Should beauty contests be banned? - Another G.P topic....

Beauty contests are almost ubiquitous; you can find them taking place everywhere from your local neighbourhood to global capitals. They range from dog contests to human beauty contests - there are even beauty contests for cows! In fact, these contests have become so integrated in our lives that we just can not escape them. But here begs the question: should these contests be banned completely or allowed to further permeate our society?

There are many arguments in favour of banning such contest with many critics citing the poor ethics involved. The most controversial of beauty contests are those with which we can identify and relate to: human beauty contests - more specifically female beauty contests. Human beauty contest have a negative effect upon everyone - parents, siblings, kids and both men and women. Consider a local baby beauty contest - parents attempt to “beautify” their children by adorning them with all kinds of assortments. They do this because of peer pressure; their co-workers, friends and neighbours will all be there participating in the contest - each trying to win the contest. During this frenzy people often forget about the natural beauty that all kids possess. Once the contest is over and the winners announced and the losers left longing then further objectification and demoralisation set in for the “losers”. As for the lucky few who won - their egos become inflated and their tones arrogant. So, in effect, everyone is negatively impacted apart from the judges!

Another ethical question mark arises as a result of the intensive conditions that female models must go through. Girls as young as 9 years give up their educational careers to go “train” to become “beautiful“. Their diet is controlled; their way of walking is controlled; their facial expressions are controlled and basically their whole lives are controlled - not by their loving parents but by professional managers with questionable work ethics and a belief that the end meets the means. Little girls are left at the mercy of these almost inhuman beings. Comparing these controlled “future beauty queens” with other normal kids with normal childhoods - one begins to think whether beauty contests are worth the hassle. Girls at these beauty training centres, a term paradoxical in itself in the sense that beauty can not be “taught”, are allowing themselves to become objects. This is dehumanising in the very most demeaning manner; yet, they continue to train because of the enormous sums of money to be made “if” one succeeds. That, however, is a big “if” and many girls around the world live miserable lives because of this “if”.

(the beauty bashing ends here, lol)

Yet there are still many benefits to these contest and there are some stories of success to be shared. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the incumbent governor of California, used to be a male model back in the 1990s. He went on to become a Hollywood sensation and from there began his political career as the governor of California. Sarah Palin, a former vice presidential candidate, was also a beauty contestant who had previously won at the state of Alaska beauty contest. We also have the example of former Miss World Aishwareiya Rai who continues to inspire the youth and give voice to women rights issues across the globe. There is also a “Miss Earth” who brings to light the pressing environmental issues facing humankind.

However, these examples are few and far between and can never act as a substitute for the trauma many families endure or the lost childhoods of little girls. The negative aspects of beauty contest far outweigh the almost meaningless “benefits” of symbolic acts and verbs. These symbolic gestures are touching but nothing but a clever stratagem employed to hide the true ugly face of such contests and lend credibility to the industry. Hence I conclude, in the best interest of humankind, that we should ban beauty contests all-together or radically change the criterion of such multi-million contests.