Pageant Contestant not From City they represent

[Chuck S]

Here's the condensed version.

A Miss California USA contestant, Miss Beverly Hills, has made public statements (on Fox News) similar to those of Carrie Prejean. The mayor of Beverly Hills is furious. The girl does not live in Beverly Hills at all, and according to the Miss California USA rules, contestants "choose" the area they represent, with no need to reside or have other ties to the area.

Wouldn't most people people assume that a contestant labeled "Miss XYZ" was actually from XYZ? Should states place regulations on pageants, requiring the city to approve of the use of the city's name for a contestant?

There is no "official" pageant for Beverly Hills. The girl lives in Pasadena.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

That happens here all the time. Girls enter pageants in cities they think they can win, regardless of where they live.

 

[OrlandoMike]

Should states place regulations on pageants....

Much like trained killer whales and elephants......do we really need beauty pagents anymore?

 

[Chuck S]

That happens here all the time. Girls enter pageants in cities they think they can win, regardless of where they live.

Except this girl didn't even enter a pageant in Beverly Hills. Evidently under the Miss California USA rules, the girls find a "sponsor" (someone with $$$) and then just "pick a city" to represent.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Except this girl didn't even enter a pageant in Beverly Hills. Evidently under the Miss California USA rules, the girls find a "sponsor" (someone with $$$) and then just "pick a city" to represent.

Huh. I am not a pageant follower, so the rules are kind of foreign to me. I guess it is odd for things not be be based on geography AT ALL. But then again, I am not a pageant person.

 

[TagsMissy]

Much like trained killer whales and elephants......do we really need beauty pagents anymore?

Pageants are pointless and have no place in my world. Nothing makes me angrier than those kid pageants.

 

[MonorailMan]

I just happened to have won the Miss Universe pageant a couple years ago.......but I'm obviously not from this universe. I don't see a problem here.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Pageants are pointless and have no place in my world. Nothing makes me angrier than those kid pageants.

OMG, those are disgusting.

Beauty pagents need to go. Right up there with trained animals... only they are in heels and have funny looking lips.

 

[MonorailMan]

Nothing makes me angrier than those kid pageants.

Those things seem to always be run by creepy gay men who've had way too much plastic surgery and mothers who are obviously missing something in their lives.

 

[rpmdfw]

Okay, disapproving of trained wild animals is one thing. The animal doesn't have a choice in the matter and is being exploited for entertainment. Pageants are not the same.

But pageants, while some view as exploitation of women, are contests where young ladies for the most part VOLUNTEER to participate in hopes of winning prizes (mainly scholarships).

Are there some cases where young girls are forced to compete in the junior pageants? Probably. But the vast majority of the contestants want to be there and they want to win.

I've known some very smart, talented, capable women who participated in and won pageants at the local and state level. In a couple cases, the scholarships from the pageants paid for their education at least in part. I'm all in favor of ANYONE who wants to better themselves, and finds a way to make it work. For some people it's waiting tables, for some it's entering a beauty pageant. Everyone has to play to their own strengths and determine what works for them. I respect them, for doing so.

Whether or not we agree with the choices of these ladies to participate in the pageants is beside the point. We shouldn't judge them, the same way we ask people to refrain from judging us our choice to live openly as who we are.

Personally, I don't see these pageants as exploitative, rather I see them as empowering. Perhaps that's because of the remarkable women I've known who had a pageant as a small part of their backgrounds.

I certainly don't see it as being on par with people training wild animals to jump through a flaming hoop in contradiction to their natural instincts so that an audience can "ooh" and "ah.

 

[TagsMissy]

We are still deciding on body and beauty -- what does that say about society? Who is to judge what physical beauty is? Who decides what weight and height is considered flattering or chest size? That is where it gets extremely degrading as a woman. And I am solely speaking as a woman.

 

[OrlandoMike]

We are still deciding on body and beauty -- what does that say about society? Who is to judge what physical beauty is? Who decides what weight and height is considered flattering or chest size? That is where it gets extremely degrading as a woman. And I am solely speaking as a woman.

Amen sister! When I see a pagent gal who doesn't fit the cookie cutter mold of what a "beauty queen" should look like, then I will re-think the issue. Till then, I prefer to judge people by their character, not how well they walk in heels and a swimsuit!

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Exactly.

Plus, I don't think a three year old is necessarily qualified to "choose" to subject herself to that kind of thing. Like an animal, she is trained to perform.

When I see young men in Beauty Pagents strutting their bodies on national stage under the guise of "earning money for education" then I'll be more believing that it isn't a grossly sexist institution.

