# 1930s Texas swimsuit contest!

> Imagine competing in a beauty pageant today and facing this judging panel...

**By:** John McGillie  
**Published:** October 17, 2026  
**Tags:** 1935, Beauty Pageants, Texas Centennial Exposition

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Imagine competing in a beauty pageant today and facing this judging panel...

Back in 1935, women gathered in Dallas to compete for a spot as an official face of the upcoming Texas Centennial Exposition. While the committee framed it as auditioning for a promotional job, the selection process was treated like a high-stakes beauty pageant—complete with some bizarre "scientific" testing.

According to an original Universal Newsreel content sheet from the time:

"Last-minute inventions give a perfect check on the degree of pulchritude possessed by lovely models seeking jobs with a Texas Centennial Committee. In one test, the girls are fitted into life-sized cutouts of the perfect figure."

To win a spot, contestants literally had to step inside a wooden stencil of what judges deemed the "perfect" body shape to see if they fit the mold. (Fun fact: Pulchritude is just a fancy, old-school word for physical beauty!)

Be honest: Had you ever heard the word pulchritude before today? What’s your favorite forgotten, old-school piece of slang that needs to make a comeback?

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**About the author:** John McGillie is a pen name, used for safety after threats of violence. I grew up in Wishek, North Dakota, and moved to Texas 20 years ago. I write about the history, food and back roads I keep finding along the way.

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_Read the full article at [everybittexas.com/posts/1930s-texas-swimsuit-contest](https://everybittexas.com/posts/1930s-texas-swimsuit-contest)_

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