Provincial Pulchritude

Beauty contests here can be quite aptly ranked among the first fruits of perestroika. They became unique free birds in the then strictly regimented and heavily censored cultural and entertainment spectacles. It is quite funny to recall the first contests today: a quaint mixture of our usual Soviet-style prim shows and Western mores, for the parade of scantily-clad contestants required indomitable courage from the girls and composure of the audiences. Then came a virtual boom in beauty contests: they could be held by anyone in any way. The contests would elect a Miss District, City, Institute, Vocational School, Company, etc. Concurrently, the contests triggered innumerable rumors about behind-the-scenes intrigues, the sponsors’ influence on the judges’ decisions, etc. But even this could not possibly diminish either the public agitation about beauty pageants or the interest them shown by a press turning increasingly yellow. But as time went by everybody got their fill with the freedom or, to be more exact, license that perestroika had unleashed. Meanwhile, more and more other spectacles (good, not so good, very bad, or just different) began to appear, and in any case everybody soon became aware that one could not live on circuses alone: the people also need bread. We quietly began to learn to live by the laws of the market with due allowance for our national specifics.

This also touched beauty contests. Their number shrank, and those which survived became quite professional, i.e., their organizers and participants tried not only to satisfy their own ambitions and secure the aid of sponsors but also began to take future prospects into account. This future was connected above all with the modeling business. Oddly enough, this rather pragmatic approach, which made contests a narrow professional affair, seems to have reduced audience interest in them, at least in our capital well-satiated with all kinds of circuses. Having been held in various cities over the past three years, the Miss Ukraine contest recently returned to Kyiv. It was conducted on the Lesia Ukrayinka Theater stage in a prim, if not solemn, atmosphere. It attracted a full house. All this did not discourage the beauties at all: they behaved absolutely unrestrainedly and naturally in spite of their youth. The overwhelming majority of the participants were 16 to 19 years old. Perhaps their lack of stage fright resulted from ten days of backbreaking rehearsals.

The contest was hosted by this countries main television weathercasters Olha Bura and Oleksiy Divieyev-Tserkovny, which looks a bit strange in face of the contest’s status as Miss Ukraine. In France, for example, a function like this would hardly be hosted by a weatherman. Yet, France has specifics of its own. A few days ago the Internet spread a rumor that Miss France 2001 was in fact a transvestite. But this is just an aside. What distinguished Divieyev-Tserkovny was his well-trained voice, a few gaffes, and a wagonload of tedious compliments to the contestants.

The pageant itself came off according to internationally accepted standards in three acts. The evening-gown parade identified semifinalists, then twelve girls appeared for the swimsuit competition that still sets male hearts throbbing. This also indicated the initial audience preferences. First in line were undoubtedly Miss Cherkasy Liliana Horova and Oleksandra Nikolayenko from Odesa. It is they who brought the house down with long and thunderous applause. Yet, other girls also received a warm welcome of Kyiv’s extremely well-wishing audiences. Incidentally, to quote Serhiy Matiash, president of the Miss Ukraine National Committee, the contenders tentatively formed two groups before the contest: the leaders and the rest. It is the former group that a winner usually comes from. But, of course, none of the girls ever admit even in their heart of hearts that they are in some way inferior to their rivals. All consider themselves best of the best. After all, is this not the right thing to do?

In the intermissions, the audiences were being entertained by Ukrainian performers El Kravchuk, Milana, and others less well known (the same principle of division into the leaders and the rest also holds in pop music).

In the final act, six girls told about themselves and their goals in life. Some did it better, some worse, but still all the young ladies left a pleasant impression.

As was expected, the jury awarded the Miss Ukraine 2001 crown and title to Oleksandra Nikolayenko from Odesa, with Liliana Horova from Cherkasy coming off as first runner-up, Miss Dnipropetrovsk Iryna Prymenko as second, and Kateryna Matveyeva from Kirovohrad as third. The title of Vice-Miss was also awarded to Yuliya Ferafontova of Kharkiv. There were also some consolation prizes. Hanna Shevchuk (Kyiv) and Iryna Zelinska (Dnipropetrovsk) became Miss Photo and Miss Charm. The title of Miss Telegenic was awarded Natalia Shestakova from Zaporizhzhia, and that of Miss Audience Choice went to Tetiana Nekrasova (Donetsk).

Many of the girls satisfied their material needs and not just their ambitions. For example, Iryna Prymenko bagged a contract worth $70,000 with a certain firm, while other girls received individual prizes and awards from sponsors.

As to the rest of the girls, according to Mr. Matiash it often happens that a more successful career is made not by the winner but by those who trailed twentieth or so in the contest. But who of us really understands such women?