Pageants often get a bad rap for being regressive leftovers from a different time. While some of that criticism is fair, the organizations that run them have made changes in recent years to become more modern. (Case and point: the elimination of the swimsuit competition at Miss America.) And there’s no question that their reach is still enormous, with competitions running in all 50 states and in countries around the world.
Now, for the first time ever, all four major pageant titles—Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe—are held by black women. Last night, the newly-crowned Miss Universe, Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa, joined Miss America Nia Franklin, Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, and Miss Teen USA Kaliegh Garris to become the fourth black woman to currently wear a major pageant crown.
“I grew up in a world where a woman who looks like me, with my kind of skin and my kind of hair, was never considered to be beautiful,” Tunzi said, according to the BBC. “I think that it is time that that stops today.”
“It is important to little brown and black girls to see three strong figures, three strong women, African-American women that are doing so much great work,” Ms. Franklin told the New York Times in May. “People will argue that race doesn’t matter. But race does matter in America, because of the history, because of slavery.”
“Nia, Cheslie, and Kaliegh: you are trailblazers, creating your own path on your own terms. Congratulations,” Senator Kamala Harris tweeted in May. Now, Tunzi joins the group (defeating Kryst).
None of the women are the first black woman to wear their particular crown. Vanessa Williams was the first black Miss America in 1984; Carole Gist won Miss USA in 1990; Janel Bishop won Miss Teen USA in 1991; and Janelle Commissiong was crowned Miss Universe in 1977. But on social media, enthusiasm for this particular clean sweep was undeniable.
Even Oprah weighed in, tweeting, “Congratulations Miss South Africa, the new Miss Universe @zozitunzi! Agree with you…leadership is the most powerful thing we should be teaching young women today. We welcome your visit to #OWLAG, our Leadership Academy for Girls ??????.”
The significance of all four women wearing the crowns at the same time was also a much-discussed topic.
This is yet another example of how much representation matters—in the world of pageants and beyond.
The claims made against Harvey Weinstein alleging the decades-long abuse of women put the spotlight on the #MeToo movement, and opened up a conversation around sexual harassment which has ricocheted across industries, from entertainment to media. It certainly has touched the fashion world, too, as new light is shed on the lack of protections for the young and vulnerable, particularlymodels, who operate within it. And while there has been awareness and small steps for reform in the past year—notably by luxury conglomerates Kering and LVMH, who jointly established a code of standards to protect the well-being of models—not much has changed in the larger picture.
Now the question is: What comes next?
The Model Alliance, a group founded in 2012 by Sara Ziff, founder and executive director, that advocates for models’ rights by supporting legislation (such as the Child Model Labor Bill, passed in New York in 2013) and strategic partnerships (such as one with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to create private changing areas during New York Fashion Week earlier this year), is seeking to address just that with its newly-unveiled RESPECT Program. It’s a legally-binding contract between models, agencies, designers, and publishing companies to hold people accountable at every level of the industry hierarchy for the mistreatment of models; companies who sign on and don’t follow through with the terms outlined in the document would be in breach of contract and subject to legal action, the thought being that the suggested codes of conducts that have been considered the norm haven’t worked.
The RESPECT Program was unveiled last week in an open letter. More than one hundred models showed public support for it, including Karen Elson, Doutzen Kroes, and Edie Campbell. It reads in part:
RESPECT will go beyond addressing specific acts of sexual harassment,and also seek to foster a work environment that is no longer fertileground for abuse.
Every company in our industry says it abhors sexual harassment andwants to protect those at risk of abuse. We believe that if a companyis serious about protecting us, it will be willing to go beyond merepromises to do better and embrace enforceable standards, with realteeth.
“It’s become abundantly clear that sexual harassment doesn’t exist in a vacuum and that the power imbalance between models and agencies and their clients needs to be addressed,” Ziff told Glamour.
To figure out exactly how to do that, Ziff and the Model Alliance held listening sessions with models. “We heard things like, ‘How can we say no to inappropriate demands when we are waiting three to ten months to get paid for a job? What if I’m pressured to pose nude, or to lose weight by my agency or get dropped?’”
The RESPECT Program’s stipulations stem from Ziff’s own experiences, having worked as a model herself.
PHOTO: Patrick McMullan
Ziff backstage at a Cynthia Steffe fashion show in February 2004.
