Haven't we had enough of Miss Universe?
By eileenleyva
@eileenleyva (27560)
Philippines
August 24, 2009 7:22pm CST
I grew up with an annual treat of Miss Universe beauty pageant. I had always been mesmerized by the flowing hair and regal stances of the sweet smiling contestants from almost all the different countries of the world. The yearly show is both a geographical and cultural lesson for me, not to mention the very inviting glitz and glamor that is part and parcel of the package deal. Until a male friend of mine commented "Why are you so enthused by that? Don't you know that it is a breeding place for international call girls?" I was taken aback. Since then, I viewed the pageant by passing chance, dwelling on it to see if some changes had occurred through the years. Alas, my daughter came home yesterday during the swimsuit portion. She observed that the finalists had almost the same svelte silhouettes. Thus she asked me what are the criteria for winning. I answered half-heartedly "Probably brains." I left her alone to watch the rest of the show. In the end she told me "No, it's not brains, probably something else." I've had enough of Miss Universe.
1 person likes this
5 responses
@jlamela (4898)
• Philippines
25 Aug 09
Yes, you are partly correct, me too had been routing Miss Universe for the past 15 years of my life and I was always in awe with this parade of beauty and body plus brains, but recently, I just could not understand anymore what's the true criteria of this supposed prestigious beauty pageant. The result seems puzzling you don't know how they choose the winners.
I thought, this pageant is looking for a brain and beauty, but as what I have observed they just looked for a great body and a flirty-looking girl, and not the old type beauty queens who exude charm, wit and intelligence. Well, until Donald Trump took over the organization, seems everything changes.
2 people like this
@eileenleyva (27560)
• Philippines
27 Aug 09
True. Granting that the title is Miss Universe, I couldn't even remember the names of the ladies who had worn the crown. They seem to have faded after their coronation night. I would have hoped that they could have made a difference during their reign. Something they could have done could have made our universe a better place to dwell in. When one is in such a position, she has the world to take.
@my_name_is_coco (4333)
• Philippines
23 Dec 09
sometimes,I think beauty pageants do harm than good.beauty pageants are really all about,well,beauty competition.the winner is the one with prettiest face amongst all candidates.it goes to show that pretty women do get to have it all - fame,fortune,and attention.it doesn't do good for self-esteem,especially of insecure young girls who are still finding themselves.
1 person likes this
@UpsideDownPineapple (643)
• United States
24 Dec 09
That's very true, insecure people are constantly scouring for things to make themselves more "worthy," and the idea of having someone place a crown on your head, placing you above your competitors, is irresistible. They may want to do anything (like being unkind or having the wrong priorities) to acheive that.
Maybe they really are doing more harm than good. :( They don't really do any good at all...
1 person likes this
@JAYMAR777 (840)
• Philippines
25 Aug 09
yes probably something else...
What used to be a ground to showcase the beauty of each nation, it resulted probably to something else...
happy mylotting..
@eileenleyva (27560)
• Philippines
27 Aug 09
That is one positive point I credit the pageant - showcase of beauty of each nation.
@lelin1123 (15595)
• Puerto Rico
26 Aug 09
Yes I use to watch them to but its not so exciting anymore for me. What happen to the talent part of the pageants. Or was that just Miss America. These pageants are all fake to me because the girls are not always all real. Who has had what kind of surgery and then they are only asked one question. Your daughter is correct because the answers to the questions were not really answered. Plus 4 of the 5 couldn't speak english or didn't want to. I don't know pageants just don't do it for me as I've gotten older.
@eileenleyva (27560)
• Philippines
27 Aug 09
I honestly think that Miss USA was going to get the crown because even in her vibrancy, she exudes a certain childlike sweetness. If the judges were looking for an x-factor, I couldn't believe why they failed to see that. I captured it on a fleeting close-up moment during the evening gown competition. Anyways, I think Miss Universe had become big business and obviously political.. 
@UpsideDownPineapple (643)
• United States
24 Dec 09
As long as woman don't think it's a huge deal to be able to compete in one of those things, then it's not negative. If girls have other role models for what it means to be womanly, be they historical figures, relatives, and so on - then it's easy to see that it's not all that important to be beautiful. It's certainly special, but not very useful, compared to being intelligent or kind.
Just like boys obsessed with professional athletes, it's okay as long as they know athletes are only playing sports and that they're not curing any diseases or anything(not to detract from what athletes do, lol, athletes are amazing, and I'm sure they do lots of noble stuff in their non-working lives, I'm just saying sports aren't all that important).
To directly answer your question, I kind of like the pageants - but I don't think they affect anyone/society that much, it's not like they take place weekly. That would really be making too much of a big deal of of looks. lol
1 person likes this
