As I was casually flicking through the TV last night, I stumbled upon the Miss Teen USA pageant. I couldn't help but notice the shocking lack of diversity among the contestants. In fact, the top five finalists looked like exact copies of each other. This competition is teaching young girls that if you don't have blonde hair, blue eyes and aren't a size zero, then you're not considered beautiful. Young girls are taught to aspire and be like these pageant girls. Although they are gorgeous and poised, our self-worth does not come from attractiveness. Unfortunately, that's the message these beauty contests are sending.
Why are beauty pageants still a thing? How could a contest that promotes looking a very specific way create confidence? What if you don't fall into that category? But more importantly, why are they teaching young girls that confidence comes from appearance? The glitz and glam factor may seem appealing to young girls, but the idea that they have to fit a mold and look a certain way is appalling. These pageants should be promoting intelligence and diversity, not making those who look different feel ashamed or not good enough. The question and answer portion of these pageants do not highlight the contestants' brains. Instead, it puts them on the spot to quickly answer a slightly opinionated question, questions that sometime require a lot of time to process. Even worse, if the girl fumbles or screws up her answer, the world is there to ridicule and make fun of her. Anyone remember in 2007 Miss South Carolina Teen's response to the map question? Her answer is still used today to mock pageantry.
Not only are beauty pageants outdated, but they objectify women. Having a woman parade around a stage in a bikini while a panel of men and women rate and judge how she looks is absurd. What kind of message is that sending? It makes it okay for other people to judge you for how you look if you don’t fit into the “Miss America” mold. These pageants set unrealistic beauty standards that can tear down a person’s self-esteem. These competitions start at a ridiculously young age and teach girls that they need to compete with each other on who looks better. These competitions should inspire young girls to want to be intelligent, creative and unique. They should build up confidence and self-esteem, not tear it down. They should welcome girls from all backgrounds, sizes and color. We need to stop judging girls based on their appearance and start celebrating what makes us different and special.
As Michelle Obama gracefully said, “As a girl, my voice was somehow less important, that how my body looked was more important than how my mind worked, that being strong and powerful and outspoken just wasn’t appropriate or attractive for a girl. And soon enough, I started to question myself. Was I too loud? Too much? Was I too bossy? Was I dreaming too big? And for years I would lie awake at night and those doubts would eat away at my heart, but eventually, I just got tired of always worrying about what everyone else thought of me. So I decided not to listen to the voices of those who doubted or dismissed me. Instead, I decided to listen to my own voice.”
Young girls should be empowered by their special qualities that make them different. Beauty pageants are teaching young women to conform to a certain beauty standard that frankly is impossible to reach. Always be yourself, because your appearance does not define who you are.
