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Is the Miss America/USA Pageant an outdated sexist relic?

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  • Whovian
    2015-05-02 07:09:14 AM
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    Every year there is discussion if the Miss American/USA Pageant, as with all pageants, is a sexist, outdated relic.

    On one hand, you have fully dressed men lining up girls in swimsuits to judge them which seems really demeaning. They are then asked ridiculously complex questions and are expected to answer them in 20 seconds. Questions like "Do you support a two-state solution in the Middle East?" or "How should the U.S. handle ISIS?" These are INSANELY complex questions that seem needlessly irrelevant in the context they are being asked in. These are issue that you can write pages and pages on and judges of a pageant are expecting a decent answer limited to 20 seconds with zero prep time. Policy makers don't even have a good answer and that is their job! And to be honest, it seems like these questions are only so hard to try and offset crap like the swimsuit competition so the pageant can claim they have ask hard hitting questions.

    Supporters of the pageant will say that it empowers women to work hard at an array of skills. It encourages a strong ethic to provide women with a role model to look up to. Also they are world's largest provider of college scholarships for women. This encourages and provides women with more opportunities.

    Obviously you can see which side of the fence I fall on. I think they are awful
  • NeoLogic
    2015-06-05 02:49:30 AM
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    Whovian Wrote:
    Supporters of the pageant will say that it empowers women to work hard at an array of skills. It encourages a strong ethic to provide women with a role model to look up to. Also they are world's largest provider of college scholarships for women. This encourages and provides women with more opportunities.

    Last Week Tonight with John Oliver actually tackles this whole claim of "world's largest provider of college scholarships for women" as the trumped up claim that it really is. A great breakdown that I really recommend checking out:
  • PDX
    2015-06-05 10:09:05 AM
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    I agree that the pageant is definitely an outdated and sexist relic. I have personally never watched the show and never plan to because I think that it perpetuates the countless stereotypes we have against women. It's definitely time for the show to meet its end, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.
  • SciFi Nerd
    2015-06-05 03:12:18 PM
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    Yes, it promotes sexist stereotypes but honestly, if women want to do that and aren't being forced or pressure to do so, then more power to them. That is their choice, and I'm behind it.

    But personally, I don't find it entertaining at all. And it's just as corrupt as most entertainment industries, like NCAA and FIFA etc.
  • AaronM621
    2015-06-05 05:09:31 PM
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    SciFi Nerd Wrote:

    Yes, it promotes sexist stereotypes but honestly, if women want to do that and aren't being forced or pressure to do so, then more power to them. That is their choice, and I'm behind it.

    But personally, I don't find it entertaining at all. And it's just as corrupt as most entertainment industries, like NCAA and FIFA etc.

    I couldn't have said it better.
  • PDX
    2015-06-07 07:43:38 PM
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    SciFi Nerd Wrote:

    Yes, it promotes sexist stereotypes but honestly, if women want to do that and aren't being forced or pressure to do so, then more power to them. That is their choice, and I'm behind it.

    I agree. I've always found the whole concept of showcasing women on a stage for male judges to rate how they look in a swim suit and what they have to saw about the Middle-East peace process a bit of a head scratcher. But hey, if a woman chooses to participate then it is not my business to judge.
  • Whovian
    2015-06-08 02:38:18 AM
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    I think I would have more respect for it if they just dropped all pretenses of depth and just said something along the lines of "Yeah, of course it objectifies women, it's a damn beauty pageant. If it was a male beuaty pageant, then it would objectify men. That is how beauty pageants work. Contestants enter because they choose to."

    It's like a hot dog eating competition. Nothing about the contests will be dignified, but people pretty much know exactly what to expect when they enter.
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