Amanda Sobczak
The Not-So-Beautiful Pageant: A deeper look into the expectations and ramifications of beauty pageants on today’s contestants and society.
FA11 DE BINT 501 (03)
PAPER TYPE: Analytical and Argumentative
THESIS STATEMENT: This paper will track the evolution of beauty contests from the very beginning and analyze the societal consequences that have resulted in the lives of contestants, families and the local community as well as compare the biblical ideals of beauty and grace to those portrayed in such contests, in order to prove that if beauty pageants, such as Miss America, Miss USA and Miss Universe, were eliminated from society, life would go on for the better of all those involved.
ABSTRACT: There are three main aspects of this paper. The first being the history and analysis of beauty contests and how they have evolved from the 1920’s to present day.
Originally these pageants had nothing to do with physical appearance, but rather, were a movement by women suffragist to campaign for equal rights. When the first Miss America pageant was held in 1921, it was solely based on physical appearance and would pit women against each other as they vie for the attention of males. It wasn’t until 1938 that the talent portion of the competition became mandatory and the scholarship program wasn’t started until 1945; almost 25 years after the first Miss America. Fast-forward 15 years to 1960 and we not only have Miss America pageants, but now child pageants.
There are many resources that are used to come to this conclusion.
It’s obvious that the intentions behind Miss America and other pageants are admirable, but the outcomes are far from that. There are countless accounts of contestants and mothers (especially of children and toddlers) going to extremes to outshine their competition. There is also an increased scrutiny on the winners, with multiple threats and revoking their title because of information revealed after the competition. Yes, these women are.
