Araksi Çetinyan

Araksi Çetinyan — Biography

Araksi Çetinyan (1909 – 22 April 1991) was a Turkish model of Armenian descent, remembered as the winner of the first beauty contest held in the newly founded Turkish Republic. The pageant, organized by İpek Film, took place at Istanbul's Beyoğlu Melek Cinema Hall (today's Emek Cinema Hall) in either 1925 or 1926, depending on the source, but was later annulled over claims of favoritism and poor organization. Contemporary press coverage, including a piece by Vakit newspaper writer Mustafa Özgür, suggests the contest was dismissed in part because it drew little interest from Turkish contestants and because the winner was of Armenian origin.

In 1929, Çetinyan entered the first officially recognized Miss Turkey competition and placed third, behind Feriha Tevfik and Semine Nihat. She remains a notable figure from the early Republican era's beauty pageants and the social debates that surrounded them.