The Controversy Over The Standards Of Beauty Pageants

If beauty is more than skin deep, why are women still being judged by their appearance rather than their abilities? Even after the emergence of feminism, women are still being degraded to nothing more than just mere objects. In fact, beauty pageants, which many deem to be a sport, are the platform for women to be exploited by men and even women alike all over the globe.

First and foremost, the concept of beauty of a woman is biased. We are all living in a society that exist a look-based culture in which women are being scrutinized and subjected to mockery if they do not possess the qualities of a biased definition of beautiful. The standards of beauty are constantly shifting over time; what was once favoured on a women’s body decades ago have changed drastically now. For instance, women with a full-bodied, curvy figure, or popularly known as the “hour glass figure”, was once the envy of other women. However, women with a curvaceous

While it is true that beauty pageants have some intellectual components such as the talent show and the interview session, there is no doubt in the fact that external beauty is the deciding factor for a contestant to be crowned with the title. Beauty pageants seem to reinforce the notion that women, no matter how accomplished they are, would be given less attention if they did not come in a pretty package. For instance, the main highlight of pageant shows is the swimsuit and costume category, where contestants parade around the stage while flaunting their figures in scantily clad swimwear and cultural costumes. Rather than boosting their confidence, such competition only emphasizes on the female body and the obsession of having what is considered to be a beautiful body. Above all, intelligence is given little attention as is considered as a secondary component, as the Q&A session is as short as a