Beauty pageants 1920's
The concealment was meant to encourage reluctant women to participate in the contest. One newspaper advised in 1927: "Older ladies need not feel timid about entering the contest. They have as much chance as their daughters." The judge, often a policeman or a clerk, would walk up and down and judge the prettiest ankles - as seen in the pictures collected in this article. Some pageants also judged the prettiest shoulders, arms, and legs.