Setting -- "La mujer reina pero no gobierna," 1845-1885 -- Bicycle race, 1885-1914 -- Apparent modernity, 1914-1929 -- Liberal beauty, 1930-1948 -- Exclusive beasts, 1948-1958 -- From Miss Universe to the anti-reina, 1958-1968 -- Static government, social evolution, 1968-1979 -- Pulchritude, the palacio, and power, 1979-1985
Summary
The author presents a detailed investigation of the concept of beauty in Colombia -- its cultural and political origins, its expression through fashion and pageants, and its effect on the people of a country plagued by violence, inequality, and corruption