Aimzster
Dianna GDown with Miss Universe & all beauty pageants!
July 24th 2008 02:23
Watching Miss Universe as a kid was a huge event for my whole family. Our mum would arrange to have our favourite dishes cooked, it was the only time we were allowed to eat in front of the TV, the doors were shut, phones were put on hold, squabbles between siblings were temporarily halted as we happily made bets on our favourite Misses. Even as feminist groups began attacking Miss Universe as nothing more than a beauty pageant that is grossly outdated, I stuck by the ideal that the competition truly was a ‘platform for young women to voice their opinions and forge into their chosen fields, helping today’s women become strong and independent because of all the help the competition gives’ – as Miss India’s Lara Dutta so eloquently put it (and went on to win the Miss Universe 2000 title).
But in the past five years, my interest in watching Miss Universe is waning and gradually replaced with disgust. As much as I hate disappointing my mum who is adamant on continuing our tradition of watching Miss Universe with a banquet only to grasp a semblance of those happy, carefree childhood days, I find I just cannot sit through the whole show without booing and hissing at the TV, growling at Trump whom I place all responsibility for this farce of a pageant.
I find this change of opinion is due to four things : the reduction of question & answer portions (there used to be about 3 different questions posed to each finalist which have now been reduced to one); the fact that the contestants are looking more and more alike (which glaringly shows just what the world in general thinks about the epitome of beauty); the girls with the biggest boobs and the narrowest waists ALWAYS get the highest scores in the swimsuit round; but most of all, the prevalence of cosmetic surgery among several contestants and that cosmetic surgery isn’t frowned upon.
How can Miss Guam 1999 be disqualified from Miss Universe because she was pregnant, Vanessa Williams forced to resign her Miss America ’84 crown because she posed nude prior to her pageant days and Miss World ’74 was also forced to relinquish her crown when it was discovered she was an unmarried mother, while contestants who undergo plastic surgery aren’t banned from a competition that supposedly encourages the ‘natural essence and feminity of a woman’?
Take the steps Miss Venezuelas have to take to prepare for Miss Universe. As hopefuls for the Miss Venezuela title, 20 girls are enrolled in the Miss Venezuela Academy where they undergo six months of intensive training. Dr Eduardo Krulig, Venezuela’s leading plastic surgeon claims plastic surgery for the girls is only an option in the academy and that he only works on half of the girls on ‘very small procedures’ such as breast augmentation, thigh lipo-sculpting and waist reduction. He adds that plastic surgery is ‘readily accepted as a valid means of beautification because in Venezuela, the girls are judged on being ‘beautiful’ and not on being natural’.* (from brooklynrail).
But it’s not just in Venezuela, is it? Each year, Miss Universe is increasingly becoming all about the contestants’ physical beauty - don’t worry about poise, intelligence and culture. I mean, what happened to those days when the 5 finalists sat down for a one-on-one interview with the host, answering questions tailored specifically for them? Then answering a second question from a specific judge before finally answering the question that is given to the other contestants?
These Q&A portions were the highlights of Miss Universe for me because it allowed the audience to know more about each finalist’s personal lives (other than the brief bio they flash on TV such as ‘likes: skiing, shopping & meeting different people) and how well they react under pressure. And it also separated the pretty faces with substance from the pretty faces who blather on like Miss South Carolina in Miss Teen USA. How many times do I have to listen to that lame answer of ‘There is nothing in my life I would change because all the mistakes I may have made in the past made me stronger and made me the woman of today’ to that equally lame question ‘If you could turn back time, what would you change about your life?’ poised by our own Jennifer Hawkins this year.
I realize boycotting Miss Universe means turning my back on a huge part of my childhood but there is no way I can continue to support a competition of a bevy of Barbie dolls who think going under the knife and sticking their chests out in a bikini top are the only way to ‘voice their opinions and forge into their chosen fields’. Should my firstborn be a daughter, I hope I’m able to teach her that beauty is all about being natural and nothing to do with the perfectly symmetrical, wrinkle-free flawless skin that you weren’t born with.
Miss Universe 2008 - natural, my ass!
But in the past five years, my interest in watching Miss Universe is waning and gradually replaced with disgust. As much as I hate disappointing my mum who is adamant on continuing our tradition of watching Miss Universe with a banquet only to grasp a semblance of those happy, carefree childhood days, I find I just cannot sit through the whole show without booing and hissing at the TV, growling at Trump whom I place all responsibility for this farce of a pageant.
I find this change of opinion is due to four things : the reduction of question & answer portions (there used to be about 3 different questions posed to each finalist which have now been reduced to one); the fact that the contestants are looking more and more alike (which glaringly shows just what the world in general thinks about the epitome of beauty); the girls with the biggest boobs and the narrowest waists ALWAYS get the highest scores in the swimsuit round; but most of all, the prevalence of cosmetic surgery among several contestants and that cosmetic surgery isn’t frowned upon.
Miss USA got one of the highest scores in the swimsuit portion - wonder why?
