MISS LITTLEWOOD
The Miss Littlewoods charm and beauty contest began in the 1940’s. All participants in this competition had to be female employees of Littlewoods. The contest would not only judge physical appeal but clothing, etiquette, demeanour and the nebulous category common sense. Supervisors would ask workers to enter into Miss Littlewoods and free stockings were available for all those who participated.
Entrants into the Miss Littlewoods contest would appear on a stage in front of all their coworkers and peers. They would have gone through a preliminary selection process which ensured that only potential winners made it to the finals. Big stars such as Tom Jones and Cliff Richard performed at the finals. The contestants would promenade around the stage in evening wear and then perform an exaggerated bow to the Moores family at the front of the stage. The winner would change into a formal white dress whilst the other contestants dressed in red. She would also be given a large bouquet of flowers and a Miss Littlewoods sash.
Some finals took place at the Liverpool Stadium, a boxing venue. Each Littlewoods branch would hold a beauty contest, there was a Miss Edge Lane, a Miss Walton Hall Avenue and a Miss Central Offices. However there could only be one Miss Littlewoods, who won a large sum of money, a trophy and would represent the company for that year. Miss Littlewoods also would have a personalised full wardrobe provided by the Littlewoods company which included custom made underwear.
