They had “pretty ankle contests” in the 1900s
The earliest recording of a “pretty ankle contest” was in the early 1900s but it was from the 30s to 50s that ankle competitions hit their stride. Contestants would be concealed behind a curtain with only their ankle proffered for evaluation.
The concealment was to encourage all women to enter, as one newspaper advised in 1927: “Older ladies need not feel timid about entering the contest. They have as much chance as their daughters.”
These shows often served as a way to promote hosiery companies with winners receiving free stocking, not to mention the crown of “prettiest ankle”.
Looking back at the photos, it seems like the contests were serious business. As one commentator wrote in the Bunbury Herald and Blackwood Express in December 1926: “There is something captivating about pretty ankles, and it was only natural that some bright mind must think up a competition for them.”
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