Danielle Hazel, joined by her lawyer Gloria Allred, speaks at a press conference in New York on Monday, September 16, 2024. AP Photo
Danielle Hazel, a New York resident, is taking a stand against the Miss America and Miss World pageants for their longstanding rule that excludes mothers from competing. Hazel, who had always dreamed of participating in these prestigious beauty contests, was disheartened to discover that her dream was dashed because she became a mother at 19.
Speaking at the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument in Central Park, Hazel shared her frustration. “When I told Zion, who is now 6 years old, about these rules, he had an immediate gut reaction: he said that these rules are stupid,” she said. Her young son’s sense of fairness led him to believe that the rules were unfair and nonsensical.
Hazel’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, has taken legal action by filing a complaint with the city’s Commission on Human Rights. The complaint argues that these pageant rules unjustly exclude mothers from participating in what is described as an “important business and cultural opportunity.” Allred claims that the rule is based on outdated stereotypes that suggest women cannot be both mothers and embody the qualities celebrated in beauty pageants, such as grace, passion, and philanthropy.
Allred, known for her advocacy for women's rights, highlighted a previous success where she challenged a similar rule for a California mother. This case led to the Miss Universe eliminating its 70-year-old rule that barred mothers from competing. Allred is now hopeful that this current challenge will result in similar changes.
“Being pregnant or being a parent is not a crime and should not exclude an individual from employment or business opportunities,” Allred said. “An individual’s status as a parent should not carry a stigma and no person should have to feel embarrassed, humiliated, or degraded because they have become a parent.”
In support of Hazel, Veronika Didusenko, a former Miss Ukraine 2018, joined the cause. Didusenko had her title stripped after Miss World learned she had a child. Although she lost her legal challenge in Ukraine, Didusenko is now appealing to the European Court of Human Rights to contest the ban on mothers in beauty pageants.
The Miss America and Miss World organizations have yet to respond to requests for comment on the matter. Similarly, the city’s Commission on Human Rights has stated that it does not comment on ongoing investigations.
