Tonight, millions of viewers will tune in to watch the new Miss Universe crowned. The Miss Universe pageant is owned by the Donald Trump Organization who is also owner and producer of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants. I have never been a fan of Mr. Trump's dealings and I always have one eyebrow raised when it comes to his affiliations. I'd say "Miss Universe" is a pretty lofty title considering the fact that the competition lacks representatives from about 50% of the countries in the world. I suppose it's similar to the whole baseball "World Series" thing. Notice that American teams are the only ones who play in the "World Series".

That said, every time a beauty pageant takes place, I often wonder about the cultural relevance of pageants. It seems to be one of the few things that has remained the same since its inception. Something about beauty pageants is rather reminiscent of the June Cleaver era. I was once a huge Miss America watcher. This was around that time in the mid to late nineties when two black women in a row won the title (funny this is currently the case as well). My favorite aspect of watching show was the talent competitions. This seems to be an area that has dwindled as of late. To be completely honest, I'd probably be 100% fine with pageantry if it weren't for one thing: the swimsuit competition. If someone can explain to me what swimsuit-dawning has to do with poise, physical fitness, and selecting a proper "ambassador", I'd truly appreciate it.

While one person wrote T.V. guide back in 1997, "There are two reasons why the Miss America Pageant still exists. One is to give millions of men a few hours to imagine themselves in bed with 51 different beautiful women {ambra's note: many men will do this while watching a PBS special. Hence, this point is hardly convincing considering then general sight-oriented nature of many men} The other is to make certain women realize that it will never be enough to just be intelligent." World Magazine responded with an article titled, "There she isn't - The problem with pageants is not the beauty part", Arsenio Orteza wrote:

"...by withholding its honors from young women with bad reputations, the Miss America Pageant upholds a biblical standard. And by insisting on an objective standard of beauty, it not only holds the line on nose rings and tattoos but also strengthens the incarnational idea that flesh can both give shape to and be shaped by the spirit."

I have heard from the mouths of those involved in the Miss America pageant that a large percentage of the delegates are actually Christians. This being true, I find myself in somewhat of a dilemma when I look at many of the past winners of the Miss America title in particular. People like former winner Erika Harold have set a high bar and example for so many in intelligence, integrity, and purity. Winning the title alone has expanded her influence to a place where many are exposed to the truth. That is truly an awesome thing. Heavens knows we need some proper standards of womanhood displayed in this country. But has the whole pageant thing served its purpose? When people like 1998 Miss America winner Kate Shindle, whose platform was pro-choice/abortion rights (masked behind HIV/AIDS prevention) have used their influence to perpetuate a lie, I wonder if it's time to pull the cord on this party altogether. The verdict's still out.

Salon magazine published an interesting article on the liberal bias of the Miss America organization when Erika Harold attempted to speak out on abstinence. Things that make you go hmmm.....

Posted by Ambra at June 1, 2004 10:14 AM in Culture