Being a woman in today’s society comes with many issues that cause young girls to become self-conscious and can lead to many harms later in life. When a young girl is growing up in today’s world, social media is their light to anything that is happening; it is only important if it is on the internet. With this mentality the girls who compete in the Miss Teen USA pageant have become idols for young girls. At first glance, this does not seem as a bad idea to have a young role model; the motto of the Miss Universe organization, the parent organization for the pageant, is to be, “confidently beautiful." However, why does a large portion of the pageant score depend on how well one looks in a bathing suit? More importantly why do teenage girls need to be flaunting their bodies on national television in order to win a crown? As was seen in this year’s Miss USA pageant, the organization used its social media following to add one more contestant to the group. This shows how large the fandom is for this pageant. Images of the girls are plastered throughout the internet and are there fore everyone to see. Hashtags are created to support one contestant or another. Slowly, pictures of a 16 year old girl in a bikini are available to anyone who wishes to see.
My question is: Why did it take until 2016 to remove the swimsuit competition from the pageant? Why keep exposing young girls in an age where pictures are no longer private and can no longer be controlled by one organization? The goal of Miss Teen USA is for young girls to build confidence through public speaking and a fun competition with one another, along with promoting such organizations as Best Buddies and Project Sunshine. Both of the organizations highlight helping children who have medical issues and/or have developmental disabilities. How does the idea of a young teen in a bathing suit fit in with the idea of helping children who are less fortunate in life? Today’s social media has caused a rise in mental disorders in girls. Comparing images of girls in bikinis is damaging to a young girl and removes the emphasis of “confidently beautiful.”
Platforms such as Instagram have become flooded with fitness profiles and health coaches striving to get rid of the stigma of skinny bikini bodies. Instead of walking across a stage in a bikini the contestants will be modeling fitness attire. In my opinion this is a step in the right direction. Young girls need to build confidence in the work that they do to achieve how they look like. They should not worry about who looks best in a bikini but be confident in wearing clothing that promotes the idea of a strong and healthy lifestyle. This change in the mentality of the pageant promotes the motto “confidently beautiful” better than a swimsuit ever can. Seeing a girl who is working at bettering herself through fitness and volunteering with those who are less fortunate then she is, is the definition of confidently beautiful. Being a woman myself, changing the idea of having perfect swim bodies to promoting confidence in a work in progress body will hopefully show girls that as long as you work for your body, be proud of it and flaunt it. This transition is something that every girl can be appreciative of.
