority groups. Multiple cases show that white

supremacy has always been center stage and those who do not fit the typical mold of American

society (for example white women, African Americans, Mexicans, and most recently

homosexuals), are not given a voice in society and left to battle for equal rights granted in the

Constitution. One of the most disturbing cases of unequal human rights came with the era of

slavery and discrimination against African Americans, or “black people.” For many years, black

people were not given any rights or a voice in the world. They were treated very poorly, help

against their own free will as slaves, not given the right to vote, or any of the other “God-given

rights” stated in the Constitution like life, liberty, and the pursuit for happiness. Even though at

one point, America was divided into the “North.” (Non-slave owning states) and the “South”

(slave owning states), slavery existed in the United States for a very long time. Around the time

of 1955, the African-American Civil Rights Movement began outlawing racial

discrimination against African Americans and tried to restore basic human rights. The movement

was characterized by major campaigns of civil resistance. Many African American’s took part in

acts of nonviolent protest and civil disobedience including boycotts, "sit-ins", marches, and other

“non-violent” activities. African Americans had no voice; their minority status took away any

rights that they were “legally” bound to have, and so for many years black people suffered the

oppression of a “free” nation. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed that banned

discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin. In 1965, The Voting Rights Act

was passed that not only restored but protected the right to vote for African Americans. In “Is

America Ready for Ethnic Minority Rights?” author Salo W. Baron says “Even now, after much

strife, demonstrations, and litigations, the system of complete equality and integration has not yet

been fully attained.” Even in the midst of all the social inequality that our country has fought to

overcome, we still live in a society determined to suppress the rights of minority groups. In the

past, rights of African Americans and other “non-white” groups have had to fight for rights

granted to them in the Constitution.

Today, one of the many battles related to human equality is focused on the homosexual

population. In her book “Gay is the New Black”, Amy Stone focuses on the presumption that

history is indeed repeating itself, showing that human equality is not the main focus of

American’s today (Stone). The gay community has been fighting for years for a right that many

individuals take for granted on a daily basis: marriage. According to The Task Force national

website, although homosexuals have never been denied the right to vote, nor had other rights

taken away like previous minority groups, gay couples are banned from legally marrying in most

America states. This basic human right has led to the gay community battling for equal rights

given to everyone else. The White House Press released an interview between ABC News and

President Obama, where the President said “I think same-sex couples should be able to get

married (White House Press). No past president has ever openly supported same sex marriage.

Though some see President Obama’s pro-gay marriage stance as a step forward for equal rights

for all in America, there is still some debate as to whether this minority group has, or will ever

have, a voice in society. Along those same lines, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force says

that despite gay-rights support groups and services “The anti-gay industry has made great gains

over the past two decades, restricting family recognition in 39 states and parenting in at least

seven. It continues to work feverishly to restrict the rights of LGBT people, among others (Task

Force). The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is also one of the first LGBT organizations to

include transgender people in their mission. A recent study done by the National Gay and

Lesbian Task Force shows that (openly) transgender people feel discrimination and violence

towards them in public (NGLTF). Now, in the midst of all the controversy behind LGBT rights

and marriage equality, discrimination against the LGBT community is going one step further.

Recently, there has been a lot of news behind the Miss Universe Organization and the banning of

transgender women from competing in their pageant.

With all of the negativity surrounding the Miss Universe Organization, there has been a

lot of research done by groups involved within the controversy to find credibility with the

organization. According to the Miss Universe Organization, Miss Universe is an

international beauty pageant contest that began as a local “bathing beauty” competition founded

by Catalina Swimwear in Long Beach, California. The pageant began in 1952 and was originally

created to showcase the beauty of women from around the world. The current owner of the Miss

Universe Organization is Donald Trump, who took over the organization in 1996. The Miss

Universe Organization represents the beauty and responsibility of women from around the world.

The Miss Universe Organization has been through a lot of controversies in the 51 years since it

was founded (Miss Universe). However, the Miss Universe Organization has had more negative

publicity over being accused of transphobia than ever before.  The organization disqualified a

transgendered Miss Universe Canada contestant, Jenna Talackova, for not being a "naturally

born woman.” A representative from the Miss Universe Canada Organization had released a

statement saying that Jenna Talackova was disqualified from the Miss Universe Canada pageant

because her entry form stated that she was born a female, which was not the case. Jenna

Talackova had previously competed in the 2010 Miss International Queen pageant for

transgender and transsexual women in Thailand (Today Show). She was registered to compete

in Miss Universe Canada in 2012. After Jenna was selected as one of the top 65contestants who

would proceed to the pageant, she was recognized from an outside source from competing in

Miss International Queen for transgendered individuals and the Miss Universe Canada

Organization was contacted. Jenna Talackova was disqualified on the grounds that the pageant

rules required competitors to be "naturally born women” (Miss Universe).

