Eliminate swimwear in beauty pageants
Many beauty pageants are still holding fast to the tradition of swimwear categories. There has never been a better time than now to get rid of this category, totally. Why should we see the beauty of women and girls in their nakedness?
Beauty contests that still have the swimwear category only reinforces the idea that girls and women are primarily valued for their physical appearance, and this puts pressure on women to conform to conventional beauty standards. There are some swimsuit competitions, which aim to judge the beauty of a single part of body, such as breasts, legs, thighs, buttocks and curves, “to the pleasure and entertainment of men.”
In addition, such categories portray women and girls as mere objects to be admired only for their physical appearance, rather than for their intelligence and what they have to offer the world. At least currently, many international pageants offer contestants an opportunity to express their abilities and intellect beyond their physical beauty. This has given so much meaning and value to beauty pageants. Women and girls who enter beauty pageants should be seen as individuals who are capable of changing the world around them for the better. They should be given an opportunity to showcase their talents and advocate for worthy causes and ultimately make life easier for those in their communities through various ways. They should be ambassadors of peace and stability in their communities. There are pressure groups and even countries that have in the past opposed the hosting of beauty pageants like Miss World claiming that the contest degraded women by featuring them in bikinis. In 2013, Miss World contest was hosted in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country and the country’s top Muslim clerical body, the Indonesian Ulema Council suggested that the event should be cancelled because it promotes ‘hedonism, materialism and consumerism,’ and is nothing but an excuse to show women’s body parts that should remain covered. Organisers later announced that the bikini category would be replaced by one-piece swimsuits and sarongs - a large fabric often wrapped around the waist.
This debate is as old as some of the oldest international beauty pageants. In fact, there was a huge hullabaloo, after the crowning of the first Miss World in 1951, who was crowned in a bikini. Shortly after that, many countries with religious traditions threatened to withdraw delegates.
I say, scrap out the bikini and skimpy wear in beauty pageants. It is high time that such competitions focus on inner beauty, personality, intelligence, talent, character and charitable involvement. The current caliber of contestants in the world biggest beauty pageants only show that there are intelligent, capable girls and women who have so much to offer than their physical beauty.
While we are still here, there has been an increase in the number of beauty competitions in the country for both male and female, as well as a wide range of ages. Whether they make a difference is still debatable. It is also concerning that many of them cannot afford to award their contestants after competitions, and often times also fail to fund their projects.