Leave it to me to be controversial...again. I'm sure I am going to get quite a bit of detestation in response to this, but I shall continue.
Pageants. There are several pros, like gaining a platform in order to extend a positive influence. Or spending a considerable amount of time investing oneself in community service. I'm sure there are several others, but even though I truly believe these are important, I just as strongly believe they are often used in the attempt to mask the true focus of such events. It's in the title ya'll. Beauty Pageant. It's no secret that society has been doing it's best to diversify the fashion and model industry as of late. It's not necessarily a topic I'm passionate about. I'm no feminist. BUT, I do think that it is important to represent a different type of woman than the rail-thin, small-waist, conformed into false perfection, "representatives" that we see all over...well...everywhere. Pageants are no exception. I see no large attempt being made to widen the focus of what we see on stage. Being a member of the audience, I see too much importance being placed on the physical attributes of the girls whose hair, dress, makeup, smile, walk, talk, and body are seemingly perfect. Oh and let's not forget the same scantily clad girls walking around the stage, which is no different than walking around in your bra and underwear. Just because it is made of fabric that agrees more with water, doesn't make it any more respectable. I will now elaborate, but from a more personal point of view. From a girl who was not born with a petite frame, who is not even close to being tall, and as someone who struggles to find clothes that make me feel comfortable with my own body type, it is incredibly frustrating to see so much emphasis being placed on all of these things. When I see girls in bikinis walking around on stage being judged for every aspect of their physical appearance, it is almost an insult to the larger majority of us who couldn't possibly live up to those standards...even if we tried.
Let me tell you one thing. It is difficult enough to have insecurities (we have wandered into the zone of one emotionally worn-out stereotype) but what makes it worse is when the ridiculous, unrealistic standards we place on ourselves are turned into a guideline for total acceptance and a priority for recieving an award. Let's not forget the hoard of girls who have starved themselves in order to look the way they think they have to...so they can have that beloved crown placed on their heads. It may be a sisterhood, but I see one repetitious flaw that is blatantly obvious. There may be diversity in skin color, but there is hardly any diversity in size or even beliefs. There is no acceptance for those who truly speak their mind, as seen on televised pageants. When conservative contestants are subject to backlash because they were honest and true to their beliefs, we see no respect for so-called "diversity". No matter how hard you may try to convince everyone of these pageants' sincerity, all I see is a desperate and feeble attempt to try and turn a poisonous and shallow event into something that embodies much more than that. My belief will not be changed until I actually start feeling good about myself while watching such contests, which has yet to happen. Until then, I stand firm in my belief that these pageants are warping the minds of young girls, who will now believe that being tiny, tan, and "perfect" is the source of all their happiness and success. Until more emphasis is placed on education, intelligence, and REAL aspirations rather than dresses, bikini "bods", and all physical attributes related, I will continue to feel nothing but disappointment in what many have accepted to be a true source of "inspiration" and "truth".
-Kendall Roberts
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