Are beauty pageants exploitive? [ENDS 06/03/2011]

[Grig]

Are beauty pageants exploitive?

ENDS: 06/03/2011

The real true question here is whether women should participate in them, or whether this is another sexist ploy to lure girls into the consumer world. Although, some say it is great, for these girls are not only showing their beauty but also having a multi-cultural experience, by absorbing various cultures and broadening themselves within the pageants. Some say it is a good career starter to things such as modelling and also may I add quite entertaining.

On the other hand, they make young girls try and be as 'thin' as all the girls within the beauty pageants, often causing anorexia and other such chronic diseases. These pageants often symbolize wealth, fame and fortune and girls start preparing for them from a really tender age. Some say, this has a detrimental effect on a girls psychological development. Also, controversy has come from the fact that they are sexist and simply there to admire a woman's body/figure and not take much account of wit and talent, although this is changing.

So is it right, are girls getting exploited? Should we continue to think that the girls in the pageants are what beauty really is- or should the 'chubbier' girls also get attention?

Quite a few issues to debate, really in many terms.

[Gibs960]

Yeah, personally I think it's for women that can't get another job because they're stupid. As long as you've got money for plastic surgery then more or less anyone can enter.

The girls that don't enter obviously don't have time to prance around in fancy clothes because they're trying to get a good job.

[lawrawrrr]

So you're saying all beautiful women are stupid?? Some of them may need the money - there's usually prize money, so that may appeal. Also, not all models have plastic surgery - that's just a stereotype. I don't think there's anything wrong with entering these competitions - they boost confidence more than anything else.

Kid's beauty pageants are a little bit creepy IMO, especially the ones where the 8 year old girls are wearing water bras and a ton of makeup - they shouldn't really be dressed like that at that age - but at the end of the day it's the choice of the child or the child's parents.

[FlyingJesus]

You've asked two different question here - first asking if the pageants themselves are sexist and harmful to the participants, and then ending with a question about who should be a part of them. To answer the last one first (as it's a far easier question), anyone can enter themselves for beauty pageants whatever size and shape you are, but obviously if you're not what people think of as attractive then you won't get far. The idea isn't to be "fair" and make fat girls feel pretty, it's to showcase the physical beauty of the best of the bunch and nothing more. No-one pretends these girls are talented beyond knowing how to walk well and hold posture, but that isn't the point and there are other contests people can enter if they want to show off a skill, personality or mental ability.

Moving on. The pageants can only be claimed as "sexist" in that the participants are (depending on which contest it is) usually all of one gender. The claim that objectifying a person and looking only at their physical appearance is somehow sexist is ridiculous and serves only to prove that most people can't understand a simple concept - beauty matters. If a girl doesn't want to doll herself up, slim herself down and offer herself around then no she won't win, but that isn't sexist that's how such competitions work. To suggest otherwise is like saying a footballer shouldn't have to actually be any good or put in the hours at training to be picked for a team, one does what one must in order to do as well as one can, and in nearly all such walks of life natural talent counts to start you off but it's the most dedicated who win. Standing on the edge of your own 6 yard box for 90 minutes doing nothing won't make you the best even if you have the skill, and similarly being pretty won't win you a pageant if you don't play up to the pageant ideals.

[Gibs960]

Yeah, it boosts confidence for the pretty girls, but the "not so pretty girls" get thrown to the bottom of the pile.

[dbgtz]

Well it can be. Childrens beauty pageants are exploitive as all it is are the parents living what they wanted but using their child (most of the time) with a bunch of peadophilic judges. However adult ones aren't really at all as it is by choice, but all it does is creative a much larger split between crowds, the adored and the "rejects".

As a career, I guess it's not different to modelling for a magasine except people seem to get over indulged in things like this.

[FlyingJesus]

Yeah, it boosts confidence for the pretty girls, but the "not so pretty girls" get thrown to the bottom of the pile.

So all competitions should be made illegal and we'll all just pretend that equality exists? I don't see anyone calling for a stop to spelling bees or sporting events

[GommeInc]

I find them incredibly pointless. No-one particularly cares about the pageant - the moment a ribbon is planted on the bosum of a stick figure, it's all over and no-one will remember the painted oil on canvas until they return for another year. The idea behind them is "decent" (going by the real ones, not the ones on TV and in films :P), but some people assume too much about them, and the whole air is filled with the smell of fake success. The "what do you think of this?" line is so corny and written years in advance.

[ifuseekamy]

Are beauty pageants exploitive?

ENDS: 06/03/2011

So is it right, are girls getting exploited? Should we continue to think that the girls in the pageants are what beauty really is- or should the 'chubbier' girls also get attention?

