Beauty pageants have been a distinctive aspect of pop culture throughout the twentieth century. This affectionate and witty chronicle of beauty contests over the decades offers the combined pleasures of an engaging text and a wealth of photographs depicting beauty queens past and present in all their glittering glamour. Candace Savage traces the evolution of the beauty pageant from its early days as a slightly scandalous display of feminine self-confidence to a much mocked sexist spectacle to its recent international popularity, particularly in the Third World. In 1996 the annual Miss Universe telecast was seen by an estimated 600 million people in sixty countries around the world. How did this quirky custom manage to become such a major cultural institution? When and where did the idea originate? (P.T. Barnum seems at least partly responsible). And why have so many women eagerly participated as both spectators and contestants? Emphasizing the glory years between 1920 and 1970, Beauty Queens offers entertaining - and sometimes startling - answers to these and other questions while exploring every aspect of the beauty contest's curious history. Anyone who has ever sniffled as the winner wept tears of joy will savour this lighthearted tribute. AUTHOR: Candace Savage is the author of numerous internationally acclaimed books, including Wolves, Cowgirls, Mother Nature, Aurora, and Bird Brains. Her work has been honoured by both the American and Canadian Library Associations as well as by the Canadian Science Writers Association and the Rachel Carson Institute. 100 illustrations, 20 in color, 90 in quadtone.