Beauty Pageants

[Totus Tuus]

I just had an argument with my father that I never expected to have. He was trying to justify the swimsuit portion of womens' beauty pageants and said that he believes that if God gives women a beautiful body it is a [i]good [/i]thing to show that off. This is complete BS in my opinion. He also believes that most of the judges are women and that the decision is made based on talent. More BS imo.

I know this is like Theology 101, but I used up EVERY reason I could muster to try and tell him why it is contrary to a woman's dignity to line her up next to other women and be judged based on how much cellulite is in her butt cheeks.

I told him that I believe these pageants have been sexualized and that the winner is the most titillating contestant, not the most objectively beautiful one according to classical standards of beauty.

Please help me with more reasons. I think he had been drinking when we had this conversation but I am really just floored that he had the balls to make his argument in favor of swimsuit contests with his own daughter.

[Tally Marx]

The point I typically make is this:
Is it modest, dignified, or appropriate for women to walk around in their underwear?
If no....then why do we think so when the "underwear" is called a "bathing suit"? As for what they cover, the two are exactly the same (I doubt those models are up there in a one piece!). So, if one is objectifying, so is the other. Even in a pageant.

And there is no talent in walking around in a bathing suit.

[Nihil Obstat]

Did you approach it from the female, or male perspective?

[Papist]

Your dad is correct. That IS the way it is. How you see it IS how it should be.

[Totus Tuus]

[quote name='Papist' timestamp='1346551763' post='2477417']
Your dad is correct. That IS the way it is. How you see it IS how it should be.
[/quote]

rephrase? i'm not following what you said.

[Papist]

[quote name='Totus Tuus' timestamp='1346558405' post='2477482']
rephrase? i'm not following what you said.
[/quote]
The way the pageants are run and viewed by our society/culture is as what your dad's view is. So in that sense, he is correct. Your view is how pageants should be, which is the correct way it should be(IMO).

[Totus Tuus]

[quote name='Papist' timestamp='1346587722' post='2477562']
The way the pageants are run and viewed by our society/culture is as what your dad's view is. So in that sense, he is correct. Your view is how pageants should be, which is the correct way it should be(IMO).
[/quote]

My dad believes that they are judged based on the women's talent (dancing, singing, whatever). I do not think that is true.

[Papist]

[quote name='Totus Tuus' timestamp='1346591265' post='2477570']
My dad believes that they are judged based on the women's talent (dancing, singing, whatever). I do not think that is true.
[/quote]
Not solely. Depends if they want world peace. Really, do we truly know the reasons the judges select who they do.

[PhuturePriest]

Beauty pageants make my ears burn. They are simply terrible and are based solely off who is the hottest. Society is interesting in how it can take the most beautiful women in the world and make them feel like they are ugly. Have you ever seen the stupid show about the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders? They are absolutely beautiful, but when you hear the judges they make them sound like ugly goat women from hell. "You're too fat, you're too skinny, you're too fat AND too skinny!", etc, etc. Nothing pleases our society when it comes to the beauty of women, and society can never decide on the definition of what a beautiful woman really is. Beauty pageants are simply everything bad in society molded into one big vanity contest.

[emmaberry]

Adult beauty pageants can definitely be that way. When the girls are younger though, they can build confidence and boost self-esteem (as long as there is not a crazy pageant mom forcing the child to be in pageants!) Some people do have charismatic 'bubbly' personalities, and this shows through in pageants.

When the 'higher up' pageants start though, the girls are basically judged on hotness and political correctness. Remember that girl who told Perez Hilton that marriage was meant for a man and a woman? There was no way she was winning that pageant.

Edited September 2, 2012 by emmaberry

[tinytherese]

[quote name='emmaberry' timestamp='1346612104' post='2477630']
Adult beauty pageants can definitely be that way. When the girls are younger though, they can build confidence and boost self-esteem (as long as there is not a crazy pageant mom forcing the child to be in pageants!) Some people do have charismatic 'bubbly' personalities, and this shows through in pageants.
[/quote]

The show Toddlers in Tiaras shows lots of spoiled little girls.

[Totus Tuus]

[quote name='Papist' timestamp='1346601251' post='2477588']
Not solely. Depends if they want world peace. Really, do we truly know the reasons the judges select who they do.
[/quote]

I really do think the judging is based on physical hotness, and as someone else mentioned, political correctness.

[missionseeker]

If it is based on talent, etc., why is it necessary for women to line up almost naked to be judged on how good they look in a swimsuit? Does that really affect how anyone perceives talent??