How to choose the winner of the first beauty contest in the USSR

The end of the eighties became a time of miracles in the Soviet Union . The population of the sixth part of the land believed in Gorbachev, Chumak, Kashpirovsky. Magazine Ogonyok published sensational articles, Komsomolskaya Krai did not lag behind, and it seemed to everyone that the times of prosperity are not far off, there is still a trifle: to do it the way it is done abroad.

The beauty contest in the USSR was never held, and someone in the party leadership felt that it was time to show the whole world, and at the same time its own people, that the country was moving in the right direction, joining the values of the "civilized world". Spectacular girls in the Soviet Union, always, in contrast to the goods and consumer goods, enough food. In this respect, we are not inferior to the West.

Like any large-scale event, the first beauty contest in the USSR required organizational costs. Money was found in the party box office, by today's standards they were required a little.

Enthusiasts, hoping to get a lucky ticket of fate, lined up in the queue of mausoleum length from the metro station to the entrance to the park of culture, where there was a selection point. Criteria, which will determine the degree of beauty, no one announced, so came all the women who considered themselves cute, regardless of height, weight and physique.

The name of the contest "Moscow Beauty" immediately set certain parameters of appearance, but the internationalism inherent in Soviet society allowed everyone who met the basic criteria to take part. As a result, of the many thousands of queues, the six most-most were selected.

From the very beginning it was assumed that the winner of the first beauty contest in the USSR will be Slav, it follows from its very name.

With all the desire for foreign standards, too tall and thin girl, such as one of the "semifinalists," Elena Predireeva, had too much "model" appearance. The other, Oksana Fandera, was both young and good, but she could not be a Moscow beauty, because she came from Odessa. Excellent looking Elena Durneva, but the winner of the first beauty contest in the USSR with this name ... nonsense!

In general, the finalists were two girls, Masha Kalinina and Katya Chilichkina. In terms of their external parameters, they were approximately equivalent. The task of choice, facing the jury, was not easy. After painful meditations, his members, who had gone through a serious school in the Komsomol and the party, decided that the name "Chilichkin" sounded not quite ideologically consistent. Enough of it and the audience's liking. So in 1988, the winner of the first beauty contest in the USSR was chosen, it was Masha Kalinina. The award became a fur coat and new opportunities, inaccessible to ordinary Soviet citizens and citizens.

The fashion house signed a contract with the most attractive girl of the USSR. What material dividends he brought, it is not known, the main thing is that he opened the door to a new life, like a fairy tale. Routes, receptions, presentations were replaced one after another, and at some of such events the elderly sponsor asked what the young creature dreams about. The creation dreamed of the same thing about which many other Soviet girls of the late eighties: go abroad (preferably in Hollywood) and learn English (without it you will not be removed in American cinema).

The winner of the first beauty contest in the USSR received everything she dreamed of. She graduated from acting school in the US, and even starred in several episodes. After a quarter of a century it can be assumed that she did not aspire to family joys.

Then there were other contests, and as the "creative development" of the public interest in them became increasingly sluggish. Even to people very far from show business, the fact of purchase and sale of prize-winning places became obvious. In addition, unlike Western samples, our selection criteria did not take into account the intellect of the participants, their ability to coherently say at least a few phrases, not to mention other abilities, to sing or dance, for example. Perhaps, our beauties did not need all this, they are so good ...