The first documented beauty pageant clearly dates back to the Paris of Troy. He had to choose between three beauties for a wife. He chose Helen, the daughter of Zeus and Leda. If there had been titles like today then Helen would have been named Miss World. America only began holding beauty pageants in the early 1920s. They were originally a ploy to keep tourists in the city after the summer months. This was the birth of Miss America. The competition was held annually in Atlantic City, and each year the number of contestants grew. The Miss America pageant was interrupted during the Great Depression, when the economy took a turn for the worse. The contest returned in 1932, but did not generate much interest. When it was discovered that a 15-year-old woman had won the competition, she was disqualified and stripped of the title. In the late 1930s, in an effort to add an intellectual aspect, the beauty pageant introduced a mandatory talent contest for each of the contestants. The winner would receive a college scholarship, at the time the amount was approximately $5,000. In 1951, the beauty pageant expanded beyond the borders of the United States and included contestants from other parts of the world, hence the birth of the Miss World pageant. Shortly thereafter, the introduction of the Miss Universe pageant was held in Long Beach, California. Then came the era of media, scholarships and greater beauty for competitors. The women were classified based on the size of their hips, breasts and waist. The women followed these same guidelines. In 1961, the first children's beauty pageant was held in New Jersey in an effort to attract customers to the area. You would never have thought that this was...... middle of paper .......au, [web]. Retrieved June 19, 2011, from http://www.news.com.au/world/australians-uptight-about-child-beauty-pageants-says-us-organiser-annette-hill/story-e6frfkyi-1226077478573Kendrick, C. Ed.M. LCSW. (2011). Are beauty pageants bad for children? Life, Retrieved June 20, 2011, from http://life.familyeducation.com/emotional-development/girls-self-STIM/41305.htmlNussbaum, K. (n.d.). Children and beauty contests. Retrieved June 19, 2011, from http://www.minorcon.org/pageants.htmlRansford, M. (1997). The professor says beauty pageants are not for children. Unpublished manuscript, Ball State University, Muncie, IN. Retrieved June 20, 2011, from http://www.bsu.edu/news/article/0,1370,-1019-260,00.htmlSwanepoel, S. (May 23, 2010). Young beauties. Walton Tribune, Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://waltontribune.com/news/article_3081945a-0b16-58b0-83eb-78e9054babe0.html