Talackova contacted lawyer Gloria Allred, who took on the case and challenged the Miss

Universe Organization, including Donald Trump, to reverse the decision and allow Jenna

Talackova to compete. The organization reversed the decision before the case reached the courts,

with Trump's office issuing a statement that “As long as she meets the standards of legal gender

recognition requirements of Canada, which we understand that she does, Jenna Talackova is free

to compete in the 2012 Miss Universe Canada pageant” (Trump). Since the overturning of the

decision to not allow Jenna Talackova to compete, Donald Trump and the Miss Universe

Organization changed the contestant rules/entry forms which asked if contestants if they were

“naturally born women” (Miss Universe). With all of the news surrounding the Miss Universe

Organization and their previous “biases” towards transgendered women, there has been a lot of

discussion about the integrity of the organization as a whole. Some people have said that the

organization has taken a positive step in the right direction for our society with the acceptance of

transgendered women in beauty pageants. Others have said the opposite, claiming that allowing

transgendered women to compete takes away the rights and glory of “naturally born and raised”

women.

To get a better understanding of the controversy behind Miss Universe and transsexual

women competing, I will study the case of Jenna Talackova and the press behind the story,

specifically the press releases and interviews of those involved with the Miss Universe

Organization. This study will look at clips from conferences in which Jenna Talackova spoke at,

as well as look at videos from her competing in the preliminary rounds of Miss Canada to see if

this study can determine what about her being a transsexual woman brought so many problems

to the Miss Universe Organization. This study will also look at the question of social

transformation as discussed by Judith Butler. During this entire controversy, the question of

beauty in relation to the transgendered beauty contestant has been discussed. In her book, Butler

states the following question: “Femmes posed an important question: was this a femininity

defined in relation to a masculinity already operative in the culture, part of a normative structure

that could not be changed, or was this the challenge to that normative structure, a challenge from

within its most cherished terms?” (Butler 209). Here, Butler is asking if the makers of gender,

appearance and beauty in relation to the stereotypical standards of a “female” are those which are

set by society from an earlier period, and if we have grown so accustomed to this standard that

we as a society are unwilling to change those markers to fit the molds that women today are

fitting. Butler also asks if the feminine culture to which we are so accustomed to is based off of

the gender norms already set by the predominately male culture of society. She questions women

of our society by asking if we are willing to challenge the gender status quo, or if we are too

comfortable in how society views gender issues, to make the changes that we as a society are

already seeing happen. With regards to Talackova, she physically fits the stereotypical markers

of feminist beauty that the Miss Universe Organization seems to hold its contestants to,

especially related to society’s standards of gender. However, because of the fact that she was not

born a “natural woman,” she was disregarded as a female (though sexually she has all of the

characteristics of a female), and received negative backlash for her efforts to compete. I believe

that if Butler were to comment on this controversy, she would say that society is too caught up in

what the past views as the gender markers of “male” and “female” and that it is our duty as

humans in society to make the necessary changes to encompass all of the markers of gendered-

ness, despite what the status quo deems appropriate.

Since the controversy of transgender contestants competing in Miss Universe, many

people have continued to take a stance in favor of the competing of transgender women. Miss

Rhode Island, Olivia Culpo, recently won the title of Miss USA, and is now the recently crowned

Miss Universe. The clinching of the title for her came after, for her final question of the pageant,

was asked, “Would it be fair if a transgender woman won the Miss USA title over a natural-born

woman?” Culpo answered “I do think it would be fair. Some might be a little apprehensive to

take that road because there is a tradition of natural-born women, but there are so many people

out there who have a need to change for a happier life. I do accept that because I believe it's a

free country” (Miss America). After Culpo won Miss USA, sources from many gay rights

activists stated that her crowning underlines the Miss Universe Organization's commitment to

accepting and including all women. An organization that has been closely aligned with the Miss

Universe Organization and the battle of transgenderality is the gay rights group GLAAD.

