So the Miss America pageant this year lost more viewers (http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=249841>1=7703). What does this mean?
When Miss America was established, women had a very different role in society. They didn't have a lot of career options and in fact, single women over 25 were thrown into resorts to find a husband (resorts that had that purpose in mind). Today women get married at a far later age and have their own lives. And the concept of beauty has evolved to be more inclusive and include intelligence and personality. So what does this mean for a pageant/scholarship program focused on traditional definitions of beauty?
Maybe if the Miss America pageant took away the swimsuit competition and included some type of athletic competition or measure (having a good body doesn't mean that you are physically fit or athletic), cultural segment, and proof of intelligence, this competition would be more attractive. Beauty pageants in general promote attractiveness on the outside, but what about a competition that promotes beauty from both inside and outside? That would be a unique competition and would probably have a bigger draw. Sure, there could still be spectacular clothes and costumes, but having well-rounded women on stage would be much better to promote to the public and create better role models for our girls.
Maybe Miss America will consider updating it's practices, but most likely, it will keep to the limited beauty pageant audience that maintain more traditional values and roles for women.
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