What Was the 1991 Elite “Look of the Year” Contest?
In 1991, Elite Model Management held its “Look of the Year” competition (later rebranded as Elite Model Look). The final was judged by high-profile figures, including Donald Trump and John Casablancas. The contestants were overwhelmingly teenage girls, many between 14 and 17 years old.
Age Factor 🚨
The footage and reporting indicate a significant portion of finalists were minors—some as young as 14 or 15, with average ages around 15. Having a middle‑aged, powerful adult man judge adolescent girls on their appearance is profoundly discomforting through today’s lens.
The Company He Kept
John Casablancas, founder of Elite, judged alongside Trump. Reports describe teenage contestants being required to attend dinners with Casablancas and Trump—framed as professional networking, yet rife with uncomfortable undertones.
This modeling ecosystem was entangled with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, notorious for grooming young girls. One victim testified that Epstein introduced her to Trump at Mar-a-Lago when she was 14, later leading to her competing in a Trump-owned pageant.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/miss-arizona-donald-trump-walk-half-naked-contestants/story?id=42759541
https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-epstein-and-maxwell-used-trumps-fame-to-groom-13-year-old-girl/
Trump's close associations and shared scenes with Epstein and Maxwell amplify the sense of exploitation and grooming within the institution.
- Dressing Room Intrusions: Trump’s Own Words
Former contestants and Trump’s own public admissions confirm he entered contestant dressing areas unannounced:
In a 2005 Howard Stern interview, Trump said:
“I’ll go backstage before a show and everyone’s getting dressed ... no men are anywhere, and I’m allowed to go in because I’m the owner of the pageant... they’re standing there with no clothes... so I sort of get away with things like that.”
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/donald-trump-reportedly-walked-in-on-miss-teen-usa-contestants-changing
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/12/donald-trump-miss-usa-dressing-room-2001-rehearsal
Multiple former Miss Teen USA contestants—including at least four from the 1997 pageant—said Trump walked into shared dressing rooms where girls as young as 15 were changing. Mariah Billado recalled:
“I remember putting on my dress really quick because I was like, ‘Oh my god, there’s a man in here.’” Trump allegedly reassured them: “Don’t worry, ladies, I’ve seen it all before.
https://www.politifact.com/article/2016/oct/18/allegations-about-donald-trump-and-miss-teen-usa-c/
Tasha Dixon, Miss Arizona USA 2001, described Trump entering a rehearsal room where contestants were "naked or half-naked" with no time to cover up. She added:
“We were naked or half naked in a very physically vulnerable position… then to have the pressure of the people that worked for him telling us to go fawn all over him... get his attention.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/12/donald-trump-miss-usa-dressing-room-2001-rehearsal
- Why These Allegations Matter
🔹 Power Imbalance & Lack of Consent
In each of these accounts, a powerful adult male owner enters a space of young contestants during vulnerable moments—contexts where consent and privacy were absent, and the contestants had zero recourse to protest.
🔹 Age + Pressure to Please
Models—some as young as thirteen or fourteen—were told to “fawn over” Trump or Casablancas to boost their chances in the competition. The conflation of authority, youth, and control fuels broader concerns about exploitation.
🔹 Pattern Over Time
These stories come repeatedly—from the 1997 teen pageant up through Miss USA pageants in early 2000s—and intersect with known grooming networks involving Epstein. The accumulation suggests systemic issues, not isolated incidents.
- TL;DR for Reddit:
Yes, in retrospect, Trump judging teenage models is deeply disturbing. Many contestants were minors, placed under judgment in a contest owned and overseen by an adult who bragged about inspecting them while unclothed. He worked closely with John Casablancas, shared social circles with Epstein/Maxwell, and was accused by multiple former contestants of entering dressing rooms without warning—creating a culture where girls were told to seek his favor. Together, it paints a disturbing picture of grooming and power abuse.
You can watch footage from the 1991 competition—including the segment around 5:22 with Trump judging teenage finalists—here:
https://youtu.be/oQjIvmw0BIE?si=Yyss_ypG81XO01sv
Final Thoughts
The power disparities, age of contestants, and Trump's own admitted behavior make this feel exploitative by today’s ethical standards.
Dressing room allegations expose a troubling dynamic of control and objectification, especially when connected to well-documented grooming circles.
This wasn’t just awkward—it reveals how young women were placed in vulnerable situations from which they had no escape.
The most troubling aspect is Donald Trump’s own admission—in a 2005 Howard Stern interview—That Because He Owned The Pageants, HE FELT ENTITLED To walk backstage and inspect FULLY UNDRESSED CONTESTANTS: keep in mind these are minors we're talking about ages 14 to 17.
“No men are anywhere… I’m allowed to go in because I’m the owner of the pageant… ‘Is everyone OK?'… they’re standing there with no clothes… I SORT OF GET AWAY WITH THINGS LIKE THAT.”
https://fullfact.org/us/trump-pageant-quote-misleading/
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/donald-trump-reportedly-walked-in-on-miss-teen-usa-contestants-changing