GLADD and the Miss Universe Organization worked together to change the rules of the pageant

after Miss Universe went under fire for their decision to remove Jenna Talackova from

competition (GLADD).

Theoretical Framework:

This project will use Judith Butler’s book Undoing Gender. In many points in the book,

she questions the judgment of those with authority when it comes to the standards that we as a

society hold individuals to, especially relating to women. In Chapter 10 of her book, she asks:--

What is the good life? How has the good life been conceived such that women’s lives

have not been included in its conceptualization? What would the good life be for women? And to

what extent does gender, coherent gender, secure a life as livable? What threat of death is

delivered to those who do not live gender according to its accepted norms? (Butler 205)”

Here, she states that women may seem to have a “good life”, when in theory the good life

only encompasses the traits that men see worthy for the good life of a woman: cooking, taking

care of the family, being a housewife, etcetera. In relation to that, Butler questions how society

performs in regards to the lives of those who do not fit the norm of “gender” in society. Maybe

people in our world frown upon the image of cross-gendering, as Butler mentions. She even calls

it “death” to those who do not accept the traditional values of the normal gender roles played by

our society. Even for those who accept their gender, yet perform in ways that claim otherwise,

for example those who do drag, she says “since what the example of drag sought to do was to

make us question the means by which reality is made and to consider the way in which being

called real or being called unreal can be not only a means of social control but a form of

dehumanizing violence” (Butler 217). Sadly, Butler recognizes that the life of an individual who

realizes that they do not fit the standard norm of “gender” means that there is sure violence and

retaliation for their differences. Butler’s work can show that the case with Jenna Talackova and

the unequal treatment of her transgenderness can be closely related to society’s views on what is

considered “female beauty” and the realization that many people are unwilling to accept this

obvious “violation” of the social norms of gender and sex, which could be why Talackova was

dismissed from competing in the Miss Universe Canada Pageant. Thomas Gramstad also looks at

the concept of gender stereotyping. In a published discussion of feminist views and gender

norms, Gramstad claims that even today, one of the biggest and most concerning mistakes of the

Western Culture is that there is still the idea that there are two separate and “opposite” genders,

meaning masculinity and femininity. During the conference, Gramstad says:--

“This gender dualism is not only false and without any factual or scientific support, but

also very harmful. One strategy to overcome this wrongness is the idea of androgyny, by which

masculinity and femininity are not conceived as opposite ends of one spectrum, but as two

separate spectrums: you can be or have both at once (or neither), not only the one or the other.

Thus, you can combine the various components of masculinity and femininity in any number of

ways, according to your individual preferences, needs and nature” (Gramstad).

Gramstad is trying to point out the fact that even with all of the advances of our culture

we are still stuck in a feminist view of society. People should be free to develop their own unique

identity without fear or threat of rejection from others. Gramstad often refers back to Ayn Rand’s

views on morality and ethical egoism, which states that individual happiness is the greatest moral

good, and that people achieve happiness by pursing their rational self interests. Ethical egoism

says that people ought to pursue their own self interests, and that these self interests are a basic

human right (Boss 236). In his article “The Culture is the Answer”, Gramstad says “’The

Culture’ is a machine-symbiotic human society. There are artificial intelligences and other

mechanical persons enjoying individual rights.... This includes the ability to change sex back and

forth by will, or to have both sexes (intersexuality) or no sex. "The Culture" is an abundant

society, without an economy of scarcity” (Gramstad). Basically, he is saying that we have the

ability to change society and do what we want to do; however, these individual rights are

hindered despite laws and common ground rules that proclaim otherwise. The right to be whom

one wants to be and live the life one wants to live is being taken away from those who really

have no authority to do so.

Looking even further into the concept of gender studies, there has been much debate

about the voice of society’s “voiceless” groups, specifically women and homosexuals. Gayatri

Spivak’s concept of the subaltern to looks at transgendered individuals who are excluded from

the social norms and established structures of how society should be. In Spivak’s piece, Can the

Subaltern Speak?, she questions the lack of voice heard by the “less concerned” groups in

society, while also questioning gender and sexual differences in the world (Spivak 77). She

focuses on the dynamics of power and race in the history in the banning of Sati as her focus point

into these differences. When viewing the Sati, the only thing people ever heard about in regards

to the Sati were the views of everyone BUT the women who were performing this ritual.

