Do u believe in Beauty Contests?
By rahuldmhatre
@rahuldmhatre (736)
India
May 6, 2007 7:41am CST
Beauty contests attract significant controversy, particularly for how they present women. Many feminists regard beauty contests for women as "cattle markets", degrading to both viewer and contestant, which enforce society's objectification of women. Critics have particularly objected to swimsuit rounds, in which contestants wear only swimwear and high-heeled shoes. In addition, the common view of "beauty" in these pageants as represented exclusively by thin women has been questioned. In response, Mo'Nique's Fat Chance, a beauty pageant for overweight women, has aired on the Oxygen network since 2005.
Many national 'Miss' pageants have come under heavy criticism and some have been the subjects of direct action. High-profile complaints were made against the Miss America contest in the late 1960s, and contests in Finland attracted controversy for requiring contestants to wear only lingerie, some of which was diaphanous enough to clearly display genitalia. Many of these contests were held in venues where inebriated males made grossly inappropriate comments and even sought bodily contact with the contestants. After one contestant refused to comply, public debate forced the organisers to abolish this requirement. However, the lingerie shows were reintroduced in 2007 -- initially with contestants wearing black bodysuits underneath the lingerie, but this was strongly disfavoured by those involved, and shows now compromise by having revealing daytime shows but using bodysuits for night shows, at which audiences are more often drunk and unruly.
Contests regularly attract demonstrators, particularly if they violate local religious or cultural practices. In Nigeria, for example, many Muslims viewed Western-style beauty contests as immoral, because the female participants are typically not dressed modestly. In 2002, the journalist Isioma Daniel wrote an article criticising Nigerian Muslims for their objections to the 2002 Miss World contest, which was to be held in Nigeria, and suggesting that the prophet Mohammed would not have objected to the contest, and "would probably have chosen a wife from one of them". Public rioting in response to this article killed 200 people, and a fatwa was issued against Daniel. Consequently, the event was relocated to London[1].
After the murder of JonBenét Ramsey in 1996, concerns have been raised about the propriety of beauty pageants for children, and the psychological effects they may have on young contestants. Critics see the "Little Miss..." genre as a possible lure for pedophiles, although there is little documented evidence of this. In reaction, there has been a surge in more age-appropriate pageants for children, without provocative costumes, flashy décor, and heavy makeup.
Partly because of this criticism, beauty contests have declined in popularity in the Western world since the 1960s -- for example, the Miss New Zealand pageant is no longer televised, as public interest in it is too low. However, in some areas in which beauty contests were long discouraged, such as Eastern Europe and parts of Asia and Africa, they have flourished since the 1980s as restrictions were relaxed.
So do support or want to stop the Beauty Contests?
3 responses
@u0903988 (1)
• Singapore
2 Aug 10
I think beauty contests in general seem to be very exclusive.Apart from the rare plus-sized pageants,beauty contests only want girls who at least about 1.7 metres tall and are very thin.So shorter beautiful girls and beautiful girls who aren't very thin are excluded.Why not take out the bikini rounds in pageants(like plus-sized ones)and simply judge a woman on the way she carries herself irrespective of her height and weight.Remember that beautiful women come in all shapes and sizes and not just tall and skinny.
@ntejani17 (742)
• Pakistan
6 May 07
Yes ofcourse I do believe. By the way there's nothing to believe or not believe in beauty contest. You have accept the beauty.
@federickp (607)
• India
6 May 07
I am not in a favour to "stop" the contests but i think the parameters on which beauty of a women is measured is debatable. Is it only face and figure? Or some thing else than that? some thing more than that? SOmething which marks up for a complete women ? I think that the factors on which the judging is done is wrong. Also women try to acheove this becasue after this they get an ebtry into movies and they can start a actress career. But they forget on thing, to be an actor you have to act, not look beautiful. You are not a model you are an actor. So there also the factor on which good and bad is selected is wrong.
I have mixed views, i think more of a hyip is going on these days..isnt it?