July 01, 2012
"Miss Holocaust Survivor" - A Bizarre Celebration of Beauty
Samira Shackle in New Statesman - read it to believe it:
So a rather unusual beauty pageant in Israel this week has caused some controversy. Fourteen women, aged between 74 and 97, competed for the title of “Miss Holocaust Survivor”. Whittled down from 300 entrants, each of the women had survived the horrors of World War II.
Certainly, it jars to think of judging ageing women who have endured so much on the basis of their appearance. Critics said that the contest was macabre and offensive, while the cosmetics company recruited to dress the women for the pageant was accused of using the survivors for a cheap marketing stunt. Pageant organisers Shimon Sabag responded that it was a “celebration of life” and that just ten per cent depended on appearance, with women being judged also on their stories of survival and their contribution to their local communities.
More here.
Posted by Henry Molofsky at 09:49 PM | Permalink
Comments
Aharon Appelfeld could not have made this up. But someone did have the idea, and I hope it made him not a dime.
Posted by: Elatia Harris | Jul 1, 2012 10:32:40 PM
I wonder what the contestants think; does it help them in some way, however bizarre?
Posted by: William Stenger | Jul 2, 2012 8:12:13 PM
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