"The media is selling the idea that girls’ and women’s value lies in their youth, beauty, and sexuality and not in their capacity as leaders. Boys learn that their success is tied to dominance, power, and aggression. We must value people as whole human beings, not gendered stereotypes." - The Representation Project: Miss Representation
Beauty pageants are a phenomenon. The show "Toddlers and Tiaras," during its 8 season run, received consistently bad reviews but managed to remain a conversation piece, and its popularity gave it the ability to last from 2008 to 2016. The show features young girls consistently judges on their appearances, and even worse, they are coaxed into it by their supposed "leaders" in life: their parents. One particularly disturbing episode features a mother telling her young contestant daughter to make her chest look "like Dolly Parton." This is a child. A child that was not too long ago an infant, and whose brain is still highly malleable to whatever social expectations are shoved upon her.
The first Miss America competition took place in 1921, and since then has been a prevalent factor of American culture. A competition that literally ranks women based on their physical appearance. Sure there us a portion that involves asking questions on current events, but the true purpose of the event remains evident. These women aren't putting on false eyelashes and ballgowns to talk politics. Pageants are organized and judged by male-dominated committees. The male gaze is brought upon the contestants and judge them according to societal standards largely created by men.
One of the most toxic repercussions of pageants is the reinforcement of the idea that women are each other's natural enemies. The women are competing against each other for male attention, trying to be better than one another at fulfilling beauty standards.
Beauty pageants are a phenomenon. The show "Toddlers and Tiaras," during its 8 season run, received consistently bad reviews but managed to remain a conversation piece, and its popularity gave it the ability to last from 2008 to 2016. The show features young girls consistently judges on their appearances, and even worse, they are coaxed into it by their supposed "leaders" in life: their parents. One particularly disturbing episode features a mother telling her young contestant daughter to make her chest look "like Dolly Parton." This is a child. A child that was not too long ago an infant, and whose brain is still highly malleable to whatever social expectations are shoved upon her.
The first Miss America competition took place in 1921, and since then has been a prevalent factor of American culture. A competition that literally ranks women based on their physical appearance. Sure there us a portion that involves asking questions on current events, but the true purpose of the event remains evident. These women aren't putting on false eyelashes and ballgowns to talk politics. Pageants are organized and judged by male-dominated committees. The male gaze is brought upon the contestants and judge them according to societal standards largely created by men.
One of the most toxic repercussions of pageants is the reinforcement of the idea that women are each other's natural enemies. The women are competing against each other for male attention, trying to be better than one another at fulfilling beauty standards.
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| Kiara Imani Williams, winner of the 2015 Miss Virginia USA's "Miss Congeniality" award, |
I have heard pageants described as a feminist act, empowering the contestants. Providing access to education and leadership training, pageant contestants often argue the positives outweigh the negatives. However, I see fault in the concept. An event with such an objectifying concept cannot be viewed as feminist in my eyes.
Beauty pageants promote all of the ideas that define a patriarchal society. The numerical ranking and judging of women based on their beauty and sexuality perpetuates all of the skin-deep stereotypes that women have been given. The continuation of these concepts encourages the thought that women should be seen as object who's worth lies only in physical attributes defined as "beautiful."
I agree. Pageants are just contests for women who are pretty and attractive models. The woman who wins the pageant beats all the other women participants, which in turn makes these women feel rejected. They don't feel beautiful enough compared to the woman who won. Pageants are bad influences on young girls watching them on TV or on another device. Girls can take the messages being expressed in the pageants and believe that what you look on the outside will make you famous. Your beauty is the key to being successful.
ReplyDeleteNot to sound blunt or anything, but there has never been a "chunky" or "bigger" winner of Miss Universe. Actually, I don't think there has ever been a contestant of that description. The women who compete look a certain way and its all the same way. This tells young girls that this is what they need to look like if they want to "win" the approval of men and our society. Girls who don't fit this description could never be in these types of competitions or ever win. Because not every female can see themselves among the contestants, they won't think they can be.
ReplyDeleteExactly...the erasure of women with different body types further promote's society's picture of what is considered "beautiful" and what is not. It's truly saddening.
DeleteI agree, as I also find it hard to see pageants in a positive light. There's a huge stigma around pageant girls, that they are stupid, blond bimbos that are easy for guys to get. I wonder why pageants have managed to stay around for so long, when this stereotype of pageant girls has been widely accepted for years. Although I'm not necessarily saying that this stereotype is in any way a good thing, I don't understand why any girl would willingly commit herself to this contest of winning the approval of men. I think the answer to this lies in the fact that the media has told us for decades that the rules of society are that men should be powerful and hyper-masculine, while women should be submissive and pretty objects for men to enjoy. Those who are pro-pageant have just been brainwashed by the messages of the media, and see it as truth. They don't see anything wrong with pageants because the media has told them for their entire lives that pageants fit the mold of a "ideal" society, therefore there is nothing wrong with these beauty competitions.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of feminists that are anti-pageant revert to attacking the contestants themselves, but you bring up a good point that contestants and other supporters have largely been "brainwashed." The sad reality is, the societal messages that are reinforced by these competitions have become so ingrained in our culture and promoted in our media, that we celebrate those who can adhere to these standards best.
DeleteI remember a few years back watching the show Toddlers and Tiaras and thinking how ridiculous it was for these mothers to condition their daughters into thinking that they must wear ten pounds of makeup and a curly wig bigger than their head. It was all to fit this certain criteria that in pageants, you must wear fake lashes and sparkly crop tops in order to win. I remember numerous times when the little girls would throw fits because they didn't want to wear something that their mother was forcing them to put on. Whether that was part of the scripted Reality TV show or actual decisions by the mother and daughter is unknown. But what is known is the absurd expectations these mothers were forcing their young girls to fit under. What do you think that does to a young girls developing brain?
ReplyDeleteI also have kind of a natural repugnance to beauty pageants. It goes without saying that it's blatant objectification, so it's hard for me to understand why some people consider it empowering. Even with the leadership opportunities it may offer to some women, these are roles that could be attained in so many other ways that aren't dependent on traditional beauty standards. However, I do think it's a fascinating subject and I'm interested to see how/if beauty contests will change over time.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with all of these points. The show Toddlers and Tiaras I think is insanely unhealthy for all of the girls competeing, and I think that all beauty pageants promote the idea not only to contestants, but to the other people watching that women should look good in order to be accepted. I remember watching an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras, and the parents were much more invested in the pageants than the daughters were, and it made me think what was it that they went through that made them want to put their daughters through such an emotionally unhealthy experience? Why are these people so obsessed with looks? These little girls are being forced to physically change themselves, getting spray tans, one mother even had was even considering surgery for her daughter the make sure that her posture was perfect for the pageant. It creates a generation of girls that believe that anything they do in their lives will be judged based on how they look, and that they can get through things by looking pretty.
ReplyDeleteI remember distinctly when I was about seven years old and I came across Toddlers and Tiaras. However my mom shit it off immediately and told me that she didn't want me watching any shows like that. So I was able to grow ignorant to troubles of pageants or at least an understanding that they shouldn't be entertaining. The only thing is, there are still millions of people who still are somewhere entertained with it. One solution is to stop that cult behind these pageants. People need to understand that women should not be judged based on looks and "talents" and little girls shouldn't face the pressure of these competitions.
ReplyDelete