Research: Unbiased Critiques
Since its inception in 1921, the Miss America pageant has been criticized by feminists for objectifying women and placing too much emphasis on physical appearance.[1] In the early years the pageant was solely a swimsuit competition where physical attributes reigned supreme.[2] Contestant’s height, waist, hip, and bust measurements were taken and included in the competition.[3] Following scandal and protests, the organization attempted to make the pageant more wholesome and empowering for women by adding scholarship awards and other phases of competition such as talent, interview, and a personal platform.[4] Although Miss America is now the world’s largest provider of scholarships to women, many critics still find the practice of judging a young woman in a swimsuit and then awarding her a college scholarship distasteful and contradictory.[5] Other critics claim that Miss America is promoting an unrealistic ideal of female beauty that contestants themselves can’t even attain without the aid of excessive dieting and enhancements such as cosmetic surgery, and tanning.[6] A normal body mass index is between 18.5 and 24.9[7] but over the last 80 years the average BMI of Miss Americas has dropped from 22 to 16.9.[8] Adolescent girls are especially attuned to messages about body image from media and their peers and those who compete in or watch pageants may be forcing themselves to conform to unrealistic expectations.[9]
[1] Watson, Elwood, and Darcy Martin. “Introduction.” There She Is, Miss America: The Politics of Sex, Beauty, and Race in America’s Most Famous Pageant. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. 1-3. Print.
[2] “Important Dates in Miss America History.” Miss America. Miss America, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014. <http://www.missamerica.org/organization-info/important-dates.aspx>.
[3] “Feminism, Miss America, and Media Mythology,” Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 6, (Spring 2003),127-160.*Reprinted in Carl Burgchardt, Ed. Readings in Rhetorical Criticism, 4th ed. State College, PA: Strata, 2010, pp. 576-594.
[4] “Feminism, Miss America, and Media Mythology,” 135
[5] “Feminism, Miss America, and Media Mythology,” 142
[6] “Feminism, Miss America, and Media Mythology,” 143
[7] “National Institutes of Health (NIH).” U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. http://www.nih.gov/
[8] Martin, Jeanne B. “The Development of Ideal Body Image Perceptions in the United States.”Nutrition Today 45.3 (2010): 98-110. Print.
[9] Markey, C.N., and P.M. Markey. “Body Image during Adolescence.” Encyclopedia of Adolescence. Ed. Roger J. R. Levesque. New York: Springer, 2011. N. pag. Print.