The Miss Minnesota pageant includes a young woman with Down Syndrome.
http://www.startribune.com/first-woman-with-down-syndrome-to-compete-in-miss-minnesota-usa-pageant/420145783/
“When Mikayla Holmgren applied for the Miss Minnesota USA pageant, she submitted a lengthy résumé that highlighted her past pageant experience, her status as a triple-threat athlete and her work as a mentor for other young women like her…”
Doesn’t she sound like a wonderful person?
While I generally think that beauty pageants are disgusting, objectifying, ridiculous propagations of the worst ideas possible about women…at least this one is inclusive.
That said…given that the whole gist of these creepy shows is to judge “physical perfection” (or at least have that component figuring in hugely)…it will be very interesting to see how this turns out. (there’s a reason they’re called beauty pageants and not nicest-smartest-most talented-bravest-girl-in-the-world pageants)
I’m guessing it will be a real mess with half the people being furious if she doesn’t win with a resume like that, and half the people being furious if she does win because the contest is supposed to be primarily superficial.
Here’s my prediction: They’ll place her in the top ten for the good PR, but won’t let her win. In short…they’ll use her. I hope she at least gets some kind of monetary award for all the free press she’s getting them.
These events are obscene and are long overdue to be stuffed in the drawer of historical antiquity.
All this is just my opinion, of course…I’m sure other’s vary.
But to answer your question, Snowball…yes, Mikayla seems like a wonderful girl. Very sweet, very dear, like most people affected by Downs.
I wish her mother had the sense not to let them exploit her or put her in that negative environment.
To clarify, I wish ALL mothers had the sense not to let any young girl participate in these events…regardless of their developmental ability/disability.
@MaryGJ - I live in MN and I watched this touching story on the Star Trib website. The girl’s mom said her “past pageant,” experience was with “Miss Amazing.” It’s not a beauty pageant, https://missamazing.org/
Mikayla was an amazingly talented and poised young lady, and the interview with her Mom showed that she’s achieved all that she has because her parents treating her like any other “kid.” She said that they did not let her down syndrome stop Mikayla from doing anything she wants to try. She’s currently a student at Bethel College. and it was her idea to apply for the Miss Minnesota Pageant. Good luck, Mikayla!!
Thanks for sharing, @Snowball City!
I wonder if in states like Minnesota where pageants are less popular it will be possible to begin the pushback to the standard contestant look. My feeling is that Mikayla and Halima Aden were competing mostly as a way to build confidence and acceptance for other girls/women in their communities and to defy stereotypes. It is not my way but I don’t think it is a bad way.
Here is information about the woman who competed in a hajib in 2016:
http://www.today.com/style/halima-aden-wears-hijab-burkini-miss-minnesota-usa-pageant-t105491
"…Still, she felt the potential to effect change was more important. “Representation is a privilege,” she said. "Most images of Muslim woman are attached to victimhood … I never see positive representation, the way I see other women being celebrated.
“I wanted to challenge those definitions of beauty,” she continued. “It can be blonde hair and blue eyes, but it can also be something different…”
I follow the line of thought about wanting to promote acceptance and inclusion…but at the end of the day, we’re still walking human beings across a stage and primarily ranking them by what their bodies look like. To me? That utterly defeats the purpose, and in fact, contributes to the problem of stereotyping and objectification. It creates acceptance of women being regarded as objects valued primarily for their looks (with other attributes, second).
Again…just my feeling. I know there are people who like this crap. For the life of me, I can’t understand why. France has just introduced legislation to make it illegal to do this to children under 16, citing it as child abuse.