June 12, 1988 — Beauty pageants were seen as a feature of the “decadent” West and condemned by the comrades of Soviet Russia – until this day when the Kremlin capitulated and the first Moscow Beauty contest was held.
In a society where everyone was – officially – considered equal, there were no entry restrictions and anyone could take part, regardless of size, shape, or age. Even mature schoolgirls tried their luck.
And that is how the competition changed the life of Maria Kalinina, a Moscow schoolgirl who was just sixteen years and nine months old when she emerged as the winner. Photographed, filmed and fêted as the latest Russian celebrity, she was signed up by a modelling agency and then worked on assignments across Europe.
Two years later she moved to the United States, attended drama school, then began to appear in commercials and films.
In 2006, Maria played a vampire in the Hollywood horror movie, Stay Alive, but the on-screen violence and torture sickened her, causing her to change her lifestyle, taking up Yoga and becoming a vegetarian.
Today, she runs a business teaching Kundalini yoga and lives in Los Angeles with the owner of a body-building school.
It is a far cry from the day when, as a schoolgirl, she turned the heads of beauty pageant judges in Moscow and collected her “fabulous” prize as the winner – a television set.
Published: April 26, 2016
Updated: November 18, 2019
Related Articles and Photos
Articles on Events in June
England Cricket’s Class Divide Hit For Six
The game of cricket in England long reflected the class divisions of society. All would begin to change on this day with a new England captain taking the field.June 11, 1952
Anne Frank – A Light of Inspiration in the Nazi Darkness
Anne Frank received her famous diary on this day – a beacon of hope and love from a young girl in a world beset by cruelty, horror and death.June 12, 1942
Nelson Mandela Begins 27 Years in Jail
Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment on this day and sent to Robben Island, seven miles off Cape Town. It caused international outrage.June 12, 1964
Cricket's T20 is Born. Howzat!?
Cricketing enthusiasts are fearful for the future of Test matches. The seeds of doubt were sewn on this day when the furiously fast T20 format was introduced.June 13, 2003