BEAUTY BUSINESS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 74, 28 March 1931, Page 20

BEAUTY BUSINESS

There is another outcrop of bcauly photographs. "Miss France, 1931. Mile. Jiulln, the 20-year-old French girl, who has been chosen to compete for the title of Miss Universe." "Chrissonla Bedi has been chosen as Miss Greece, 1931." And so on, and so forth, writes Joan Weston Edwards in the "Sunday News." My mind goes back to a day and night in Cannes in February of last year. Every table in the Restaurant dcs Ambassadcurs, which is part of the casino, had been booked up. The King of Sweden, King Mnnbel and his wife, the Due do Bourbon, Mr. Esmond Harms worth, Miss Eilcon Bennett, Lady Sackvillo, Mrs. Benjamin Guinness, and her younger daughter were some of the well-known people there. Waiters were being bribed to find places in the foyer,' and as much as 500 francs was being paid for an uncomfortable little gilt chair beside an aperturo overlooking the movable floor iv ftfont of the orchestra. The reason for all the excitement was the appearance of tho beauties chosen from every country who were to go to South America' to bo fudged in tho final competition for the title "Miss. Universe." In. a long room, in which a,few old chairs and benches had been placed, I found a curious crowd.. There were half a- dozen slock, much pro-occupied young men who were organising the "show," there were groups of lovely young-creatures in, for tho most,part, tho latest Paris fashions, their hair burnished, waved, and perfumed by a celebrated hairdresser, their nails manicured, their faces perfectly made up. .The eldest of them was 24, there was another girl of 23, but nearly all of them were 18, and ono lovely Jittle creature""was only just 17. And there- were mothers —or guardians! They were mostly of the lower classes, and several, obviously, of peasant origin. They stood about in a bewildered fashion watching, as if in a dream, their daughters suddenly made different beings by all.these trappings. One or two of them had made pathetic attempts at evening dress, but for the most part they were in cloth skirts, black or coloured blouses, badly-cut overcoats. .In one corner a beauty from, the Central States was sobbingly refusing, despito the anger of a thick-set Jewish man, to join in the parade. She soon reduced herself to a state- of collapse, her face smudged with eye-black and her eyes swollen, so that he was baf-

WHAT IS BEHIND IT?

iled! I discovered that she would not face comparison with girls clad in frocks from famous Paris houses while her own was vaguely described as made by "Une Maison," of her native town. Another beauty dashed upstairs and into the room, throwing up her hands and declaring that she could do no more, and had to be given smelling salts and brandy. They had travelled from ■ Paris all night,' had' spent tho whole day in being beautified, dressed, paraded, photographed. As far as I could gather they had been given nothing to eat since 11.30 that morning, and, after they had spent the hours between 11 and 1 a.m. in. the Casino, were due to show "themselves at a new f'boitc" called Brummclls and have supper there with some "friends of the patron." It did not seem as if their mothers would get any supper at all. '■' And I tried to find out, who was paying tile costs of these expeditions, what future was offered to "Miss Universe," how the first -candidates were chosen. I got vague answers—a chance on the films, on the music halls, or as mannequins > Tire apparent "manager" was, I think, a Greek. He met my questions with a beautiful vagueness; he was always on. the point of explaining the scheme, but his roving eye again and again caught sight of something that needed immediate attention, and with a charming smile and a "Madame will excuse?" he darted off. And now, I suppose, a similar expedition for another batch of beauties is planned for the South of -France—possibly to Monte Carlo this time —en rout© for' South America, "World Fame" was the reason given me by a Swedish beauty for being there—she was the most intelligent, the best educated, the least chaperoned, and, I, think, almost the oldest of the girls. But what then? Will no one who is proud of real English beauty, the beauty of health,- sport, and clean living, protest against its representation in such a -crowd ancl with such artificiality? • ' Has the International Council of Women ever heard of the '1030 beauties"? Has Geneva and the League of Nations ever heard of "Miss Universe"? Is no one. curious as to the identity of tho people who are so anxious to show South America what Europe can produce iv the shape of beauty? |