Controversial radio personality Howard Stern has come under fire after videos of his ‘Buttaface Competitions’, aimed at finding the ‘ugliest’ woman with the best physique, resurfaced online.
In the early 2000s, Stern, now 71, held the notorious ‘Buttaface Contest’ events in Las Vegas, which many now condemn as ‘insensitive’ and ‘demeaning’.
The contest involved women walking in bikinis to showcase their bodies to a large audience, while wearing paper bags over their heads to conceal their faces.
During these events, participants would eventually remove the bags, revealing their faces to a jeering audience, as a panel of judges commented on their looks and assigned a score out of 10.
The judges and crowd would act shocked and disgusted as the women took off the bags after parading around in skimpy bikinis and heels.
As Stern mentioned in a clip making rounds online, the aim was to find the woman with ‘the best body and the worst face,’ with the contest winner receiving a $25,000 prize.
The term ‘butterface’ is slang for someone with an attractive body but a less appealing face, playing on the phrase ‘but her face’.
Clips from 2004 in particular have been heavily circulated on social media, showing Stern and the judges and co-hosts making cruel jokes about the women’s faces while objectifying and sexualizing their bodies.
Stern broadcast the infamous ‘Buttaface Contest’ in Las Vegas for many years in the early 2000s, with users slamming the host as ‘derogatory’ and ‘heartless’
In one clip, the panel made crude comments about a contestant named Stacey, saying: ‘I noticed she shaves her private region and I like her a** tattoo, gives you something to look at,’ before Stern tells her to take the paper bag off her head.
Once she does, the crowd erupts in shock, with some making faces like they were about to vomit, laughing hysterically, or even putting their hands over their face in disgust.
In most of the clips available online, the contestants look visibly upset as they’re booed and shouted at by the rowdy crowd.
Horrified users commented on the clips, in disbelief over the callousness of the competition.
‘This is terrible, meanwhile the girl is gorgeous and you can see how bothered she is by it all,’ someone wrote. ‘She should’ve never been wearing a bikini and in this situation with Howard Stern the degenerate. Best part is, the panel is all uglier inside and out.’
‘Artie Lange and Howard Stern are judging people for having “ugly” faces?! The absolute irony,’ someone else weighed in.
‘I feel sorry for every single girl who had ever been to this show and got called hideous/ugly. This show is a blatant evidence of women getting objectified and shamed altogether,’ wrote another.
While many were disgusted over the competition, others didn’t see the issue with it.
As Stern said himself, the competition was to find the woman with ‘the best body and the worst face,’ and the winner of the competition would win $25,000
The competition would involve women parading around in bikinis to show off their bodies to a stadium of people, while wearing a paper bag on their heads to hide their faces
The term ‘butterface’ is used to describe a person with an attractive body but what it considered to be a less attractive face, with the phrase a play on ‘but her face’
The panel made crude comments about the contestant’s bodies, before openly discussing her looks after taking the bag off
Speculation is swirling that Howard Stern’s show is ‘doomed’ after the star became ‘woke’ and listener numbers fell
‘Seriously getting offended by a bit from 30 years ago? As if they rounded up women and forced them to be in this competition. The world was different, Stern would have told you that you look like someone Yassified one of the Costco guys,’ one objected.
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Stern for comment.
Stern first launched The Howard Stern Show in 1986 on the radio.
His popularity peaked in the ’90s when he became a media sensation for his shock jock stunts and outrageous no-holds-barred interviews.
In 1997, he starred in his own feature film about his life and career called Private Parts and released a handful of best-selling books.
Stern has hosted the second incarnation of The Howard Stern Show since 2006, but as the end of his $500million five-year contract looms, speculation is swirling that the show is ‘doomed’ after the star became ‘woke’ and listener numbers fell.
However, a defiant Stern is reportedly planning to hit back and resurrect his career, even as the future of his long-running SiriusXM radio show hangs in the balance.
