Contrary to what some people think, beauty pageants have not always been around. Paris of Troy was perhaps the first man who had the pleasure of selecting the most beautiful woman, but his choice was limited to three, Helen, the daughter of Zeus and Leda and two other women.
Helen of Troy may be the first Miss World, the face that launched a thousand ships, thereafter; there seem not to be too many records on what angle the early beauty pageants took.
Recent unpleasant revelations about beauty pageants in Ghana have made me on several occasions question the relevance of these pageants in our societies.
Few days after the Miss Ghana 2012 was mutilated by some people as lacking in fairness and judgment, another pageant-Miss Sanitation 2012 which is being organized for the first time has come under attack by 8 of the finalists even before the final event takes off.
The eight finalists have accused the organizer of having taken undue advantage of them to make money for himself and have further accused him of not redeeming some of his pledges.
In the midst of all these controversies, I have decided to look at both sides of the coin in relation to beauty pageants.
Firstly, the process through which you become fit and worthy enough to enter a pageant is an absolutely rigorous one and it teaches you a lot. The whole experience is mesmerizing and can be life changing. On the other hand, beauty pageants are hard work. It is not only the physical demands that make it a tedious adventure; the contest can even take a toll on your mental state.
Also, presenting yourself flawlessly and gracefully in front of others is a fantastic booster for self confidence. Being self conscious is an asset most contestants go home with. The disadvantage here is that if you are not careful, you might start becoming too superficial and may give importance only to outer appearance rather than considering the deeper meanings of things.
Thirdly, beauty pageants are financially rewarding. Who wouldn’t mind earning a few extra bucks? Most of the time, people get cash prizes, a chance to travel and explore places as well as well as scholarships in addition to the crown and ribbon. The flipside is, if the pageant involves travelling around, it mostly comes with financial and emotional stress.
Pageants can also help individuals become go getters and achieve what they want. As a consequence, those who win such pageants brim over with confidence. On the other hand, those who are not mentally strong might not be able to bear the pain of losing and not achieving what they want. This might culminate in depression. I know of people who have become snobbish and overconfident after winning beauty pageants, paying no heed to others.
Another positive side of beauty pageants is that, your intelligence and congeniality is always tested. In order to do well, contestants learn new things and refresh their memory on things they already know.
Beauty pageants burden contestants in their bid to become the Queen. The race to have that perfect body and face can push some people into eating disorders that can be detrimental to their health.
If you ever want to take part in a beauty pageant, consider the above points and ask yourself, is it worth it?
To me, an individual should have a strong reason together with self determination to sail through a beauty pageant. Only then will it be a worthwhile cause. This point is further elaborated by Oscar Wilde who said “No object is so beautiful that under certain conditions, it will not look ugly”
What do you think about beauty pageants? Are they worthwhile ventures?