Rome university president criticized for participation in "Miss University" pageant
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Some of Italy's top female academics are demanding an apology from the president of the University of Rome for participating in the jury of a "Miss University" pageant to select the "most beautiful and wise" university student.
Eugenio Gaudio headed the pageant jury, in which participants submitted information about their majors and grades — along with their height, bust and waist size.
A dozen female professors lead by economist Mariana Mazzucato of the University of Sussex wrote an open letter to Gaudio over the weekend saying his participation represented a "scandalous stain" on the university and "demonstrates how backward our society is."
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Gaudio refused to apologize, noting that his two predecessors also participated in the pageant and that, regardless, the contestants "were not in bathing suits but in evening dresses."