Miss Cantabria hits out at the ‘discrimination’ that cost her the prize. Outraged cries from mothers all over Spain resounded this week after Miss Cantabria was de-throned. Stripped of her title simply because she has a child, Ángela Bustillo, 22, intends to fight for her crown in the courts – and her case has aroused impassioned views from both sides of the fence. “They are penalising motherhood as though it was an impediment to a woman’s ability to function professionally,” storms Cantabria’s minister for equality, Soledad Murillo.

Yet many members of the public consider that if she knew the rules before entering the competition and proceeded to enter anyway, the decision to take her crown off her is justified.

Furthermore, the rules governing these infamous ‘Miss’ and ‘Mister’ competitions apply all over the world, not simply to Miss Cantabria or even Miss España. Candidates must not be either pregnant or already have a child, as the Miss Universe organisation, which covers all such contests, believes childbirth ruins a woman’s figure – a view that has raised public outcry amongst women’s organisations throughout Spain.

Quite apart from the blow to a mother’s self-esteem that this supposes, the basis of this regulation is ‘contradictory’, says Ana Isabel Méndez, Director General of Cantabria regional government’s Department for Women.“If her figure had been ruined by having a child, she wouldn’t have won the competition in the first place,” Méndez states. “A woman is capable of working in any professional situation, whether she is a mother or not.”
Méndez wants to see the organisation ‘take a step forward’ and change what she considers to be outmoded, antiquated prerequisites to the competition. Rules that not only send out a negative message to women who have had children, suggesting that they can no longer be physically attractive, but which also constitute gender discrimination - a man can enter the Mister España competition irrespective of whether he is a father, because fatherhood will not affect a man’s looks.

“Rules are rules”
“Most of the rules for the competition are discriminatory anyway. You have to be a certain height, weight and measurement, for a start. The entire nature of the competition is discrimination – so why is she kicking up a fuss? She chose to enter, knowing the regulations,” says Cristina, 29. “She’s just trying to get her fifteen minutes of fame and live off the drama. It’s a different matter if we’re talking about inequality affecting your fundamental legal rights – but this is only a competition.”

Discussion forums have opened up on the Internet for the public to vent their spleen on the subject – and there are strong feelings in both camps. “They should withdraw these events altogether if they think the rules are so prejudiced, and concentrate harder on eliminating the same type of prejudice at work and in society,” says one woman.

“Well, I’m also going to denounce my town council for inequality because they won’t let me be Fiesta Queen (I’m a man and rather ugly); they won’t allow me to play for the ‘married’ team in the local ‘Married v Single’ football match because I’m single, and they won’t let me join in the annual pensioners’ lunch because I’m only in my thirties,” is another very pointed comment.

“With all due respects to this girl, she knew the rules, but entered anyway and lied,” says José. “If people don’t agree with the regulations of the Miss España competition, then they should be changed, but don’t give us all this ‘political correctness’ business.”

Moral dilemma
After being crowned queen of her autonomous community, Ángela Bustillo, who has a three-year-old son, would have competed against the other 16 regional winners for the title of Miss España. Yet a fax she received from the judges’ headquarters just two weeks after being named Miss Cantabria announced that her title would be withdrawn and she would not be eligible to enter the final round.

It is a decision that Bustillo calls ‘unconstitutional’, and is distraught at the thought of losing her crown, but she says her main concern is to ensure that the rules are changed for the future, even if she is not allowed to keep her title.

Cantabria’s regional government does not hold out much hope, saying it has little capacity to change the rules, although Méndez says her department will do whatever is in its power to make sure this ‘unjust and illegitimate’ condition of entry is withdrawn.

Miss España SL’s legal department says it faces an ethical dilemma. Morally, the company explains, Ángela Bustillo’s complaint should be upheld, but legally, there is probably little that can be done as she entered the competition with full knowledge of the entry requirements.

Whatever the final outcome of the case is, it is certain to provoke extremes of opinion and fuel the debate even further. Ángela Bustillo has thousands of supporters who believe that the Miss España contest’s ‘no kids’ rule is narrow-minded and old-fashioned, yet there are plenty more who say nobody forced Bustillo to enter the event and she was aware of the strict –  and possibly unfair – criteria. Deciding to take part automatically implies that she accepted the rules, even if she did not agree with them.

Then there are those who say such contests should be scrapped altogether, their very essence being discriminatory, degrading, and pointless. Clearly, the issue runs much deeper than whether or not Miss Cantabria is permitted to retain her title. The real question is whether such competitions and their entry criteria have any place in today’s society.