<p>I am impressed with the talents of many contestants.</p>
<p>I am not impressed with the swimming suit design.</p>
<p>I didn’t even know this event was still televised. </p>
<p>Some of the contestants are much better looking this year. But I did tell my husband to switch it off and put on my favorite CD. I didn’t see the swimsuit competition.</p>
<p>My bad. I did not put the event name correctly. It should be Miss USA.</p>
<p>Oh, I thought it’s was America and thought they were unusually good looking for Miss America. Thanks for the correction. I know Miss America put more emphasis on talent.</p>
<p>They were asked tough questions: Is American people too narcissistic? Is college degree necessary? Attitude towards rape on campuses? Opinion on Bergdahl swap? What should you tell our political leaders?</p>
<p>And yet they were still required to parade around in bikinis. Why exactly is that necessary?</p>
<p>Miss America is rhe oldest, and it’s a scholarship competition, so the contestants tend to be in college. Miss USA and Miss Universe were started by swimsuit companies and tend to be more glitzy (and maybe ditzy?).</p>
<p>Anyway, I’m so excited because I just found out that a friend - alumna of our high school and our robotics team, currently studying biology at UH (pre-vet), a smart, beautiful, poised, and talented young woman - just won the Miss Hawaii competition! She’ll be competing in Miss America in September. Her platform is improving STEM education. I’m sure the scholarships she’s won will help with vet school!</p>
<p>I’m so happy and excited for her. Haven’t watched a pageant in years, but I know what I’ll be doing next September.</p>
<p>I haven’t watched a pageant in years. When I was growing up everyone I knew watched.</p>
<p>What bathing suits? Each one had about 1/16th of a yard of fabric…if that.</p>
<p>True, thumper.</p>
<p>Sweetbeat, I still don’t understand why these women need to display their bodies for scholarship money. </p>
<p>I did not know about the difference between the two contests until I saw Mommaj’s post last night. I did not watch them often. I probably watched once or twice in a decade.</p>
<p>Some people praise Miss America over Miss USA because Miss America is a college scholarship contest. I understand the business aspect of Miss USA. But I don’t understand why scholarship is awarded on women beauty in Miss America? Is this a form of sexism in education?</p>
<p>I don’t mind them but “beauty pageant” does seem to be a tired idea these days. I haven’t watched one in years (no interest since my home state woman made it past the first round only one time that I can recall, LOL). I have much more interest in those festival queens of days of yore, like Ms. Gilroy Garlic, Ms. Sugar Beet, Ms. Apple Blossom, etc.</p>
<p>Was it on last night? I didn’t know that, not that I would have watched anyway. Everyone I know, including the ten people in my family room, was watching the Tonys. </p>
<p>Not a fan of pageants.</p>
<p>I have mixed feelings about pageants but mostly because of the parents not the kids and that’s from the bad examples we see and hear about. </p>
<p>Many girls use these as ways to advance. E.g., one of our local newsreaders is a former Miss Missouri. There was a time when she’d be considered fluff for her pageant history but I think that’s largely gone now. If anything, it seems to open more doors now than when the pageants were a bigger deal.</p>
<p>Another oddity of the times is the girls now seem more accomplished. Maybe that’s marketing but there’s so much video now where before it was answering one question on air and you’d never otherwise hear them speak. When I flipped past the pageant last night, Miss PA was talking about how she was raised in “a non-traditional family”, meaning her mother was raped and almost murdered and she’s the result. She presented her life in such a positive way. </p>
<p>As for the bathing suits, they have to show poise wearing very little and without being obviously sexy. I thought the old suits were silly; they didn’t look like what young women were wearing and were nods to modesty from the 1950’s and before. </p>
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<p>No, they have to show modeling experience while wearing 8 square inches of fabric. While that is an accomplishment of sorts, I don’t see how it’s relevant to academic talent, personal character, or any other trait besides physical beauty. If Miss PA had bad teeth or frizzy hair, would her story been as compelling? </p>
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Is that necessarily a problem, though? Displaying your physical beauty? If you showing you brains, your inner beauty, why not show the outside beauty, as well? Does it need to be in tiny swimsuits? Not necessarily so, but I don’t find anything wrong with showcasing physical beauty when couple with other traits like described above. </p>
<p>" If Miss PA had bad teeth or frizzy hair, would her story been as compelling?"</p>
<p>No. No-ones would be. Who aspires to bad teeth and frizzy hair? Beauty is an asset. If she’s smart, talented, and poised, and well-spoken that’s great, too.</p>
<p>Niquii, of course physical beauty isn’t a problem. It’s a wonderful thing. Just let’s not pretend that these pageants are anything but beauty contests. </p>
<p>But something funny when you see this quote: “Mekayla Diehl, the Miss USA contestant drawing national attention and praise for being a “normal” size” and learn that’s size 4. </p>