• A New York woman filed a complaint against beauty pageants.
• She accused them of discrimination due to her status as a mother.
• She called them out because of their entry requirements.

A New York woman has filed a complaint against the Miss America and Miss World beauty pageants, accusing them of discrimination due to her status as a mother.

Danielle Hazel, 25, submitted the complaint to the New York City Human Rights Commission on Monday after being disqualified from participating in the pageants because she has a six-year-old son. “My dream of competing in those pageants is still on hold today because of their discriminatory entry requirements, which ban mothers from competing,” Hazel stated.

Hazel has enlisted Gloria Allred, a well-known women’s rights lawyer, for her legal representation. Addressing the press, Allred said, “Being pregnant or being a parent is not a crime, and should not exclude an individual from employment or business opportunities.” She criticized the pageants’ eligibility rules, which demand contestants be unmarried, childless, and without dependents, calling them “based upon the antiquated stereotype that women cannot be both a mother and be beautiful, poised, passionate, talented, and philanthropic.”

Allred also noted that she has previously filed a similar lawsuit against Miss Universe.

Beauty pageants in the U.S. have faced increasing controversy in recent years, including a mental health-related resignation of the 2023 Miss USA and Miss Teen USA winners.

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