Miss Universe 2011 will be airing tonight at 9 pm on NBC, How many of you will be watching? I know I will be. I cannot tell you how many pageants I've seen on TV. I almost became a part of Miss Maryland USA, I was picked out of thousands of entrants to compete. The problem was I didn't have the thousands of dollars to hire a pageant coach, buy glamorous dresses, hire a make-up artist/hair dresser, or any of the expenses beauty pageants demand (like the $1000 entry fee to cover hotel expenses and food). I personally feel like beauty pageants send out the wrong message to women and young girls. Don't get me wrong, the women who compete are intelligent and have amazing causes they advocate for...but why don't they air THAT on television? What I see when I watch these competitions are tall, very thin, stunning women, flaunting their stuff in different outfits. And that's it. I think, "We get it, they're gorgeous--but I thought they were here to talk about national and world issues?". We only see them give one answer to one question. And that's it. In MY opinion, beauty pageants send out the wrong message. Judges normally pick the winners with the "most perfect body and face", & I don't think that's fair. When I was growing up I watched these pageants all the time and tried my best to make myself look like the women who are competeing. It was very frustrating because I didn't have the resources they did like dermatologists, or money to have my teeth whitened, or have my breasts done (I wanted to get breast implants when I was 13 to look as perfect as them.) Most of the contestants come from a very privilaged background, which is how they can afford what they can afford. I cannot tell you how many times I've researched contestants biographies, and each one of them had parents that were big time lawyers or business owners, etc. etc. I wonder, does anyone else feel the Miss Universe/USA pageants send out the wrong message?
I want to know what everyone's thoughts are on beauty pageants, and what message do you think they're sending out?
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Thank you for starting the conversation and challenging our perceptions about what message does a beauty pageant send to young girls. I strongly dislike beauty pageants for very young children. I hold the promoters of these pageants and the parents who subject their children to such events in very low esteem.
Maryann
September 12, 2011 - 4:31pmThis Comment
Hi Maryann!
September 12, 2011 - 5:17pmSo glad to know I'm not the only one who feels this way!
This Comment
*Correction: I meant "pretty woman" in the 2nd paragraph not "little women".
September 12, 2011 - 9:47amThis Comment