Beyond the Extravaganza:

Exploitation of Women in the Beauty Pageantries

Is beauty an image or lifestyle that we encourage? Or is it something that could be formulated based
on one’s perception of beauty? An embellished display of women in glistening night gowns and beaming
faces is not strange in any country’s distinctive history. Women being paraded and admired at because of
their beauty isn’t completely new notion either but, beauty pageants take it into different limelight. A beauty
pageant is a competition that creates a platform for the candidates to showcase their individuality, however,
the physical attributes of the candidates are invariably being focused exclusively. These kind of contest are
made especially for female starting from young girls at the age of five, to prestigious beauty pageants known
at the worldwide competitions.

It was during the traditions of the European Festivals held during the Medieval era that the first
beauty pageants in history ever documented (Linda, 2010). It wouldn’t be until the 1920s that beauty
pageants in the United States popularity was flourished and various beauty pageants began to be added to
be prominent. There are beauty contest for the various categories of age, sex, and sexuality, still female
pageantry is the most recognized and been most celebrated as the crowd-pleasing entertainment with the
extrusive line of competitions known globally; Miss Universe, Miss Earth, Miss International, and Miss
World.

Female beauty pageant offers a show and competition on glamor and elegance, although it also
becomes the people’s promenade to share their ideals of what truly defines beauty. Alongside the society
that continuously sees this extravaganza as an avenue of development to one’s self-esteem, building further
paths for their passion, using their title’s to contribute to the society with their advocacies honoring women
empowerment. However, this only would work if one is able to contrive a specific and artificial conception
of the “ideal beauty” and how it should be represented. The approach where the candidates were evaluated
mainly for their outward characteristics prompted the pageantry to channel a space where women get freely
objectified.

Beauty Pageants as a Mode of Objectification

In a society where beauty maintained to be a golden standard, women who have and able to possess
high physical attractiveness persist to be valued favorably which made overture to the concept of pageantry.
These approached concept resulted into a false impression that there is indeed, an absolute standard which
objectively measured for what beauty looks like in particular (Wilk, 2006). Moreover, it built a role for
beauty pageants in the society where it establishes a compelling set of unrealistic ideals that made the girls
and women absorbed to pursue. Likewise, women are deceived into thinking that there is contentment in
behind these kinds of procession when in reality, they are being exploited for public consumption while
they are too preoccupied with femininity and beauty standards.

Assuming that to achieved the ideal delicacy, women must have the perfect skin and extravagant
figures. Johansson (2008) stated that the beauty and the body of women is one of the considered major
venture in the culture of consumerism, ergo, beauty pageants opened a platform where women get freely
objectified. Instead of being called with their names, they are told to line up with assigned number or the
country they represent. They deliberately practice how to carry a gown and two- piece swimsuit well, with
a perfect smile along the four-inch heels, exactly like a product waiting to be scored. Although the
candidates are judged to showcase their intelligence (focuses on question and answer segment but only on
the latter part of the contest), character (there’s a special award for being friendly), and skills (they could
demonstrate their talents as well) yet the scoring is further concentrated with their physical attributes.

Beauty Pageants are Culturally Specific

Pageantry can be compared to a frame of definite shape that can only comprise a picture that have
been trimmed to fit. According to Wilk (2006), physical features that displays light skin color, confined
nose, wide and large eyes, high prominent cheekbones, adequate shape of lips, narrow hips and round
buttocks, are the acceptable standards for the pageantry. The image that being promoted by this competition
is influence with the adoration of a Westernized Caucasian standard of beauty, yet these standards were
followed regardless of genetic, national, socioeconomic or ethnic traits. In the Philippines for example,
another requirement for a Filipina to join such contests is for her to be tall with a height requirement of
5’5’’ inches (Magdaraog, 2012; Holmberg, 1998) something that is only achievable if she is bi-racial or
multi-racial woman. Being tall is a merely Western characteristic which we are required to meet since they
set the standard of “beauty”.

