Miss America, Miss World pageants challenged over rules excluding mothers

Karah Rucker

A 25-YEAR-OLD MOTHER IS CHALLENGING THE RULES OF THE MISS AMERICA AND MISS WORLD PAGEANTS –

FILING A DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT AGAINST THEM FOR EXCLUDING EITHER SOME OR ALL MOTHERS FROM COMPETING.

MISS AMERICA DOESN’T ALLOW CONTESTANTS WITH “LEGAL DEPENDENTS,” WHILE MISS WORLD BARS ANYONE WHO IS MARRIED, HAS CHILDREN, OR IS PREGNANT.

DANIELLE HAZEL – A MOTHER OF A SIX YEAR OLD BOY – ALONGSIDE A PROMINENT WOMEN’S RIGHTS LAWYER GLORIA ALLRED –

ARE FIGHTING FOR A MOTHER’S RIGHT TO COMPETE IN THE BIG TIME BEAUTY PAGEANTS.

HAZEL SAYS SHE ALWAYS WANTED TO COMPETE IN A MAJOR PAGEANT – AND WAS “DEVASTATED” WHEN SHE LEARNED SHE IS DISQUALIFIED.

“AT 19 YEARS OLD, I HAD MY SON ZION, AND IT WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFTS OF MY ENTIRE LIFE. I DID NOT WANT OR PLANNED TO GIVE UP ON MY DREAMS OF BEING PART OF A PAGEANT AND REPRESENTING MY COUNTRY OR MY ASPIRATIONS AFTER I BECAME A MOTHER.”

HAZEL SAYS SHE WANTS TO SEE THE RULES CHANGE AND CALLED THEM OUTDATED.

HER ATTORNEY – CALLING THE EXCLUSION OF MOTHERS “DISCRIMINATORY.” 

WE’RE SEEKING AN END TO THE DISCRIMINATORY REQUIREMENT OF BOTH PAGEANTS, WHICH WE BELIEVE DENIES AND EXCLUDES DANIELLE AND OTHER MOTHERS FROM AN IMPORTANT BUSINESS AND CULTURAL OPPORTUNITY SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THEIR STATUS AS PARENTS.”

THE MISS WORLD PAGEANT HAS NOT RESPONDED TO MEDIA REQUESTS FOR COMMENT.

HOWEVER AN ATTORNEY FOR THE MISS AMERICA PAGEANT HAS –

ARGUING ITS RULES ARE IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT CONTESTANTS CAN FULLY FOCUS ON THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES AND NOT HAVE TO JUGGLE PAGEANT DUTIES WITH PARENTING.

STUART MOSKOVITZ SAYS MISS AMERICA WORKS “365 DAYS A YEAR” AND IS BUSIER THAN THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. 

IN A STATEMENT TO THE NEW YORK POST –

MOSKOVITZ SAYS 

“THE ONLY BAN IS WHERE IT’S NECESSARY TO PROTECT THE WELFARE OF THE CHILD. IF YOU HAVE A LEGAL DEPENDENT, YOU HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THE LEGAL DEPENDENT. ANY WOMAN THAT PUTS COMPETING IN THIS CONTEST ABOVE THE WELFARE OF HER CHILD, WELL, SHE’S NOT A MISS AMERICA ANYWAY.”

HAZEL ISN’T THE FIRST TO FIGHT AGAINST THE PAGEANTS RULES BANNING MOTHERS FROM COMPETING.

A MOTHER WHO WAS CROWNED “MISS UKRAINE” IN 2018 – SAYS SHE HAD HER TITLE STRIPPED AWAY WHEN THE “MISS WORLD ORGANIZATION” LEARNED THAT SHE HAD A CHILD.

SHE HAS SINCE CREATED AN ORGANIZATION ADVOCATING FOR CHANGE IN RULES –

AND IS STANDING ALONGSIDE HAZEL IN HER FIGHT AGAINST THE PAGEANTS.

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