Because of this idea, Spivak begins reflecting on the concept of “can the subaltern speak?” She

closely looks at the history of the subaltern (specifically women in India) and also the radical

views of the Western philosophy. Spivak uses the arguments of politics and power to show her

views on Marxism and the division of labor among cultures (Spivak 85). The point she is trying

to make in this work is that the voices of the “less concerned”, specifically women, are not being

heard, and the key to world success is finding those misunderstood and underappreciated voices,

and actually giving them a voice in society. She seems to delve into the concept of the

exploitation of a “Subject” throughout her work. She acknowledges many times that the key to

the rising of the “subalterns” or “Subjects” is to focus on getting the power to find their voices

and speak out against those who oppress them. However, by doing so, these Subjects must first

depend on someone to help them “speak out” and have their voices heard. To find someone of

authority to side with the views of the “Subjects”, and then to help give them back their voice is

somewhat tricky, however. Spivak says that this action by the subalterns will re-instate their own

voices and their position in society. In one point in her piece, Spivak says that “Power …

produces positive effects at the level of desire - and also at the level of knowledge (Spivak 69).

However, regarding to this project, dealing with the voice of transgender women, power does not

equal knowledge. Secretly, Spivak is trying to point out that simply because one has power, does

not mean that one has the power of knowledge.

Spivak’s concept of the subaltern discusses race and power dynamics and the idea that in

many cases, the subaltern (minority group in most cases) is oppressed in how they are allowed to

think, speak and act. This lack of individualism leads Spivak to question whether

the subaltern really even has a voice in society. Spivak’s view on the lack of voice by minorities

is interesting because rarely do we ever really sit and think about the individuals affected in

oppressed groups. This project will use this concept of the subaltern to look at the thought of if

transgendered individuals really have a voice in today’s society, even after the very controversial

issue of transgendered women competing in pageants. Although transgendered women are now

allowed to compete in the Miss Universe Organization, does this act of “kindness” from those

who changed the rules really give these transgender women the voice that they have really been

looking for? Or is this “acceptance” of the transgender community simply an easy way out of a

complicated situation on the part of those involved with Miss Universe? By using Spivak’s

piece, this project will determine whether or not the work of Jenna Talackova and those

preceding her actually benefitted the transgender community in a positive way and if they really

are winning a battle against transphobia. By referencing Spivak, this project will also look at the

idea that the lack of voice had by transgendered individuals is due to the lack of knowledge by

those holding “power”, specifically the higher authorities of the Miss Universe Organization.

Spivak’s work will provide adequate reasoning as to why society sees the idea of transsexual

individuals in a negative image.

Research Questions:

What are the “norms” of gender(ed) beauty in relation to transgenderality? Does the Miss

Universe Organization pageant hold women to objectifying standards that the average woman

cannot easily achieve?

Methodology:

This project will study the Miss Universe Organization’s history and title holders of the

Miss Canada Universe from the past 10 years, and in doing so will look at the standards that the

Miss Universe Organization, especially Miss Canada, holds contestants to: beauty, poise,

presence, public speaking ability, physical appearance, charm, and intelligence. During research,

this project will define what the Miss Universe Organization determines their definition of the

word “beauty”. This project will take the photographs of the past 10 Miss Canada Universe

winners and compile categories to which each individual woman fits society’s standards of

“beauty” in relation to the characteristics of the transgendered Miss Canada contestant, Jenna

Talackova. While studying the past ten Miss Canada Universe winners, I concluded that there

were certain “beauty trademarks” related to all of the past winners. The Miss Universe

Organization is notorious for selecting winners based on obvious feminist beauty qualities. Even

looking at social media and the influence these sources have today, magazines such as Elle,

Vogue, Seventeen, Self, and many more, depict and use women who are typically smaller sized,

and have obvious similar beauty characteristics that give off the vibe of the “perfect” female.

Many people today associate perfection and beauty with what they see in magazines,

commercials, television shows and movies-where the female shown is skinny, perfectly dressed

with long hair and flawless makeup. Although there are some people in the world who have all

of these characteristics embodied, many women do not possess any of these qualities, which

therefore can cause negative self-image issues. In “Physical Attractiveness and Health in

Western Societies: A Review”, authors Jason Weeden and John Sabini discuss the “makers” of

beauty related to gender: “Evidence from developed Western societies is reviewed for the claims

that (a) physical attractiveness judgments are substantially based on body size and shape,

symmetry, sex-typical hormonal markers, and other specific cues and (b) physical attractiveness

and these cues substantially predict health… Only female waist-to-hip ratio and weight appear to

predict both attractiveness and health in the claimed manner.” This being said, Weeden and

Sabini claim that there are, indeed, certain physical characteristics attributed to gender that

constitute “beauty” and relate back to the social gender norms associated to our society.