How can Miss Guam 1999 be disqualified from Miss Universe because she was pregnant, Vanessa Williams forced to resign her Miss America ’84 crown because she posed nude prior to her pageant days and Miss World ’74 was also forced to relinquish her crown when it was discovered she was an unmarried mother, while contestants who undergo plastic surgery aren’t banned from a competition that supposedly encourages the ‘natural essence and feminity of a woman’?
Take the steps Miss Venezuelas have to take to prepare for Miss Universe. As hopefuls for the Miss Venezuela title, 20 girls are enrolled in the Miss Venezuela Academy where they undergo six months of intensive training. Dr Eduardo Krulig, Venezuela’s leading plastic surgeon claims plastic surgery for the girls is only an option in the academy and that he only works on half of the girls on ‘very small procedures’ such as breast augmentation, thigh lipo-sculpting and waist reduction. He adds that plastic surgery is ‘readily accepted as a valid means of beautification because in Venezuela, the girls are judged on being ‘beautiful’ and not on being natural’.* (from brooklynrail).
But it’s not just in Venezuela, is it? Each year, Miss Universe is increasingly becoming all about the contestants’ physical beauty - don’t worry about poise, intelligence and culture. I mean, what happened to those days when the 5 finalists sat down for a one-on-one interview with the host, answering questions tailored specifically for them? Then answering a second question from a specific judge before finally answering the question that is given to the other contestants?
These Q&A portions were the highlights of Miss Universe for me because it allowed the audience to know more about each finalist’s personal lives (other than the brief bio they flash on TV such as ‘likes: skiing, shopping & meeting different people) and how well they react under pressure. And it also separated the pretty faces with substance from the pretty faces who blather on like Miss South Carolina in Miss Teen USA. How many times do I have to listen to that lame answer of ‘There is nothing in my life I would change because all the mistakes I may have made in the past made me stronger and made me the woman of today’ to that equally lame question ‘If you could turn back time, what would you change about your life?’ poised by our own Jennifer Hawkins this year.
Jennifer Hawkins asks the cliche question 'What would you change about your life?'
I realize boycotting Miss Universe means turning my back on a huge part of my childhood but there is no way I can continue to support a competition of a bevy of Barbie dolls who think going under the knife and sticking their chests out in a bikini top are the only way to ‘voice their opinions and forge into their chosen fields’. Should my firstborn be a daughter, I hope I’m able to teach her that beauty is all about being natural and nothing to do with the perfectly symmetrical, wrinkle-free flawless skin that you weren’t born with.
| 120 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by Sara Dobson
Parents Precinct
My Turn
I am not sure whether it has ever been about anything but physical beauty and having a perve. Otherwise why do would you need a swimsuit section at all? Why not just ask questions of smartly dressed women?
Beauty and brains certainly helps but all these beauty pagents still reinforce the ideal image of women being tall and slim with long legs and big breasts.
By the way Aimster hope everything is going well with you.
Comment by TimmyH
Tech News
Can you HACK it?
Genyration
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
Haven't seen one of those since kidhood, and even then not all the way through..do they still have a talent competition or has that gone by the wayside too?
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by Raoul Duke
Style of Eye
I missed the event this year, but saw it last year and noted how weirdly Euroasian most of the finalists looked ...
However, I have to admit, this year's Miss Venezuela is very alluring!! Miss Venezuela has frequently been the hottest contestant. Two different Miss Venezuela's won Miss World and Miss Universe in 1981 respectively! Must be something in the water they drink.
I remember watching the show when I was an adolescent with my dad one year (late 70s/early80s)and being stunned at how gorgeous and statuesque Miss Venezuela was, and dad agreeing. I remember her looking not too disimiliar to last year's Venezuela (2nd runner-up) Miss Ly Jonaitis, a true glamazon!
I seem to remember a couple of years ago or more and there was talk that the contest was going to be retired, because of the influence of the Net and all the softcore and hardcore model and porn sites having more pulling power than a TV beauty pageant ... Seems they've attempted to re-boot it, but as you say, it now seems incongruous, ill-concieved ... and unnatural.
Comment by Raoul Duke
Style of Eye
Comment by Aimzster
Health and Beauty
Reality TV
The Jeepney Stop
First Time Mum
Timmy, the best answers I remember were always by Miss Indias. Love how composed, calm and unpretentious they were.
D, they only do talent shows during the preliminaries I think, although I think they should get finalists to do that onstage.
Cibb, stupid Trump. He ruins everything.
Raoul, the reason why they win so much is because I think they're the only country that has an academy dedicated to Miss Venezuelas. They revere Miss Universe over there and put a lot of money into it. Hmm...
Comment by Raoul Duke
Style of Eye
Comment by Mrs M
Mum's Word
I haven't watched it in years. But like you I used to watch it as a kid.
It really doesn't hold much water these days. What does Miss Universe do for the year? Does she visit war torn towns and help rebuild them? Does she speak with notables and put forth some fresh ideas? What does she do?
Love & stuff
Mrs M