His appointment ushered in a new era of social freedom for the citizens of the USSR – including the removal of the ban on beauty pageants. However, the landscape changed in 1985 with the appointment of Mikhail Gorbachev who became the youngest General Secretary of the communist Party.

“Moscow Beauty” was expected to become an annual event where prizes were free travel passes for trips abroad, cash, and luxurious (by Russian standards) gifts.īeauty pageants (a mainstay in Western culture, particular America) were banned in the Soviet Union since 1959 – no scantily clad ladies, no cheeky fashion, no celebration of beauty and poise.