The contestants are not only judged by their extent of being physically attractive but as well on
their fluency in speaking the English language, since it is used as a medium evidently in these pageants.
Additionally, with the swimsuit competition being an integral part of beauty pageants, other candidates
whose representing their countries cannot conform to the portion as bathed suits are not considered
appropriate in their culture.
Negative Psychological Impact of Beauty Pageants

The reality television show Toddlers and Tiaras (2009-2016) featuring contestants under sixteen
years of age and their early life in pageantry. Although it shows how it easily boosts the kids' confidence,
the competition also let the young girls convinced themselves to maintain the image to look like a perfect
women (using spray tanners and gaudy make-up products). While in the competitions, the parents
encouraged the young girls to go on a crash diet to fit into small dresses which can only further contribute
to the chances of them acquiring an eating disorder later on in life. With the promise of titles and money,
the contest does not only made the kids grew narcistic but as well to be materialistic.

Anorexia nervosa and body dissatisfaction are already growing problems in America, especially
among young girls. Presented by Wonderlich et al (2012), among the females who joined any beauty
pageants, 48 percent longed to be thinner than their currently figure while 57 percent stated that they are on
the process of losing weight, and 26 percent believed to have an eating disorder. Emanating formidable
constraint to women with these kinds of contests reinforcing the attention that they are mainly valued based
on their pulchritude, women and girls are under the pressure to achieve perfection and attractiveness in
order to win. According to the psychological study conducted by Cartwright (2007) the kind of pressure
girls and women feel might consequently resulted into stresses, that may lead to body dissatisfaction and
even eating disorders later on in life.

The Purpose of the Crown

Advocates of these pageantry affirmed that their main objective is to help the young women
develop their self-esteem and build confidence. Hence, spectacle like these competitions are said to be a
celebration of women. It took a lot of hard work and patience to train in order to be an excellent speakers,
to execute charismatic speeches and to properly model the “preservation of femininity”. Example is to
compete for global competitions like Miss Universe or Miss Earth Pageants, they must never been married
nor pregnant, scrutinizing an image that only a “pure woman” are worthy of the title. However, It is only
applicable for those women who meet the pageant’s requirements (certain height and bodily framed) and
particularly the women who are able to meet the level of ‘qualities’ they are looking for.

Pageantry also provides a platform for the candidates to speak their advocacy and be part of the
societal change projects, saying that their beauty doesn’t just end on their physical attributes but goes along
as well to empower the fellow women and to be the voice of the masses. The beauty queen is entitled as
“beauty with a Purpose” or known as the personal advocacy of the crowned queen, to pursue for the
betterment of a lot of people with their high standard of morality. The pageant’s organizers gave the entitled
one a “platform” for their advocacy and yet with underlying responsibility: to not take too much space, and
to speak up only when she’s being prompted to. This was according to the former beauty queen herself,
Miss World Canada Anastasia Lin. She later revealed that the organizers have “banned” her to talked and
speak about any topics related to human rights (which is her official platform) after when she chose to raise
awareness for the human rights violations in China.

The society itself should learn to embrace a more diverse view of beauty, one to look where every
form of beauty is accepted and also celebrated in different aspects with full understanding, hence this would
able to change the perspective of the people about the true concept of beauty and could still provide fairness
and equality to women, instead of sticking to a rigid form of standard. Beauty pageant could become one
of the factor for women to be influential, powerful, and to have a voice to be heard, however the procession
of theses beauty pageantry are outdated, its ideals were provided by the patriarchal system and it openly
exploits women. There is clearly nothing wrong with being confident to your own self, what to avoid is to
criticize the young girls and women, who as well are just victims of these kinds of platform who are
exploiting them.

The pageant culture impede healthy lifestyle. They solely promote a figure with measurement that
passed to their degree. Especially when the young girls take the phase where they are getting conscious
about outer beauty, the pageant culture conditioned them to vision an unhealthy ideal promoting limited
factors that defines beauty- it discourages people who might have born with disabilities and those who are
not confident to their own appearances that might lead to further self- neglect. These kinds of platforms
should celebrate inner beauty, to be empowered by its purpose rather than its popularity. It diverts women’s
attention from bigger priorities- to improve education, skills, career, and competencies. The kinds of contest
that we should recognize are those that acknowledge the critical thinkers, artists, and innovators.

To define beauty is relative and personal, it’s incomparable. Let there be a society where women
could pride how they look- where the most important validation women will ever seek will come from
themselves.