The Miss Italy beauty pageant made waves lately when it announced its policy on transgender contestants. According to Patrizia Mirigliani, the competition’s official patron, all contestants must be “women from birth.” She said that this rule was made to accommodate future possibilities like cosmetic surgery and gender reassignment.
Other pageants’ attempts to promote diversity and inclusion have been met with suspicion from Mirigliani, who called them “a bit absurd” and said they were motivated mostly by a desire for media attention. In contrast, Miss Italy has always stressed its traditional gender eligibility restriction.
This news comes after the historic crowning of Rikkie Valerie Kolle as the first transgender person to win the Miss Netherlands pageant. While Kolle’s triumph was a huge win for diversity, she has also been the target of internet harassment and abuse because of it. Despite the backlash, Kolle is preparing to compete in the Miss Universe pageant, which has yet to award a transgender champion. She is choosing to focus on the positive impact of her triumph.
Miss Italy has a long history of making changes to the competition in order to keep their entry requirements high. In a major change introduced in 2012, competitors who underwent plastic surgery were disqualified. In addition, all entrants were required to wear a black and white one-piece swimsuit, and there was a strict policy barring revealing swimwear, body piercings, and tattoos. The goal of these alterations was to recall the classic appeal of the 1950s.
Some local media publications have criticized the competition’s changes as being too conservative, despite widespread appreciation for Miss Italy’s commitment to classic beauty standards. Despite the backlash, Miss Italy remains true to its founding ideas, maintaining its stance on gender equality and its dedication to recognizing timeless beauty.