Typically, women have certain qualifications of “beauty” that differentiate them from the male

gender. These qualifications of “beauty” related to the Miss Canada Universe contestants, related

to the “typical female figure” are as follows:

Breasts (size not important)

Slim (face and body)

Long hair (color not important)

Good, fit physique

Size 0-6

“Bikini Body”

Clean, white smile

Pierced ears

Makeup/dress/accessories

Bright, photogenic personality (as seen in pictures)

Images of past 10 Miss Canada Universe Winners Relating to Gender Beauty Norms

According to the Miss Canada Universe website and application page, the preliminary

qualifications to be considered to be a Miss Canada Universe (as well as other Miss Universe

potential contestants) are as follows:

To be considered to become a contestant, applicant must provide:

o Name, email address, date of birth, height, city, province, phone number, face

photo, swimsuit photo and an additional photo

Age: 18-27

Must not be married or have been previously married

Must not be pregnant or have been previously pregnant

Must remain single throughout entire reign

Must be a Canadian citizen

o (Not required to be born in Canada; citizen status varies depending on country)

This project also looks at recent news articles to study the controversies standing behind

the recent overturning of Miss Universe’s rule of “natural born women” competing for a title. In

doing this, the research will primarily focus on Jenna Talackova, a transgendered Miss Canada

contestant. Jenna Talackova’s determination to compete in Miss Universe is the foundation for

the battle to overturn the “natural born woman” clause in the Miss Universe Organization’s rules.

This project will also look at if the acceptance of social norms is losing one’s voice, while going

against the social norms is gaining a voice. Using Butler’s work, this project will define the

gendered image of a female and look at if Miss Universe is going against their own standards of

beauty/image with this transgender contestant controversy.

Discussion:

What do the terms “gender” and “beauty” mean in relation to this controversy?

Analysis:

Based on the criteria set forth by the Miss Universe Organization in regards to contestant

application, the following was concluded in regards to the transgendered contestant, Jenna

Talackova:

Age: At the time of her application, Jenna Talackova was 23.

Marital Status: Jenna Talackova was not nor had ever been married.

Parental Status: Jenna Talackova was not nor had even bore a child.

Relationship Status: Jenna Talackova remained single throughout entire pageant, though

this section only fully applies to pageant winner.

Citizenship status: Jenna Talackova was born and remained a Canadian citizen.

Personal Information: In order to be advanced to formal Miss Canada Universe

pageant, all information required had to be provided. Therefore, it may be assumed that

Jenna Talackova had provided all necessary biological information required for

consideration to become a Miss Canada Universe contestant.

The following chart compares the past 10 Miss Canada Universe winner’s preliminary

application status’ to that of Jenna Talackova’s preliminary application status relating to

qualification status for competing in the Miss Canada Universe pageant for each contestant’s

year:

Name Personal

Info

Received

Age Marital

Status

Parental

Status

Relationship

Status

Citizen

of

Canada?

Birthplace

2012 Sahar

Biniaz

Yes 26 Never

Married

No

children

Single Yes India

2011 Chelsae

Durocher

Yes 20 Never

Married

No

children

Single Yes Ontario

2010 Elena

Semikina

Yes 27 Never

Married

No

children

Single Yes Moldova

2009 Mariana

Valente

Yes 24 Never

Married

No

children

Single Yes Brazil

2008 Samantha

Tajik

Yes 25 Never

Married

No

children

Single Yes Iran

2007 Inga

Skaya

Yes 21 Never

Married

No

children

Single Yes Soviet

Union

2006 Alice

Panikian

Yes 21 Never

Married

No

children

Single Yes Bulgaria

2005 Natalie Yes 24 Never No Single Yes Soviet

Glebova Married children Union

2004 Venessa

Fisher

Yes 18 Never

Married

No

children

Single Yes Ontario

2003 Leanne

Cecile

Yes 26 Never

Married

No

children

Single Yes N/A

Jenna

Talackova

Jenna

Talackov

a

Yes 23 Never

Married

No

children

Single Yes British

Columbia

In regards to the “beauty” qualifications implied through the Miss Universe Organization, the

following was concluded based off the past ten Miss Canada winners in relation to Jenna

