7 Interesting Things You Never Knew About Beauty Pageants

Contestants used to have to trace their lineage to prove they were white

It’s hard to imagine that a little less than 50 years ago, women of color were not allowed to compete in pageants. It wasn’t until the 1970s that women of color were given a chance to compete on the main stage alongside their white counterparts. And, up until 1940, Miss America required contestants to trace their lineage back seven generations to prove they were 100 percent white, according to Fox News.

The racist history associated with pageants in America led African Americans and other people of color to form their own pageants where contestants would not have to worry about losing based on their ethnic background.

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