Political Beauty.... what a phrase. While MOST pageants are based on beauty there are at least two that are not. The Junior Miss Pageants and The Miss America Pageants. These both are based upon scholastic merit. Having been involved with the lower sides of both of these pageants (meaning the local type) I know what it takes to get there and be the winner. For the Junior Miss pageant you are required to hold and maintain at least a 2.5 GPA. Now that doesn't sound to extremely difficult right? WRONG they also expect you to be involved in extracurriculars such as sports, dance, music, etc. Then Be able to meet and be involved with all the things for JM weekly. It is tough work. The Miss America Pageant, requires a GPA of 3.0. Plus A platform and all of everything else. You must be smart. This is where the Political part comes in. You have to be able to hand yourself in any given situation with grace and dignity. you must be a Political Beauty.
This Whole week all that has been heard has been about Miss California. Whether it be about her strength and ability to express her own mind or those oh so discreet pictures. This Article I found in the Wall Street Journal. The link is given if needed....
This Whole week all that has been heard has been about Miss California. Whether it be about her strength and ability to express her own mind or those oh so discreet pictures. This Article I found in the Wall Street Journal. The link is given if needed....
Pretty on the Inside?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124234821253621995.html
By BARI WEISS
In Riyadh this week, 200 young Muslim women began a 10-week quest to be crowned Saudi Arabia's official beauty queen. To most Americans, "Miss Beautiful Morals," as the contest is called, wouldn't even qualify as a beauty pageant: Gone is the bikini competition -- these beauties will wear black abayas. They will compete instead to show their "commitment to Islamic morals," like respect for their parents. Pageant founder Khadra al-Mubarak was happy to distinguish her contest from similar events in the West: "It's an alternative to the calls for decadence in the other beauty contests that only take into account a woman's body and looks," she told the Associated Press.
It's true that most viewers of the Miss America and Miss USA pageants are not judging contestants by the content of their character, to borrow a phrase. But is Ms. al-Mubarak right to say that our contests are "only" about looks?
Witness the past weeks' scandal over Carrie Prejean. Ms. Prejean, who was crowned Miss California 2009, competed in the Miss USA pageant in April. When asked by one of the judges whether gay marriage should be legalized, she replied that she thought marriage ought to be "between a man and a woman." No sooner had James Dobson embraced the "courageous" Ms. Prejean than partially nude photos of her surfaced on the Web. Officials threatened to take away her Miss California crown, but Donald Trump, the pageant's owner, came to her defense. All of which is a reminder that, even in American beauty contests, more than beauty counts.
Getty Images
Margaret Gorman, Miss America 1921.
In the beginning, American pageants were just about looks. Miss United States, a precursor to Miss America, took place in 1880 at Rehoboth Beach, with Thomas Edison as one of the judges. The organizers insisted that women stand at least 5 feet 4 inches and weigh no more than 130 pounds. They also had to be unmarried (a rule that persists today). The publicity that contestants received helped them start careers in modeling, vaudeville or Hollywood. But World War II transformed the nature of the pageant. Miss America 1943, Jean Bartel, used her position to rally the country in support of the war. She sold more Series E war bonds than any other American.
In 1945, Miss America began awarding the winner scholarship money for college. In 1951, the contest further solidified its interest in character -- and lost some fans -- when Miss America Yolande Betbeze declared that she was "not a pinup" and refused to pose in a swimsuit. Though the pageant supported her choice, Catalina, the bathing-suit brand, promptly dropped its sponsorship of Miss America and founded the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.
Today, while the latter two have remained largely superficial events, Miss America expects its contestants to be "role models" and women of "outstanding character," says Art McMaster, the pageant's chief executive and president. He is quick to note that, unlike other pageants, Miss America is a scholarship program, not a beauty contest. Last year, the pageant helped tens of thousands of contestants at various levels of competition earn $48 million in order to defray the cost of college or pay off educational loans. Mr. McMaster describes the contestants as "wholesome, all-American kids next-door," with a "good moral standard."
But if the contest is all about character and scholarship, then why the bikinis? Mr. McMaster says that the swimsuit part of the pageant is a "tradition" and tells me that they've "minimized the scoring of it." How a contestant looks in a swimsuit now "only counts for 15%."
And maybe he's not just making excuses. Sure, many feminists have long argued that beauty pageants are just a step above cattle auctions. But beauty queens do what lots of women have always done -- use their looks to help get what they want. Oprah Winfrey, Sarah Palin and Diane Sawyer are all former pageant girls. Roxana Saberi, the Iranian-American journalist freed earlier this week in Tehran, was once Miss North Dakota. Miss America 2005, Deidre Downs, says that she started in the pageants to pay for college. During a short break from her surgery rotation at the University of Alabama medical school, she tells me that she expects her Miss America winnings to pay for her to become a doctor too.
Nazanin Afshin-Jam, an Iranian-Canadian human-rights activist, decided to try a pageant when she noticed "that people were listening more to sports stars and celebrities than they were to politicians. I thought, well how do I get a title for myself?" The former Miss Canada and Miss World first runner-up has used her fame to advocate for causes like ending child executions in Iran.
"If you have proportional dimensions to your physique and you can do something good with it," Ms. Afshin-Jam says, "I don't see what's wrong with that." Would that women could have the same choice Riyadhin.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124234821253621995.html
By BARI WEISS
In Riyadh this week, 200 young Muslim women began a 10-week quest to be crowned Saudi Arabia's official beauty queen. To most Americans, "Miss Beautiful Morals," as the contest is called, wouldn't even qualify as a beauty pageant: Gone is the bikini competition -- these beauties will wear black abayas. They will compete instead to show their "commitment to Islamic morals," like respect for their parents. Pageant founder Khadra al-Mubarak was happy to distinguish her contest from similar events in the West: "It's an alternative to the calls for decadence in the other beauty contests that only take into account a woman's body and looks," she told the Associated Press.
