The way we were....How the press reported beauty pageants 45 years ago

Kristina Hanzalova

The Miss Universe Pageant enjoyed a long 12-year run in Miami Beach from 1960 to 1971. In 1970, the city's Tourist Development Authority persuaded the pageant's TV announcer to call Miami Beach "the land of sun, sand and surf."

But in 1972, the pageant moved to Puerto Rico and didn't return to South Florida until 1984 when, history tells us, a minor scandal erupted over whether or not Miss Germany, Brigitte Berx, had had a cosmetic procedure done on her boobs.

But back in 1970, they didn't call 'em "boobs."

They were called "bosoms" and a well-endowed contestant was either "bosomy" or "busty" as a classic bit of investigative reportage from the AP's Theodore Ediger reveals.

One paper headlined Ediger's story: "Girls built differently today." 

And another paper ran this headline:

[via]

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Via the St. Petersburg Times:

Beauty contestants are bustier

MIAMI BEACH — (AP) — Girls are getting bustier but slimmer, judging from measurements of international beauties gathered here for the 1970 Miss Universe pageant.

"Girls are fuller-busted than they used to be and we are adjusting swimsuits of the contestants accordingly," said June Wiley, who saw to it that the queens from 44 nations were fitted.

For the first time in the 19 year history of the Miss Universe pageant, Miss Wiley reported, a special swimsuit was made to fit a contestant.

Miss Wiley sent a rush order to her firm, Catalina Inc., in Los Angeles for a suit to fit bosomy Miss Czechoslovakia, Kristina Hanzalova.

"She has a 39-inch bust and a slender back," Miss Wylie explained.

Miss Czechoslovakia who said she had never before seen an ocean, splashed in the Atlantic Monday, happy with her new swimsuit. Her measurements are 39-23-35.

But Ediger's report was tame compared to a caption attached to a photo of Hanzalova sent out by United Press International.

CHESTY CZECH — Miami Beach, Florida — Kristina Hanzalova, 21-year-old Miss
Czechoslovakia, literally threw newsmen for a loop when she replied “94-58-90”
when asked about her vital statistics. She was referring to centimeters,
of course, not inches to which the boys are accustomed. Kristina is one of the
competitors in the Miss Universe contest being held in Miami Beach.
(UPI Photo) 7/7/70 [via]