Is it JUST a Runway?
“From sea to shining sea ”… Beauty pageants are thought to be a sign of skinny, tall, young women… “She reigns over all she sees”… but there’s more to it than swimsuits, flashy dresses, and pounds of hairspray… “She’s beauty and she’s grace…” From my experience, even in high school, women are seen as sex icons and symbols of lust, but women are so much more. Women are using the idea of beauty pageants to express so much more than how they look in a bikini or how well they can answer a question about “world peace”. Pageants are wonderful opportunities for women, of any size, shape, or race. The possibilities are endless for these young girls and women, it gives them the confidence “to shake what their mamma gave them”, it could potentially launch a career in politics, and make them feel empowered in this world of degrading stereotypes. Beauty pageants allow women to show off their talents, brains, and beauty. Like
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According to “Beauty Pageants: Dream or Nightmare?” pg. 173, “Each year hundreds of lucky women realize their dream of being crowned Miss something or other, and walk away with prize money, scholarships, new cars or new wardrobes.” College is not cheap, and with the scholarships awarded many young girls are finding their paths led by pageants, “Robin Harmon, Miss Maryland in the 1981 Miss America Pageant, credits pageants for ‘getting me out of Hagerstown, Md-, and paying my way through college.’” (Beauty Pageants: Dream or Nightmare? pg.173) Like the Miss United States Pageant and Ivy Girl Academy, these pageants celebrate intelligent, strong, beautiful women. “The Miss United States Pageant prides itself in providing an avenue for each young woman to give a voice to those needing to be heard, lend a hand to those less fortunate, and be a compass for those daring to dream”