“About a decade ago I brought forward concerns about [photographer] Terry Richardson [after I worked with him] and it fell on deaf ears for the most part,” she tells Glamour. “I didn’t want this to just be a Band-Aid, I wanted this to be meaningful.” Ziff’s story is familiar: Models had accused Richardson, a photographer, of sexual assault and harassment for years, but many brands and publications continued to work with him on high-profile projects. (This includes some work for titles within Condé Nast, which publishes Glamour.) In the wake of Weinstein, though, companies began to distance themselves from him, pledging to stop commissioning his work. In recent months, models have come forward with sexual harassment allegations against other famous photographers, including Mario Testino and Bruce Weber, as well.
Central to the RESPECT Program is that signatories would be required to enlist some kind of independent third party to file complaints, so models wouldn’t feel forced to report bad behavior to the exact people who sign their paychecks. It also would require that models get paid on time for their work, so they don’t become increasingly indebted to their agency (and because of that, ultimately feel unable to report abuses). There would also be a comprehensive training on rights and responsibilities for participants. And, if someone is reported to be a serial sexual predator, anyone who’s signed the RESPECT Program contract would have to stop working with them altogether.
PHOTO: Victor VIRGILE
Ultimately, what would make this program such a big step in the industry is the fact that it’s a legally binding agreement. “[People who sign it] are sending the message, this is not just about platitudes, this is not just a PR move,” she explains. “We’re going to stand by this.”
Ziff has already presented the program to Condé Nast and several modeling agencies. She hopes to see companies ranging from publishers to fashion brands participate, because there’s still a lot of work to be done to prevent sexual harassment in the industry.
“Karl Lagerfeld made those disappointing comments a few weeks ago and a lot of prominent people didn’t take issue with it. It’s more important than ever to draw a line that we are not going to tolerate sexual harassers or enablers.”
“Donald and Melania Trump Awkwardly Holding Hands” is officially back on the air after a brief hiatus. And it’s no less cringe-inducing than the last time you saw it.
You may remember the first installment, back in January 2017, on the eve of his inauguration. The President-Elect attempted to grab his wife’s hand as they descended the stairs of Air Force One only to have her gently dismiss the gesture. Then there was the time last, in May, when she fully swatted his hand away while on a tarmac in Israel—and the world (and social media) went nuts. In February, FLOTUS eluded his grasp yet again with an impressive swerve, causing him to cover up the snub with a behind-the-back grab maneuver.
And here we are again today, on the South Lawn of the White House. The President and the First Lady were welcoming French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, for the administration’s first state visit when cameras captured footage of Trump making a move. It…didn’t go well, though she did eventually lightly grab his hand. Frankly, these are getting tough for any of us to watch.
See for yourselves below. It’s incredibly awkward.
The Internet is having a field day, as one would expect with one user writing, “Poor Melania, she looked like she was holding back tears under her hat as she held Trump’s hand.” Another said, “It’s almost like he thanks her at the end when she caves to letting him hold her hand. But I know he’d never do something like that.”
Of course, we have no idea what really goes on in the personal relationship between President Trump and the First Lady, but each incident of awkward hand-holding stands in stark contrast to their predecessors, the Obamas, who were often quite affectionate with each other in public.
Over the weekend, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made their first public appearance together at the Invictus Games in Toronto, but there was just one problem: They weren’t physically together. Yes, the two of them were at the same event—but they were seated rows away from each other, which was kind of a bummer.
But they more than made up for that on Monday, September 25. Markle and Prince Harry, both still in Toronto, returned for another competition in the Invictus Games, but this time they arrived hand in hand. It’s significant because this marks the first time the couple has been photographed at an event showing some PDA. (The paparazzi have snapped pics of them holding hands before, but it’s always been during private settings.)
The twosome kept close to each other once they were in the actual venue, as well. People snapped photos of them giggling, whispering into each other’s ears, and sitting together during the event. So cute. So couple-y. So royal. We don’t want to keep you waiting anymore, so check out the photos and videos, below:
Despite the nonstop coverage, we don’t really know that much about Markle and Prince Harry’s relationship. In fact, Markle’s recent interview with Vanity Fair is the most either of them has opened up. “We’re a couple,” she told the magazine for its October issue. “We’re in love. I’m sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time. This is for us. It’s part of what makes it so special, that it’s just ours. But we’re happy. Personally, I love a great love story.”
