Pros and Cons - Debbie Newman, Ben Woolgar 2014

Beauty contests, banning of
Section F. Culture, education and sport

Beauty contests and pageants exist across the world, with the largest and most famous example being Miss World. There are also many local, national and niche contests and a large community of teen, child and even baby beauty pageants. A debate can be had about all beauty contests, and there is also an interesting debate to be had concerning other events which include children.

Pros

[1] The existence of beauty pageants is bad for women because of its contribution to the pressure to conform to one idealised view of beauty. Pageant queens are almost always slim and busty. Caucasian women are usually deeply tanned; Asian women are often lighter skinned than average. Labelling and celebrating this as ’beauty’ leads to a feeling of inadequacy in many women. It adds to the increasing trends for cosmetic surgery, sun beds and eating disorders, as women find that they cannot be happy as themselves. Society should celebrate healthier values such as ’beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ and ’beauty is only skin deep’.

[2] Beauty pageants are also bad for women because of the perceptions of women that they propagate in society. In the twenty-first century, women in much of the world have achieved legally protected gender equality and wish to be taken seriously in business and politics. Deciding on who should be Miss World by asking contestants to parade around in swimsuits while men judge their legs, creates a perception that women are valued in the bedroom and not the boardroom — that they are defined by their looks and not their intellect or personality. This is a damaging message to send to society and young girls and boys in particular.

[3] Beauty pageants are demeaning and can be dangerous for the participants. Where is the dignity in being assessed like a prize animal? The pressure on contestants is huge and there is a high risk of eating disorders. In contests involving young girls, contestants may have been forced into the pageants by pushy parents.

[4] Beauty pageants are culturally insensitive. While many Western women are offended by the swimsuit parade, the reaction in other parts of the world can be more extreme. In 2002, Miss World had to leave Nigeria because of the riots it sparked. There is also an element of cultural imperialism as, although women from around the world do win the title, the ideals of beauty that they conform to were formed in the West.

[5] Beauty pageants are unique in celebrating beauty alone and also in quantifying and judging it. Modelling is about the clothes; music stars and actresses are celebrated for their creative skills. These industries do not try to define beauty and, in fact, many alternative-looking women are successful. That is why beauty pageants are particularly pernicious.

[6] Beauty queens are poor role models. It is true that many of them are educated, successful and have lots of hobbies and great personalities. So why are they allowing themselves to be objectified in this way?

Cons

[1] Beauty pageants reflect the ideals of beauty in society, they do not create it. Women are bombarded by images of beauty all the time and the pressure that exists comes from the media and their peers.

[2] Both men and women can be judged on many criteria and in many spheres. There are competitions which, for example, judge women’s writing (the Women’s Prize for Fiction), there are lists such as the Forbes list of the most powerful women, and there are many women’s sporting events. Beauty pageants celebrate one aspect, the physical, but they are balanced by many other views of women. It is as valid to judge the physical as it is to judge other attributes. This is also true of men, as male equivalents such as Mr Universe exist alongside many other ways of rating masculine talents.

[3] Nobody is forced into entering a beauty pageant. The contestants should be allowed the freedom of choice to compete. Many women enjoy beauty pageants and the preparation for them and see them as fun. No third parties are harmed, and so the government should not intervene to limit liberty in this way. In the case of minors, parents should have the responsibility to make the choice along with their children, as they are trusted to make much bigger decisions.

[4] No country is forced into entering Miss World or holding local pageants, but many do so and are proud of the women who represent them. Tolerance and inclusivity are promoted through the contest as women of different races, religions and nationalities stand together equally.Women from across the globe have won Miss World, promoting the idea that beauty can come in different shapes and colours.

[5] It is unfair to target beauty pageants in this way. Advertising, modelling, music videos and film are showing increasingly provocative images of ’perfect’ women. Magazines airbrush their photos; beauty queens are real women. Dancers in music videos are sexualised in their swimsuits; beauty queens are demure.

[6] Beauty queens are good role models who use their titles to promote good work. Many are ambassadors for good causes and raise large sums for charity. Contestants are interviewed and they show a wide variety of interests, levels of education and personality, illustrating that they are more than ’just a pretty face’.

Possible motions

This House would cancel Miss World.

This House would ban beauty pageants.

This House believes that beauty should not be judged.

This House would ban child beauty pageants.

Related topics

Size zero models, banning of

Cosmetic surgery, banning of

Pornography

Prostitution, legalisation of