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Representation of gender issues in Media
What is the purpose of beauty pageants
Representation of gender issues in Media
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“She represents the type of womanhood America needs, strong, red-blooded, able to shoulder the responsibilities of homemaking and motherhood. It is in her type that the hope of the country rests” (Martin & Watson, 2004, p.3). This was Samuel Gompers sharing his thoughts about the very first “Miss America”, Margaret Gorman. The Miss America Pageant was established in the most fitting of all decades: the 1920s. During a time when women were just starting to experience newfound independence and rights, the Miss America Pageant strengthened the idea that women had more freedom to express themselves. The competition began as a simple tourist attraction, but the fact that the Miss America Pageant survived throughout the decades exemplifies that the competition was so much more.
In the year 1921, Conrad Eckhold, the owner of Atlantic City’s Monticello Hotel was looking for a way to keep tourists in town past Labor Day. After discussing the tourist problem with other Atlantic City business owners, the idea of a “Fall Frolic” was created. The Fall Frolic included a two-day competition to be called “Atlantic City’s Inter-City Beauty Pageant”, in years after it would be known as the “Miss America Pageant” (Miss America, 2/20/2011).
To become a contestant, women across the country entered themselves into popularity contests that featured their pictures in the newspapers. Editors of the paper then chose winners based on physical appearance. The winners were then given a free trip to Atlantic City where they were placed in the Inter-City Beauty Pageant (Bivans, 1991).
The “Fall Frolic” began with “King Neptune”, a man named Hudson Maxim, who wore a crown, seaweed robe, and long white beard. King Neptune announced the competitors and partici...
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...ever, bad press was bound to come about. Younger girls were often spared criticism, being seen as young and fun-loving. The elder competitors, though, were greatly disapproved of because of the indecency of the pageant (Carter, 1977; Deford, 1971)
The Miss America Pageant was a wake-up call for people everywhere. The roles of women were changing, and there was little anyone could do to stop it. New attitudes were showcased in the pageant by young women who were well-educated and ready to take on the world. They inspired people and showed America a different kind of woman, one who was proud of her looks, personality, and intelligence. Not everyone supported the pageant though, and those who did not made their opinions known. The competition had its fair share of scandals as well, but good or bad the Miss America Pageant has enthralled audiences long past the 1920s.
Kennedy, David M., et. al. The American Pageant; A History of the American People. 14th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2006.
Kennedy, David, Cohen, Lizabeth and Bailey, Thomas. “The American Pageant Volume II: Since 1865.” Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006.
Kennedy, David M., et al. The American Pageant: A History of the Republic. 12th ed. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Print.
Bailey Thomas A., Kennedy David M, The American Pageant: A History of the Republic 10th ed , Lexington, Massachusetts, D.C. Heath and Company,1994.
Until the death of 6-year-old beauty queen Jonbenet Ramsey, the child pageant circuit was never fully recognized on a national scale. In the past 17 years, many shows have attempted to give the country a glimpse into the the life of a child beauty queen, however, they are quite over dramatic. Although some sources of media may mislead a viewer to believe the child pageant system is exploitive and sexualizes the young contestants, research shows the decisions of some parents are truly to blame, not the pageants themselves.
In the year of 1880 a spontaneous event took place which piqued the interest of young woman and girls in competing in a competition which was solely made up upon having good looks; this competition is called a beauty pageant. Approximately 700,000 pageants take place a year all over the world, but the first pageant ever originated in Delaware in the United States. Although pageants claim to be an event which promises to help bring world peace, they are actually a very costly event which showcases young children in inappropriate clothing, acting much older than their age. To add to all of the negativities, mothers of these pageant beauties are manipulatively living their childhood dreams through their own child. Because beauty pageants can be detrimental to a young child’s physical and emotional psyche, they should be banned for children under the age of 12.
In this 21st century, it is not odd to see beauty pageant competitions all around the world. Atlantic City was the first to introduce beauty pageant in the 1920s. The world of pageantry was introduced when the business owner need a source of attraction for tourists after Labor Day. This business started with swimming suit competition and later added as the years passed by. In the 1950s, pageantry became famous when it was aired on television. However, in the 1970s, this competition received negative press due to the Feminist Act. The age limit for beauty pageant range from 0 to 18 and this has been going on for over 50 years (Williams, 2010).
Schultz, Kristen, and Ann Pleshette Murphy. "Beauty Pageants Draw Children and Criticism." ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.
In the 1920’s, when beauty pageants began, the main reason for these pageants was to gain tourists. At the time, Atlantic City, New Jersey, was a popular tourist resort. To bring in more business to the city, they came up with the idea of a Fall Pageant. The city got sponsors to represent these young women, and a panel of judges would decide on the most beautiful bathing beauty in America (Alter 2). Since these times, beauty pageants have grown to be a huge part of today’s society. Child beauty pagean...
Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas A. Bailey. The American Pageant, 14e. Boston: Wadsworth, 2010. Print.
Besides the attractive women in half-naked outfits, what does the Miss America Beauty Pageant really represent? This pageant lowers the self-esteem of women who don’t feel like they meet the standards of what society thinks is a beautiful woman. The pageant alone requires contestants to spend a huge amount of money. The message that this pageant is sending is that all women should compete against each other. The Miss America pageant gains millions of viewers, but people fail to notice the population of women who are not happy with themselves. This pageant has many issues regarding women’s image and the definition of beauty that people need to pay attention to.
Even though during this time Miss America Corporation had tried to changed their idea of pageants to be more of a prestigious and empowering competition, they still created false hope. The hope that one day a young girl: a daughter, a friend or relative would amount to Miss America; however kept families watching. Popular culture wanted people to t...
Works CitedMcLellan, Lizzy. "New Pageant Focuses on Inner Beauty." Frederick News-Post, The (MD) 18 June 2013: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
“Origin of beauty pageants was traced back from ancient European custom of choosing symbolic kings and queens for Mayday festivities.” (Sones). Before beauty pageants received less attention in the society but not until in 1991 when it captures almost everyone's attention. “Beauty pageants became more prominent in the society in 1921 when a hotel owner started a contest to attract tourist in town past Labor Day. The winner of that contest was the called Miss America.” (Beirnet). Since then major beauty pageants were born; Miss World (1951), Miss Universe (1952), Miss International (1960), and Miss Earth (2001).
Over the years, beauty pageants have proven to be detrimental to the physical and mental health of their participants. From crushing a child’s self-esteem after losing a pageant, to poor diets and lack or rest. And the hidden physical dangers of sexulization of a child to put on a show for potential sex- offenders lurking in the audience.