A complaint was filed on Monday by a lady from New York against the Miss America and Miss World beauty pageants, claiming that she was subjected to discrimination because she was a mother.
After being disqualified from pageants due to her father’s six-year-old age, 25-year-old Danielle Hazel filed a complaint with the New York City Human Rights Commission.
“My dream of competing in those pageants is still on hold today because of their discriminatory entry requirements, which ban mothers from competing,” Hazel said.
For her legal representation, Hazel has tapped Gloria Allred, a lawyer from California known for taking on cases involving women’s rights.
“Being pregnant or being a parent is not a crime, and should not exclude an individual from employment or business opportunities,” Allred told reporters at a press conference.
The eligibility requirements for the pageants, according to Allred, are “based upon the antiquated stereotype that women cannot be both a mother and be beautiful, poised, passionate, talented, and philanthropic.” These requirements state that a contestant must be unmarried, childless, not pregnant, and devoid of a legally dependent person.
Allred said that she had previously filed a lawsuit for like reasons against Miss Universe, another beauty competition.
For the past few years, US beauty pageants have been mired in controversy.
After an administrator of the pageant’s parent organisation resigned in May, citing a toxic work atmosphere, the 2023 Miss USA and Miss Teen USA winners gave up their titles, citing mental health issues.
Founded in 1921, Miss America is the oldest beauty pageant in the United States. Miss USA, founded in 1952, was owned by Donald Trump until 2015, the year he launched his first run for the White House.
