--- description: Photos from the first years of the Miss Universe pageant, which was as full of pomp and politics then as it is now. title: Beauty and a Dash of Politics: Photos from the First Miss Universe Pageants image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3431d78b57761272/69877b5acd1bbab17d6f4cbc/150122-miss-universe-07.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [photography](/tag/photography/) ## photography Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # See Photos From the First Miss Universe Pageants  by [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Jan 23, 2015 5:15 PM CUT  Miss France, winner of the 1953 Miss Universe pageant. Miss France, winner of the 1953 Miss Universe pageant.George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  by [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Jan 23, 2015 5:15 PM CUT You might expect the most controversial thing about the Miss Universe pageant to be a misapplied fake eyelash or a broken six-inch heel. The annual, Trump-run pageant—which gives equal weight to a contestant’s ability to don a swimsuit, twirl about in an evening gown and not flub an interview—is not exactly the [State of the Union](http://time.com/3675705/full-text-state-union-2015/ "undefined") or the [Davos Economic Forum](http://time.com/3675437/davos-oil-terrorism-sex-scandals/ "undefined") (two events that happen to fall during the same week). But politics seem in to creep in through the caked-on foundation year after year. This year’s competition, which airs Sunday, Jan. 25, has already made headlines for a [controversial selfie](http://time.com/3673083/miss-lebanon-miss-israel-selfie/ "undefined") taken with Miss Lebanon and Miss Israel, whose countries have been on hostile terms for as long as they’ve existed. Last year’s pageant, held in Russia, caused a stir by barring contestants from countries that Russia does not officially recognize, including Kosovo. Back in 1969, Miss Austria ruffled feathers by saying that the greatest historical figure was Mao Zedong. The politics of pageantry date all the way back to the inaugural pageant, which took place in Long Beach, California, in 1952\. Miss Universe was an outgrowth of Miss America, which until 1950 had been sponsored by the Catalina Swimwear company. But when that year’s Miss America, a former Catholic school girl, refused to pose for photographs in a bathing suit, Catalina pulled its sponsorship and went on to found Miss USA and Miss Universe (and, much later, Miss Teen USA). An [ad for Miss Universe](https://books.google.com/books?id=V1YEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA65&dq=%22miss+universe%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=XBfBVL-bOLaLsQTUoYGwCg&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAjge#v=onepage&q=%22miss%20universe%22&f=false "undefined") in an April 1952 issue of LIFE enticed young women to enter the competition with the promise of a flight on “luxurious Pan American World Airways,” lodging at “the finest hotels overlooking the blue Pacific” and a chance to win a contract with Universal Studios. All an aspiring beauty queen had to do was mail in a photo of herself in a Catalina swim suit. Between April and June, photographs were mailed, contestants were selected and Pan Am flights were boarded. And when the results rolled in, with Miss Finland taking home the tiara, not everyone was pleased. A July [news brief](https://books.google.com/books?id=3VUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA34&dq=%22miss+universe%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=XBfBVL-bOLaLsQTUoYGwCg&ved=0CCAQ6AEwATge#v=onepage&q=%22miss%20universe%22&f=false "undefined") in LIFE titled “Beauty queen sounds off” summarized Miss Italy’s charges that politics, not merit, had decided that year’s winners: --- > “” --- Whether it’s better to win a prize based on one’s genes or one’s status as a pawn in a much larger game is a question that remains as we head into this year’s spectacle. Although perhaps the more prudent question is whether any of it really matters at all. _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter at_ [_@LizabethRonk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk "undefined")_._  Miss Universe contestants, 1953. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Miss Universe contestants, 1953. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Miss Italy inspects her bathing suit, 1953. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Miss Sweden and Miss Switzerland exchange friendly smiles at the 1953 Miss Universe pageant. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Miss USA flashes a smile, 1953. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Contestants model evening gowns, 1953. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Miss France, winner of the 1953 Miss Universe pageant. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Miss Universe parade, 1954. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Contestants are applauded by sailors, 1954. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Miss Israel waves from a float, 1954. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Miss Argentina, 1954. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Miss Cuba on a parade float, 1954. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Miss Universe contestants, 1954. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Miss Peru, Gladys Zender, winner of the 1957 Miss Universe Contest. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Miss Universe contestants in evening dresses, 1957. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Audience members with binoculars during the 1957 Miss Universe contest. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Miss Universe contestants in bathing suits, 1957. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Winner Gladys Zender being crowned by former Miss Universe Carol Morris, 1957. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Miss Peru, Gladys Zender, winner of the 1957 Miss Universe Contest. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3678858/miss-universe-1950s/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3678858/miss-universe-1950s/"},"headline":"See Photos From the First Miss Universe Pageants","datePublished":"2015-01-23T17:15:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:06:05.174Z","description":"Since its inception in 1952, Miss Universe has unfailingly produced a spectacle of primping and politics, if not in equal measure","url":"https://time.com/3678858/miss-universe-1950s/","keywords":["photography","LIFE Magazine","miss universe"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3431d78b57761272/69877b5acd1bbab17d6f4cbc/150122-miss-universe-07.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliza Berman","jobTitle":"Berman is a senior editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3431d78b57761272/69877b5acd1bbab17d6f4cbc/150122-miss-universe-07.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"1953, Miss Universe","caption":"1953, Miss Universe","creditText":"George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/photography/","name":"photography"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3678858/miss-universe-1950s/","name":"See Photos From the First Miss Universe Pageants"}}]}] ```