TH E SY OURPKDSAHTI R N EW EE COA ST
How glamour has changed its business model Why more women are entering pageants
Despite sometimes prohibitive costs and cultural pressures, there is no shortage of women wanting to compete in pageants.
by Scarborough’s Sally-Ann Fawcett
O ver the years, TopShop, Epson Computers, PLJ Lemon Juice, Hoover, and even Haywards Pickles have appeared on the winners’ sashes because of the many thousands of pounds they would commit to the contests. These days, the business model has had to adapt. Due to a more limited audience and without TV coverage, businesses no longer benefit from brand-building investment in beauty pageants, leaving organisers to foot their own bill for the staging. This is mostly recouped by charging contestants to compete: up to £650 entry fee for some bigger pageants.
The 1987 Miss Great Britain final five, a pageant in its heyday
But national pageant expert Sally-Ann Fawcett, of Scarborough, says they are still popular, even though they have changed hugely: some of them, such as Miss World, dropped the tradition of the swimwear parade. In the late 1980s, Sally, whose father was secretary to Scarborough’s mayors for 25 years, competed in a dozen local pageants. She was third in Miss Scarborough, fourth in Miss Yorkshire and won the Miss Scarborough Carnival title in 1987. How did her interest begin? Sally-Ann said: “As soon as I set eyes
Miss Yorkshire TV 1979 finalists at a civic reception in Scarborough
72 @
topicuk-magazine
@topic_uk www.topicuk.co.uk @topic_uk
editor@topicuk.co.uk