Deaf Women in Beauty Pageants

20th Century Deaf activists sought to preserve their society by distancing themselves from other disabled people and emphasizing their commonality to mainstream society

Beauty Pageants

• Local, State & National Deaf organizations began to sponsor
• Popularity within Deaf community rose with victors through newspaper, films and TV programs

Helen Heckman

Helen Heckman

• Sang, danced, played piano
• Praised for her oralist "overcoming" life story
• Percieved sucess, normalcy and beauty dependant on oral ability
• Won 2nd in mainstream national contest of beauty of face and figure.
• Emphasized role model for all deaf women

Marion Rene

• 1939 exceptional beauty and dance skills
• had "excellent" oral skills
• Night club dancer

Violet Hylton

• 1950's winner of Standard Garment Co. Beauty Pageant
• Stunned the judges when they learned she was deaf
• Her vocal silence was seen as exemplary femininity

Articles throughout most of the 20th century broadcast deaf beauties ability to "pass" as hearing

"For many - hearing and deaf - oralism had unique feminine qualities"

Why????????

• In the late 19th Century and 20th Century the model oralist teacher = white, single, & female
• Taught "polite" behavior and discouraged "barbaric" facial expression

Deaf beauty pageants were emphasized by Deaf men in showing off their women's beauty and oral ability to prove they were "real" men to the mainstream society.

Ann Billington

Ann Billington

• 1972 Miss Deaf America winner
• Raised orally - started learning signs at Galladuet University
• First beauty recognized representing Deaf culture

After ASL recognized as language, Deaf culture representation became required in Deaf beauty pageants

Ronnie May Tyson

Ronnie May Tyson

• Crowned as first Miss Black Deaf America (MBDA) in 1983
• National Black Deaf Advocates hosts the MBDA every other year (National Black Deaf Advocates, 2015)

More Miss Deaf Americas

Classroom Activity

Discussion

• What negative effects of deaf women being considered beautiful because of their ability to "pass" as hearing do you see today?
• Why does it seem that only after ASL was a proven language Deaf beauty pageants required contestants to have Deaf cultural awareness and representation?

References