Danielle Hazel, a New York mother, is filing a complaint against Miss America and Miss World over their strict rules regarding marriage and children in the competitions.
According to court documents obtained by People, Hazel argues that the requirement stating contestants must be “unmarried” and have “no children” is “discriminatory” toward mothers who wish to participate. The rules also note that women who are pregnant are not allowed to take part in the competition.
Having become a mother at 19, Hazel has voiced her concerns in a second complaint, also targeting Miss America’s rules. She is challenging these requirements in court, asserting that although she meets all other entry criteria, she is deemed ineligible due to her status as a mother with a legal dependent.
Hazel noted inside her complaint that she feels as though she has been “deprived of an opportunity that was extremely meaningful to her” as she hoped to gain access to the “unparalleled charitable platforms Miss World provides.” Hazel believes the stringent rule reinforces “the antiquated stereotype that women cannot be both a mother and be beautiful, poised, passionate, talented, and philanthropic.”
In a statement to People, Hazel also shared that she was “devastated” when she learned she could not compete in Miss America or Miss World. Her son, Zion, also thought the competition rules were “stupid.” The young mother added, “His sense of fairness at only 6 years old tells him that it is unjust and [makes] no sense.”
Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin is crowned by Miss America 2018 Cara Mund during the 2019 Miss America Pageant at Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall on September 9, 2018- Source: Donald Kravitz / Getty
Miss America Rep says there’s no ban on mothers.
Stuart J. Moskovitz, an attorney for the Miss America pageant, clarified that there is no ban on mothers, but contestants with legal dependents are ineligible to compete, as their responsibilities for their child’s welfare take priority.
“In other words, if you are responsible for the daily welfare of the child, that welfare must take precedence over wishing to compete in the contest,” he clarified. “The rule has nothing to do with any attack on motherhood. It is solely to protect the welfare of minors dependent on their legal guardians,” Moskovitz continued. “Miss America stands apart from other such contests. Miss America is a more than century-old institution that observes the highest standards of conduct, ethics, etc. That sometimes puts us in conflict with those who do not share those standards. Protecting the welfare of children is consistent with those standards.”
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