THE INSIDER: Russia women buck beauty trend
Snowy Krasnoyarsk in Russia celebrates International Women’s Day with plus-sized beauty contest
Russia is not the first country that springs to mind when the subject of gender equality and abolishing stereotypes come up, but one step at a time… Reuters reported on International Women’s Day that in snowy Krasnoyarsk, women preparing for a plus-sized beauty contest parade around a hall dressed in ball gowns and swimsuits, but these days, they also take classes in kick-boxing and dancing. The competition, now in its second year, is organised by a local modeling agency, SibPlus. Inna Sertrakova, who works at the agency, said the pageant aims to challenge Russian attitudes that equate beauty with an ultra-slim figure. "We want to show off our femininity even though it doesn’t conform to current fashion standards because we want to be seen as beautiful," said Olga Olesnitskaya, 25, who won the competition in 2016. Another of 2016’s contestants, Aleksandra Ryzhenkova, a violinist for the Krasnoyarsk State Opera Theatre and Ballet, said taking part had helped boost her self-image. "Af...
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