Miss America, Miss World, and Miss Universe pageants have drilled rigid beauty ideals into the collective psyche of women and men, generation after generation.
In a historic decision, Miss America did away with the swimsuit competition, which objectified women and, frankly, was pointless. Just like the rest of the competition, which should also be done away with.
A pageant, which gained prominence in 1921 as a swimsuit beauty contest that would bring revenue for newspapers, went to take on the world and established norms about how women’s bodies should be viewed.
As the US gained prominence and established its cultural hegemony across the world, it was not just blue jeans that travelled across the oceans. America sold the idea of freedom, of shorts, of bikini tops and Ray-Bans.
Women sans body hair, with an hourglass figure and fair, wrinkle-free skin, were considered attractive. Everyone else who did not fit into those standards was consoled with that damning phrase: ‘you have inner beauty’. Miss America, Miss World, and Miss Universe drilled these rigid beauty ideals into the collective psyche of women and men, generation after generation.
Miss America has had only a handful of non-white women winners, but all of them have faced vitriolic backlash and abuse. Nina Davuluri, who was the first Indian-American to win the title in 2014 (and had danced to a song from Om Shanti Om in the talent performance round), spoke about how she challenged the American idea of the blonde girl next-door.
What happened after was shocking, but not really. Xenophobic and racist comments took over the social media, with many calling her Arab, and linking her to Al-Qaeda. Many compared the hate messages to what Vanessa Williams, the first Black Miss America, or Bess Myerson, the first Jewish Miss America, had received in the past.
Swimsuits were only one of the problems with Miss America, nonetheless a problem that has plagued the pageant for long.
In 1993, the Miss America Organisation asked viewers to vote on if they wanted the swimsuit contest. “We are very sensitive to the fact that the swimsuit competition has always been our Achilles heel. The swimsuit competition has been controversial since the early 1920s, but it’s been retained because the majority of the people like it,” Leonard Horn, the then CEO had said.
Nothing changed for decades. People tried to justify it saying that it empowered women. Many contestants, however, said that the swimsuit competition made them physically and mentally vulnerable, and left them feeling anguished. Even if wearing a bikini empowered women, it is not a measurement of beauty, and cannot be forced on others.
Following the 2017 scandal, when HuffPost released misogynist emails by top Miss America Oganization officials about the winners, and in light of the #MeToo movement, new chairwoman Gretchen Carlson made quite a few overhauls. The top three positions of the organisation are now occupied by women. Gretchen also declared that the competition will judge women on their achievements and talents, and not on appearance. An interactive session with the judge will be given importance in place of the bikini round.
A bold statement, no doubt.
But we are really kidding ourselves if we think that it won’t be based on looks. Or, that people of all ages, sizes, colours, with moles or stretch marks, will be welcome or even voted by the people as winners.
Thanks Miss America for stopping the hideous swimsuit round, but it’s not going to erase almost a century of brainwashing on beauty standards that you left behind. If you really wanted to make a difference, there would not be a competition for an arbitrary title at all, but this is America.
another fat woman justifying her fatness by saying that its the right decision of taking beauty away from a beauty contest. bunch of nanzy pansies.
She is from Indian but doesn’t mean that she need to stick to the word “Hindu” if she don’t want to use even if she is Hindu. Why Indian are so feeling nervous of her action in Hollywood, instead be feel proud she is an Indian that’s it.
When Hindus do it, it’s called nationalism not terrorism !!
You put it so aptly. (Y) (Y)
The makers of Quantico .I urge u to show one terrorist attack in US done by Indians. Showing Indians as terrorist isn’t acceptable
Well Priyanka ur choice shows ur level of thinking….u r not logical and this choosing shows that to lift ur carriwr u can do anything…there has been never been an so open society as the Indian Hindus…and u r are simply using this as an opportunity to demean it…well many fools have done it u also try….I say better have the guts to reply yourself when u realise what u have done…the truth will always prevail like the sun….clouds are for temporary..
Again Muslim Angle ..to sell story …..bhagat Singh is still considered as terrorist by British …..khalistan forces are still considered terrorists …..ulfa , nscn Manipur are rebels …..Maoists are rebels …but when Muslims come Islamic ,Muslim terrorists …..thank god Bharat Mata didn’t have child otherwise …..father would have been considered either Pakistani or Muslim …..sick minds
Little puzzling comment! Beauty is a subjective feeling, and for all practical purposes has sexual undertones. Particularly when it is open to only women and that too within a specific age group. And if people find women without clothes beautiful, compared to say women under burkha, so be it. It has nothing to do with objectification of a gender. And it is clearly not an IIT entrance test or a Maths Olympiad. I am sure shape, size and other physical beauty are not correlated with the beauty of her brain, and we can still appreciate and celebrate her physical beauty without reducing her to a object. Take it easy. When sculptures of Greek god and goddesses are celebrated, we need not worry about their “inner beauty”, we just appriciate the physical form without being judgemental. When we celebrate Arnold Schwarzenegger and his physical beauty as a work of art, we need not make any opinion about his math skills or his understanding of Shakespeare or his knowledge of quantum electrodynamics or his aptitude for governance. Let’s celebrate beauty with an unpolluted and open mind, without being judgemental.