Thursday, may 2, Reno-Tahoe (NV) has announced the winner of the beauty contest Miss USA 2019 – she was a 28-year-old Chelsea Krist from North Carolina, a lawyer by training, who works as a volunteer and works to protect the rights of prisoners.
But this victory was not only a special achievement for a young woman, but also the national beauty contests in General. The fact that Chelsea Krist — African-American, and for the first time in the United States in 3 major beauty pageants, Miss USA (Miss USA), Miss teen USA (Miss Teen USA) and Miss America (Miss America), defeated the dark-skinned participants.
When they said you couldn’t but you prove them wrong. Your 2019 #MissTeenUSA #MissUSA and #MissAmerica are a triple threat melanin! 😍🙌🏾✨ #blackgirlmagicwinsagain pic.twitter.com/xmL8oq1Zyu
— xoNecole (@xonecole) May 3, 2019
Earlier, in April there in Nevada was declared the winner of the beauty contest Miss Teen USA — 18-year-old Kaliegh Harris of new haven (CT).
And in September 2018 in the Miss America contest, which was held in Atlantic city (NJ), won a 25-year-old Nia Imani Franklin of new York.
The item(s) you make when you realize it’s been one month since you became Miss America 2019! This month has gone by so quickly, and has been one of the best of my life! Thank you for your support and constant love. I’m savoring every moment and excited about the rest of my year! pic.twitter.com/qugrzGMkLd
— The Miss America Org (@MissAmerica) September 9, 2018
By the way, Nia Franklin became the first woman who won a beauty pageant without wearing a swimsuit, as the organizers removed from the program this output involved.
The victory of the blacks participating in 3 major beauty pageants undoubtedly a progress, as to the 1940-ies of black women in General were forbidden to take part in them. The oldest of the three beauty contests is Miss America, which was first held in 1921 the Competition Miss USA started in 1952, and Miss Teen USA – 1983
But even after the organizers began to change in the primary rules to allow participation of women of all races, a long time advantage during a casting were given to white participants. It is therefore not surprising that in 1968 created the beauty contest Miss Black America.
But slowly the ice was broken. In the Miss America pageant for the first time a black woman (Cheryl brown) took part in 1970, and over the past 50 years, the participation of black women became more or less common phenomena in such competitions. So, in a beauty contest Miss America crowned for the first time a black contestant in 1983 (Vanessa Williams), Miss USA – Carole Anne-Marie Gist in 1990, and Miss Teen USA – Janelle Bishop in 1991
Thomas Defrantz, Professor of the Department of research of Africa and African Americans in Duke University said that these three women deserve praise and are proof that the beauty of black lies in the «basis of the American ideal of beauty XXI century».
