Introduction:
Beauty pageants have been in the system from a very long time. Though the contests are heavily criticised by the feminists they still maintain to be one of the most watched and followed series. While they have been blamed for objectifying women they have also empowered them and placed respective countries on the global map which is an achievement in itself. The pageants are organised at several levels — regional, national, international and so on. The number of pageants are many and the audience is huge and diverse. It is stated that these beauty pageants constitute modernisation, values and principles, globalisation because of which they need a thorough analysis with a feminist perspective. The contests also highlight the social structure that revolves around the gender (Banet-Weiser, 1999; Cohen et al., 1996). It is also interesting to know that these pageants have seen severe opposition and violence right from the beginning from various groups. As stated by Oza (2001) these contests have a range of criticisms in the developing countries that is backed with a logical approach which advocates that apart from the cultural values these nations are also trying to represent themselves globally.
Argument:
As much as these pageants are seen as means of liberalisation and empowerment for women there is technically no proof that they are actually aiding the women in any other ways. The whole pageant simply is a show of glamour and pompousness which in no means represent the actual face of womanhood. It is entertaining in the least but definitely not empowering. There is only monetisation value and revenue source which seems to be important. The sponsors, media, winners and the advertisers make a good sum of money from it. As stated in several studies the market for cosmetics, dresses and designers is huge and tapped with the use of these pageants. To sum it up the contests are money-oriented and not otherwise.
It must be noticed carefully that the pageants end up choosing the best amongst women who are already beautiful impacting the minds of the teenagers in a negative manner. The contests redefine the meaning of beauty completely. It simply implies that beautiful women need to be tall, stunning, perfect bodies, some talent, and well-spoken. Though this accounts to not even a small percent of actual women in the society. It gives a false impression and is actually demotivating to the entire youth. It affects the psychology and the thinking process that encourages building of a generation that perceives beauty only in terms of physical appearance and some IQ. It does not allow any other character to be considered.
The winners too don’t contribute much after the whole event is done and dealt with. There have been hardily any mention of noble or related activities conducted by the winners that could make a difference to womanhood. In most of the cases the spectators forget the winners who move on to build respective careers. To put in simple terms the title is a mere tag that enhances the careers of the winners. Not to forget that the other contestants will not be mentioned at all. If the real objective of a beauty pageant is to represent a woman then why that is there is no mention of the issues faced by women in their everyday lives? Beauty contests in the context don’t just represent gender but also pool in nationalist sentiments and cultural significance. In such a scenario when the whole concept is misused for materialistic gains, it poses as a problem. As argued by Ahmed-Ghosh (2003: 206) the beauty pageant has exposed the country on global terms and has also achieved placing a different picture of women which has reversed the pre-colonial image. Even the participants who enter the contest consider themselves to be representing the modern woman who is independent and an intellectual. However the lack of a broad perception fails them to understand that the independent woman category is extremely marginal and hence cannot be put forth by a mere pretty face.
The most controversial element of a beauty contest is the bikini round. This is probably one of the most sensitive issue and draws a huge amount of concern from feminists around the world. This round simply puts women on public display which is not really needed if they are judging the beauty of a woman. A woman’s beauty is not restricted to body types and curves. It has much more to it. The qualities that are placed while judging the participants is unfair and hence has received a lot of negative reactions. Apart from these consequences another major impact is the use of cosmetics and luxury products that has in turn become a major industry boosting the pageant. The contest is basically a grand show that engages the audience with the display of women and also creatively influences the minds of the spectators to go for the products endorsed by the winners and the participants. In a research it has been indicated that the developed nations have more disposable income which triggers them to indulge in the lavish culture of the beauty contests. In an article drafted by Malika Browne, Nepal (Financial Times), (2004) the journalist states that the number of beauty contests hosted in the country even during the nine year civil war is astonishing. The pageants made it to the headlines along with the other news articles of mass murders and war crimes. So this statement makes us question if the world is actually obsessed with the idea of the beauty contests or it is the political influence that keeps them going.
On the political forefront beauty contests are a debate of a different level. While the ruling parties support them saying that they display the progressive side of women the opposing parties state that they act as a hindrance to the entire value system. These clauses have been used, interpreted and manipulated as and when needed. To add on to this argument it must also be understood that beauty pageants are not only restricted to women. Beauty contests for children have been named as good as child abuse practice. There are also contests for men, transgender, mothers and several other categories. Even though there might have been several people who encourage the whole idea of beauty contest stating that it leads to displaying the powerful side of an intellectual woman what must be understood that it cannot be termed as a mass representation of a woman. It is important to understand what the younger generation is drawing from these contests and how are they being inspired. The impact on their thinking will in return impact the thinking of the entire youth of the nation. Hence, it becomes crucial to address the whole issue with a right perspective and right scheme of measures.
Out of all the categories child beauty pageants have received severe criticism as they transform the children completely. It has been noted that the child beauty contests is a huge industry in itself with almost $5 billion at stake. But apart from the financial bargain it is important to question if this whole scenario is ethical or not in the first place. It has been noted that body image distortion and health issues such as bad eating disorders are some of the results that the participating children face. So the question is if all this drama really needed and is it useful? Beauty contests whether for kids, men or women do not contribute any social difference. Then what is the point of investing billions of money in something that does not fetch any positive result that can make the world a better place to live. Instead the same investment can be utilised for better education and eradication of poverty and similar social issues. It is interesting to know that over 2 million join one or the other beauty contest. That shows how many of us are running after the tiaras. The best part is that even families and support systems are trying to make quick money by entering into these competitions. Over 72% of Miss America contestants choose to go ahead and get trained from a personal coach. Participants see the crown as a recognition and a long-term investment more than anything else. More importantly a small percentage of the participants also face depression or associated mental illness. This is definitely a factor that should make people associated with the business think about.
Conclusion:
Based on the above mentioned observations it is simply evident that beauty contests are not worthy enough of being conducted in the first place. Besides from demotivating the younger generation it only sets wrong values which is unhealthy at every stage of the society. Financially the countries can utilise the investment on better projects such as infrastructure and education. Morally the influence that the contest builds on the audience is not right. The projection of beauty is totally different. With bikini rounds and hardly any intellectual ability tests, the perception built about beauty in general is incorrect. Plus it is only proven to be advantageous to the companies and the sponsors associated with the event for monetary benefits. At the end of it what remains is the business value converted into transactions.
References:
Banet-Weiser, S. (1999) The Most Beautiful Girl in the World: Beauty Pageants and
National Identity. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Cohen, B.C., Wilk, R. and Stoeltje, B. (1996) Beauty Queens on the Global Stage: Gender,
Contests, and Power. New York: Routledge.
Oza, R. (2001) ‘Showcasing India: Gender, Geography and Globalization’, Signs: Journal
of Women in Culture and Society 26: 1067–95.