Just because something exists doesn't make it right. People choose to abuse their children every day. Adults. Do I judge those decisions negatively? Yes, I do. Pagent participation is in no way the same level as child abuse, however the point I'm trying to make is that if someone chooses to do something that is offensive (a totally subjective call) then I will judge it in a negative sense.

I find women, who participate in pagents to be sad creatures who have internalized the sexism in this country; charicatures.

 

[MonorailMan]

If the girls/women want to compete, I don't have a problem with it. It's the younger girls under the age of 10 I have a problem with. I tend to feel it's exploitation when a mother makes her 6 year-old daughter go into a pageant when the girl doesn't even understand what prizes she's competing for are. (You see young girls at competitions crying backstage all the time on that show called Little Miss Perfect mostly because they're tired and/or don't want to be there.) I tend to feel that when that 6 year-old turns 18 she's going to be in for a shock when she realizes she can't get everything just because she's pretty.........and if she does get everything she wants due to the way she looks, there's a word for that kind of person, which I won't say here.

 

[rpmdfw]

I find women, who participate in pagents to be sad creatures who have internalized the sexism in this country; charicatures.

Have you ever met one? Sat down and talked to her? Gotten to know her and discussed her pageant experience?

Or are you judging the whole group based on your pre-concieved notions of what they must be like?

Because the ladies I've known who participated and/or won pageants have been savy, smart, and very strong women. They'd be the last people to tell you that they'd been exploited.

 

[MonorailMan]

Have you ever met one? Sat down and talked to her? Gotten to know her and discussed her pageant experience?

Or are you judging the whole group based on your pre-concieved notions of what they must be like?

Because the ladies I've known who participated and/or won pageants have been savy, smart, and very strong women. They'd be the last people to tell you that they'd been exploited.

I think there are several aspects that have to be looked at.

-Where is the pageant taking place?
-Who's running the show?
-What was the woman like before she went into competing?
-What are the other competitors like?
And so on......

I know a woman who used to compete when she was in her 20's and 30's, and the only good I tend to feel that came from the experience (in addition to winning 1 or 2 shows) was that she made a couple friends in the process. Other than that she was exposed to everything from "seedy" judges who got fresh with her, to the need to want to flaunt her sexuality more in order to get attention. The sad thing is that she was a fairly strong person before all this.

The problem with coming to a consensus on certain issues like this is that there is no real consensus.....only individual experiences.

 

[rpmdfw]

The problem with coming to a consensus on certain issues like this is that there is no real consensus.....only individual experiences.

Exactly! I disagree that people should say "pageants are bad!" without actually looking at BOTH the pros and the cons. There are definite positives despite the fact that pageants have been demonized by so many people. Do I agree with everything about them? Nope. But I realize that I'm in no position to pass judgement on those who choose to participate in them.

 

[PeterPan09]

Personally, I'm not a pageant fan. Don't watch them, don't care who wins them, don't care what a pageant contestant's opinion on world events is.

However, I don't feel like I'm in a position to tell another adult that enjoys either being a part of them or watching them that they shouldn't be able to do that just because I think they're stupid.

As long as they don't start putting them on ESPN I should be able to continue to avoid them.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Have you ever met one? Sat down and talked to her? Gotten to know her and discussed her pageant experience?

Or are you judging the whole group based on your pre-concieved notions of what they must be like?

Because the ladies I've known who participated and/or won pageants have been savy, smart, and very strong women. They'd be the last people to tell you that they'd been exploited.

Yes, Rob I actually have. I am not saying they don't go into it willingly. I am saying that socialization factors have lead to their thinking that is appropriate.

Again, where are the pageants for the men? No matter. I've long been disgusted by pageants and it's not going to change now.

 

[rpmdfw]

Yes, Rob I actually have. I am not saying they don't go into it willingly. I am saying that socialization factors have lead to their thinking that is appropriate.

Again, where are the pageants for the men? No matter. I've long been disgusted by pageants and it's not going to change now.

That's cool. As long as your nor making a judgement without actually talking to some of the people involved, I won't say you're not at least giving them a chance. You're more than entitled to have your opinion, just as I have mine. My issue is with people who don't actually try and find out the facts first. If you've spoken to some of the ladies involved, then you've made the effort. I can respect that.

I'm still not going to judge outright that they're all bad without exception, but that's based on my experiences.

And I wholeheartedly agree with you! There should be a LOT more pageants for men. I'm all about objectifying hot guys as sex objects!