It's true that most viewers of the Miss America and Miss USA pageants are not judging contestants by the content of their character, to borrow a phrase. But is Ms. al-Mubarak right to say that our contests are "only" about looks?
Witness the past weeks' scandal over Carrie Prejean. Ms. Prejean, who was crowned Miss California 2009, competed in the Miss USA pageant in April. When asked by one of the judges whether gay marriage should be legalized, she replied that she thought marriage ought to be "between a man and a woman." No sooner had James Dobson embraced the "courageous" Ms. Prejean than partially nude photos of her surfaced on the Web. Officials threatened to take away her Miss California crown, but Donald Trump, the pageant's owner, came to her defense. All of which is a reminder that, even in American beauty contests, more than beauty counts.
Getty Images
Margaret Gorman, Miss America 1921.
In the beginning, American pageants were just about looks. Miss United States, a precursor to Miss America, took place in 1880 at Rehoboth Beach, with Thomas Edison as one of the judges. The organizers insisted that women stand at least 5 feet 4 inches and weigh no more than 130 pounds. They also had to be unmarried (a rule that persists today). The publicity that contestants received helped them start careers in modeling, vaudeville or Hollywood. But World War II transformed the nature of the pageant. Miss America 1943, Jean Bartel, used her position to rally the country in support of the war. She sold more Series E war bonds than any other American.
In 1945, Miss America began awarding the winner scholarship money for college. In 1951, the contest further solidified its interest in character -- and lost some fans -- when Miss America Yolande Betbeze declared that she was "not a pinup" and refused to pose in a swimsuit. Though the pageant supported her choice, Catalina, the bathing-suit brand, promptly dropped its sponsorship of Miss America and founded the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.
Today, while the latter two have remained largely superficial events, Miss America expects its contestants to be "role models" and women of "outstanding character," says Art McMaster, the pageant's chief executive and president. He is quick to note that, unlike other pageants, Miss America is a scholarship program, not a beauty contest. Last year, the pageant helped tens of thousands of contestants at various levels of competition earn $48 million in order to defray the cost of college or pay off educational loans. Mr. McMaster describes the contestants as "wholesome, all-American kids next-door," with a "good moral standard."
But if the contest is all about character and scholarship, then why the bikinis? Mr. McMaster says that the swimsuit part of the pageant is a "tradition" and tells me that they've "minimized the scoring of it." How a contestant looks in a swimsuit now "only counts for 15%."
And maybe he's not just making excuses. Sure, many feminists have long argued that beauty pageants are just a step above cattle auctions. But beauty queens do what lots of women have always done -- use their looks to help get what they want. Oprah Winfrey, Sarah Palin and Diane Sawyer are all former pageant girls. Roxana Saberi, the Iranian-American journalist freed earlier this week in Tehran, was once Miss North Dakota. Miss America 2005, Deidre Downs, says that she started in the pageants to pay for college. During a short break from her surgery rotation at the University of Alabama medical school, she tells me that she expects her Miss America winnings to pay for her to become a doctor too.
Nazanin Afshin-Jam, an Iranian-Canadian human-rights activist, decided to try a pageant when she noticed "that people were listening more to sports stars and celebrities than they were to politicians. I thought, well how do I get a title for myself?" The former Miss Canada and Miss World first runner-up has used her fame to advocate for causes like ending child executions in Iran.
"If you have proportional dimensions to your physique and you can do something good with it," Ms. Afshin-Jam says, "I don't see what's wrong with that." Would that women could have the same choice Riyadhin.
See??? Now I also have the Judge tally scores from the Miss America Pageant .
Miss America is both a business and a culturally specific brand that transcends being just a beauty pageant. Miss America herself is a critical member of the Miss America Organization marketing team and works to advance the business of scholarship and community service for women. The Miss America judging system distinguishes Miss America via a form of Olympic scoring where each contestant competes against ONLY herself.
Preliminary Competitions Scoring
The Miss America Preliminary Competitions and their weighted score values are:
Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit - 15%
Evening Wear - 20%
Talent - 35%
Private Interview - 25%
On-Stage Question – 5%
Finals Competition Scoring
The scoring for the Miss America Finals Competition is weighted accordingly:
Composite Score - 30% (Top 16)
Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit - 20% (Top 16)
Evening Wear - 20% (Top 10)
Talent - 30% (Top 8)
On-Stage Question (Top 8)
Final Ballot – Each judge ranks the top 5 contestants in the order he/she believes they should each finish. The outcome of the pageant is based solely on the point totals resulting from the final ballot.
This is a Scholarship oportunity. I feel like this program proves that women can be anything. Smart talented and Beautiful!! Let the girls make Political statments. If they are Smart Enough to be there then they SHOULD be Smart Enough to hold their own. I am WOMAN....Hear me ROAR!!! I am not Just Something to look at nor am I just here to clean up after you.... I can do anything and everything I put my mind to. I am SMART! I am TALENTED! I am BEAUTIFUL!
So Every woman listening (reading) Stand up be a POLITICAL BEAUTY.... feel free to state your opinions and live your life. Do not let the world control who you are nor let it shape your opinons away from their own. Fight for what you believe in and take what is thrown back at you with your head held high and shoulders square.
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Interesting reading. I'm not sure how I feel about American pageants (scholarship or otherwise), and I like the concept behind the "Miss Beautiful Morals" pageant, but I'm not sure that it's fair to judge someone purely on their morals or purely by their beauty. Too bad there's not more balance to be found, whether here, in Saudi Arabia, or in the rest of the world.
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