Beauty pageants have been around for a century now. On 6th June 2018 the world woke up to the news of Miss America banning the ‘swimsuit round’ and that contestants wouldn’t be judged on the basis of looks anymore.The Miss America, has always been the contest that has stirred controversies ever since its inception.
For a century beauty pageants have led the women believe that they can conquer the world with a crown and that these pageants are about empowering them. For a century the beauty pageants have led us to believe that they are concerned about world peace and humanitarian issues. To achieve world peace, one must wonder why one needs to be tall, skinny, fair, with perfect features. Why would any person who is interested in social work need to be 5 feet 7 inches tall? For years, beauty pageants have under the guise of ‘beauty with a purpose’ claims, led people to believe that there is more to these beauty pageants than just be judged on the basis of their looks. For a billion dollar beauty industry that thrives on unrealistic beauty standards set by these pageants, it serves no purpuse other than filling the pockets of these cosmetic giants.
A few years back Europe was grappling with the problem of most of the models suffering from eating and body dysmorphic disorders. The beauty pageants all these years have held unattainable standards of beauty. A 2012 documentary ‘The World Before Her’ made by Nisha Pahuja, exposed the ugly side of the Miss India pageant. The documentary which was divided in two parts showed one part talking about an aspiring young girl wanting to win the Miss India crown. Though much of the behind-the-scenes material is predictably vapid, there are occasionally creepy moments. At one point, contest organizer Marc Robinson laughingly insists that the women put on sacks with eyeholes and parade about the beach, so that he can better judge their naked limbs. The alpha female of the contestants (and eventual Miss India 2011 winner), Ankita Shorey, concedes that morals and dignity may be compromised, but winning is what counts.
This documentary had created quite a stir as a leading media giant who is a title sponsor for the Miss India contest had stifled the reviews. Here are few things about the pageants, that are a farcry from their slogans of ‘being more than just beauty pageants’.
Expensive – Beauty pageants are a costly affair. There are entrance fees, wardrobe costs since it is designer, professional head shots, physical training, interview coaching, hair and makeup services, travel and hotel accommodations. Since there are no particular guidelines, many aspirants even go under the knife to achieve the well-sculpted abs and chiselled features.
Ageism- Many pageants have rules that a candidate can only compete if she has never been married or given birth to a child. They have cut off ages for entering as well. The oldest you can be to compete in Miss America is 24 years old and for Miss USA it’s 26 years old. In several countries around the globe, the maximum age you can participate is 24. They also have title holders sign a contract stating that during their reign, they are to obliged to be of good moral character and should not bring any negative public attention to her image or the pageant’s image, otherwise her title could be revoked.Title holders have been stripped of their crowns if they have been found hiding their marital status, age or in some cases holding certain views as well.
Gal Gadot, who served in the IDF represented Israel in the Miss Universe pageant.However, over the years she has received flak for holding ethnic-cleansing views. Quite in contrast, to the humanitarian approaches shown by the participants in these pageants.
Tall Winners– There is a height requirement in the Miss India contest which was increased to 5’7 post 2003 as opposed to its earlier 5’6 requirement. There’s no height requirement in the Miss USA and Miss America pageants, but how often do we see a 5’2 Miss Universe ? There has only been two Miss USA titleholders that have been 5’4. The vast majority of winners for the more prestigious pageants are between 5’6 and 5’11. This is because the pageant organization wants to promote women who possess modeling potentials on top of everything else they look for in a winner. It is practically impossible for a petite woman to win in any of the pageants globally.
Lack Of Inclusivity- These pageants have been panned for years for having no inclusivity. Plus size women, petite women, trans women are barred from participating in these pageants. There are speciality pageants started for women who aren’t tall or are plus sized or are born with certain disabilities or even trans women and married women. However, these women are not allowed to participate in the popular pageants, which require the participants to be immaculate.
Some contestants are literally starving. Of course there are always naturally thin women competing in these pageants, but many of them tend to go overboard on restricting their consumption and spending long hours at the gym, at least during their pageant season.
Beauty pageants epitomize the word “glamour.” Young women dress up in floor length gowns, sparkling bikinis, and all the hairspray a human scalp can hold, while showcasing their broadest smiles and most special talents. A spectacle in the truest sense, beauty pageants are essentially graded performances of traditional femininity: who is the most graceful? Who is the most beautiful? Who can wear an evening gown and five inch stilettos without tripping?
Beauty pageants were controversial for decades for many reasons, not the least of which was the fact that they did not allow contestants who were not white to compete, and had other racist overtones. African Americans were first featured in the 1923 Miss America pageant — during a dance performance where they played slaves.
To protest the racist exclusion of Black women from Miss America, the African American community put on a pegeant of their own in 1968, on the same day as the Miss America contest was being held in Atlantic City. While they were excluded from participation in the Miss America pageant, Black communities around the U.S. had been holding their own beauty pageants for decades.
The Miss America pageant has also faced protest by feminists around the world since the 1960s. In fact, the 1968 Miss America pageant was faced not only by protest from the Black community, but from white feminists as well. The feminist protests was organized by New York Radical Women, who bashed the pageants for their exploitative nature and judging women merely on the basis of looks and beauty.
Criticism of beauty pageantry has a long and storied history of its own, and in many ways parallels the decline of pageants themselves. Feminists have been outspoken regarding the sexist and misogynist ethos of beauty pageantry since decades. With mounting criticisms have also come marked declines in viewership: According to a report in Racked.com, The Miss America pageant in 2015 amassed only 7.1 million viewers, compared to 8.6 million viewers just one year before in 2014. Miss America had previously broken viewership records during its first live broadcast in 1954, when 27 million viewers tuned in to watch.
On the surface these pageants promise to be about beauty, poise, and a good measure of world peace. However,there’s hardly any denying that the world of beauty pageants are inherently problematic. The whole idea of pitting women against one another and judging them primarily based on their looks is unsettling in and of itself.