Imagining British film beauty: gender and national identity in 1920s ‘star search’ contests

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the late 1910s and 1920s, a number of British national newspapers were involved in competitions to find potential stars for the British cinema. These ‘star search’ contests were aimed predominantly at young women. Often run in collaboration with British film producers, the competitions reflected, and sought to capitalise on, a moment of optimism about the prospects of the British production sector on the world market. But, as the language used to promote the contests made clear, the winners were also expected to embody a specifically British version of femininity, which would allow them to compete successfully with their Hollywood rivals. Focussing on the publicity surrounding one early scheme, the ‘Screen Beauty’ competition promoted by Pathé and the Express newspapers in 1920, this article examines the role of the British popular press in contributing to a gendered image of film stardom in the years immediately after the First World War.