Talackova and the “typical female figure”:

Slim (face and body): Waist 27”; Hips 33”

Breast Size: 36 C

Long hair : Long, blonde hair

Physique: Weight: 143 lbs; Height: 6’1”

Size 0-6: Size 4 dress

“Bikini Body”: Yes

Clean, white smile: Yes

Pierced ears: Yes

Makeup/dress/accessories: Yes

Bright, photogenic personality (as seen in pictures): Yes

The following chart compares the past 10 Miss Canada Universe winner’s physical

beauty trademarks, as defined by analysis and critique of each woman’s “Miss Canada” photo,

with Jenna Talackova’s contestant photo. Looking at each contestant’s photo, I analyzed the

characteristics of gendered beauty that are trademarked towards the female gender. Although

certain beauty characteristics vary among female individuals, there are some universal beauty

makers that the Miss Universe Organization seems to look for in their contestants and future

pageant winners. The results of my analyses of these photos proved that although there are not

set “beauty guidelines” for winners in the Miss Universe pageant, there are perceived “beauty

guidelines” that the organization looks for and ultimately chooses when selecting a winner.

Beauty

Trademark

/

Year

Slim

(Face

and

Body

)

Breast

s

Lon

g

Hair

Good,

healthy

physiqu

e

Siz

e 0-

6

“Bikin

i

Body”

Clean

,

White

Smile

Pierce

d Ears

Makeup/

Dress/

Accessorie

s

Bright,

photogeni

c

personalit

y

(Seen in

photos)

2012 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 0 N/A ✓ ✓ ✓ X

2011 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 2 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

2010 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 0 ✓ ✓ X ✓ X

2009 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 0 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ X

2008 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 0 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

2007 ✓ ✓ N/A ✓ 2 ✓ ✓ X ✓ X

2006 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 0 N/A ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

2005 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 0 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

2004 X ✓ ✓ ✓ 4 N/A N/A ✓ ✓ X

2003 ✓ ✓ N/A ✓ 2 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Jenna

Talackova

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 4 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Conclusion:

According to the research and findings for this project, the rules and guidelines set forth

by the Miss Universe Organization, (formally written and publically assumed), showed that there

are social norms related to gender beauty, especially within the Miss Universe Organization.

Although there are no written beauty trademarks or guidelines to which contestants must meet in

order to participate in competition, there are, however, commonly accepted and shown gender

beauty qualifications that the organization expects out of their contestants, especially relating to

physical “beauty” and appearance. Research also showed that although Jenna Talackova was

indeed in violation of the original rules and guidelines set forth by the Miss Universe

Organization stating that contestants must be “natural born women”, the organization was wrong

and in violation of their own policies by not allowing her to compete in the Miss Canada

Universe pageant even though she fit the gendered norms of beauty for a female contestant.

These stereotypical and objectifying standards placed on women do not fit the mold of our

society.

Looking at the acceptance of Jenna Talackova in competing in the Miss Universe

Organization, the overturning of her disqualification seems to suggest that gender(ed) beauty can

indeed, influence society’s views on what is socially acceptable and what is not. Since she fit the

criteria of a “female” in regards to image and physical appearance, she was granted permission to

compete in competition once again. However, this allowance does not, in fact, prove acceptance

of her situation of being a transgendered woman. She was allowed to compete because she

looked like a woman, not because the Miss Universe Organization accepted her transgenderality

and considered her to actually be a woman. Relating back to Spivak, Jenna Talackova was not

actually given a voice in this situation, because in the end her winning the case only proved that

the stereotypical makers of gender(ed) beauty are still marked by a masculine society. She was

only able to compete because she fit the standards of feminine beauty. She was not seen for

whom she truly is-a transgendered woman. She was seen as an image of how society sees

women in general. In the end, her winning the case is actually a loss for the gender battle. The

overturning of the “natural born woman” rule simply shows that society firmly stands in the

belief that there are “male” gender characteristics and “female” gender characteristics, with little

to no room for improvisation.

This study determined that the final decision given by the Miss Universe Organization

to remove the “natural born woman” rule was due to the legal battle begun by Jenna Talackova

and her lawyer stating that although Jenna Talackova was not born a female, she was, at the time

of her application a legally bound and physically standing woman. She was not given the right

to compete again because of the obvious defiance of human rights, but really because of an

organizations fear of retaliation and close-mindedness of our ever-changing society related to

gender and beauty.

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