I doubt letting fat girls win beauty pageants is going to change society's view on conventional beauty.

[lawrawrrr]

The competition doesn't focus solely on the "beauty" though - there's a lot of rounds (I'm not saying it doesn't play a huge role, that use other techniques from the contestants - public speaking for example.

[rokgal]

I find that the younger ones are creepy like age 3-9 because they wear loads of makeup ect at a really young age but if its like 12-19 i think thats alll right as long as its there choice i mean if thats what they want to do you cant really stop them can you?
I think adult ones are fine.

[beth]

to say the girls who enter pageants are stupid is simply wrong, these girls are very clever in that they know how to work an audience, how to perform and how to win. intelligence isn't a one-dimensional thing, there are different types + these girls (and boys, cause there are guy pageants) and clever in what they do.

i don't find them exploitive at all, i think they're interesting and they allow a person to do something they're good at, if they so want to. obviously an "ugly" person isn't going to win, but that isn't unfair; that's the way it is. if you know yr not beautiful in the eyes of society, then don't enter, yr not gonna win (i'm not saying that society's view of beauty is wrong or right, but that's the way it is.)

[Conservative,]

I think it's stupid to have pageants for 1/2/3/4 year olds - because they barely understand what's happening, and it's just the parents trying to make some money out of the "beauty" of their daughter/son. << Not all pageants are for girls may I say.

However, I think once they're at the age of 12/13/14/15 where they KNOW what it is, and it's their choice, then I don't see the problem.

And as others have said, it's not just beauty that is judged, and it's not going to help by letting fat girls win beauty pageants. Beauty pageants are for BEAUTY (and other skills etc.). People are naturally biased towards pretty girls, I don't think letting fat girls win beauty pageants would change that, nor would scrapping them.

If people want to hold them, then let them. It doesn't harm society really. Maybe the way to solve it is to have pageants for "bigger" girls, boys, whatever. But I still doubt that would change how people view beauty in general.

[lawrawrrr]

I think it's stupid to have pageants for 1/2/3/4 year olds - because they barely understand what's happening, and it's just the parents trying to make some money out of the "beauty" of their daughter/son. << Not all pageants are for girls may I say.

Agreed - but IMO I don't think it's WRONG as such, it's just like being models as a baby - only exploitive if something happens that probably shouldn't...


However, I think once they're at the age of 12/13/14/15 where they KNOW what it is, and it's their choice, then I don't see the problem.
Still at this age, the parents have a MAJOR influence over the decisions of the child - and the parent has to sign the release forms saying that the child is allowed to do it so...


And as others have said, it's not just beauty that is judged, and it's not going to help by letting fat girls win beauty pageants. Beauty pageants are for BEAUTY (and other skills etc.). People are naturally biased towards pretty girls, I don't think letting fat girls win beauty pageants would change that, nor would scrapping them.

It's a common disbelief that only stick thin girls win beauty pageants. Just because we see the "Miss America 2k10" as this pretty, blonde, anorexic girl, all contestants have to look like that? And "miss *insert county/country name here*" aren't the only beauty pageants - there's a lot more worldwide, using all kinds of contestants as winners.


If people want to hold them, then let them. It doesn't harm society really. Maybe the way to solve it is to have pageants for "bigger" girls, boys, whatever. But I still doubt that would change how people view beauty in general.

This could honestly be seen as discrimination. Can you imagine the competition? "Beauty Pageant for Fat Girls" - that's going to go down a storm... and there are pageants for boys already out there, although less - due to the lower demand for them.

[sophiethenerd]

Seems wrong to me,to insult "ugly" people and make them lose in these sorts of things.Why should some perfectly nice person have there self esteem lowered just becuase they have a big nose, or beady eyes,or frizzy hair.

[beth]

Seems wrong to me,to insult "ugly" people and make them lose in these sorts of things.Why should some perfectly nice person have there self esteem lowered just becuase they have a big nose, or beady eyes,or frizzy hair.

because in all fairness people are aware of how attractive they are in the eyes of society, and why enter if yr not that "attractive". that's not saying society's view of beauty is right, or wrong.

it's like, you wouldn't enter a dance competition if you couldn't dance.

[FlyingJesus]

Seems wrong to me,to insult "ugly" people and make them lose in these sorts of things.Why should some perfectly nice person have there self esteem lowered just becuase they have a big nose, or beady eyes,or frizzy hair.

Because it's a beauty contest :S people are not all equal and if you want pageants stopped because of how it might make some utter disasterface feel then surely no competitions should exist in anything? Here I feel I have to repeat myself:


I don't see anyone calling for a stop to spelling bees or sporting events