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Female academics criticize 'Miss University' beauty pageant hosted by Italian university

A group of female academics is speaking up after a beauty pageant for students was held at The Sapienza University of Rome.
CBC News ·
Eugenio Gaudio sits on the jury of the "Miss University" pageant, in Rome on May 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Marco Nardo)
As It Happens6:34Female academics criticize beauty pageant hosted by Italian university

A group of female academics is speaking up after a beauty pageant for students was held by The Sapienza University of Rome. The competition, called Miss University 2015, was hosted by the university's rector Eugenio Gaudio.

"It's really disappointing and disheartening," Antonella Riccio tells As it Happens co-host Carol Off. "Instead of promoting their intellectual abilities they're promoting their physical appearance."

Antonella Riccio is a professor at University College London. She's speaking out about a beauty pageant that was hosted by a university in Rome. (Photo courtesy of Antonella Riccio)

Antonella Riccio -- a neurocientist at University College London -- is one of a dozen academics who wrote a letter asking for an apology from Mr. Gaudio. 

The competition, which was held at a nightclub, aimed to crown the "most beautiful and wise" student of the year. The students who placed in the top three would receive a voucher for plastic surgery.

News of the pageant has caused international uproar. The university, however, has argued that the contestants were also judged on their academic standing.

Riccio says she "seriously doubts it."

"There wasn't any assessment of their ability in their respective fields," says the professor. "Clearly, it was a beauty contest."

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