THE FASHION OF BEAUTY PAGEANTS AND THE LEGAL-SOCIAL FORMATION OF THE BRAZILIAN FEMALE IMAGE

Abstract

This study analyzes the intersection between beauty pageants and the construction of the Brazilian ideal of femininity, acknowledging that such standards have always been selective and exclusionary, particularly toward Black and low-income women. Beginning with the consolidation of these events in the 1950s, the article examines how pageants came to legitimize specific models of femininity, contributing to the naturalization of hierarchies of gender, race, and body. The primary objective of the research is to investigate this dynamic of reproducing female standards and to assess the extent to which the 1988 Federal Constitution enabled a critical reinterpretation of these models in light of the principles of human dignity, equality, and anti-discrimination. The methodology is based on bibliographic research and the analysis of normative frameworks that contextualize the intersections among culture, law, and gender. The findings highlight not only the historical persistence of feminine stereotypes but also the legal and social advances that, in contemporary times, support the pursuit of more plural, critical, and equitable representations of women in Brazilian society.

Keywords: Female image. Beauty pageants. Social representations. Gender stereotypes. Legal aspects.