Miss Great Britain trophy

Made by Josiah Williams & Co., 1925

 

Purchased in 2002

 

Jennifer Chimes won the Miss Great Britain beauty contest in 1955, when she was aged 22. She went on to be a runner up in the Miss World competition and returned to Leamington a celebrity. Today, beauty pageants are considered by some to be sexist and an outdated form of entertainment. How can we explain objects like this in a way that is mindful of their past, but also considers changes in attitudes?