The Miss Universe Organization has officially announced the dismissal of the swimsuit portion in their Miss Teen USA pageants. The organization has since stated that the swimsuit portion strays from the new direction that the pageant system is heading towards – an emphasis on female empowerment and contestants’ roles outside of pageantry.
Every article I have read on this issue supports this decision. For some reason, I don’t think it is necessarily sending the right message.
The Miss Universe Organization released a statement saying, "Miss Teen USA's transition to athletic wear reads as less exploitative and more focused on the importance of physical fitness for its younger participants.”
I am all for minimizing exploitation outlets of young women, but I do not see why a teenage girl needs to cover up her body in order to be seen as empowered.
There is a difference between exploitation and empowerment. Exploitation is the result of cruel circumstances and the victimization of women being sexualized. Empowerment is the embodiment of one’s confidence, beauty, and beliefs. The Miss Universe Organization has seemed to confuse the two terms while re-designing the face of pageantry.
I understand where the Miss Universe Organization is coming from. I know that women should be appreciated for their minds instead of their body, but why can’t women be appreciated for both?
The term “confidently beautiful” has been rather popular in the pageant world, and according to past contestants, it means to be assured in one’s beauty as an overall woman.
The comprehensive definition of this popular slogan entails an emphasis on confidence as an overall woman. Not just as a contestant in a beauty pageant, but as a woman in this world. Women are encouraged to cover up in order to have their voices heard rather than their bodies judged. Instead of women’s bodies being temples of their beauty, they are referred to as ploys of distraction.
Yes, there are two points of view to this: young girls should not feel the pressure to conform their bodies for pageants; on the other hand, should girls not feel confident about their bodies regardless of what they look like?
The Miss Universe Organization prides itself on building strong, confident women to serve as role models in society for their communities.
Unfortunately, this ban on the swimsuit competition sends the message that these teenage contestants cannot embrace their empowerment while in a two-piece on stage. These young girls can, and quite frankly should, have their voices heard and minds appreciated, despite what they’re wearing.
There is no dress code for role models, and the power and strength of a woman does not lie in what she “parades” in on a stage at a beauty pageant, or any circumstance for that matter.
In social media, men get hoots and hollers for stripping down in magazines, but as soon as a female does it, it hinders their ability to be an efficient role model.
The idea that society is indifferent to men bearing skin, versus the controversy over women doing the same, stems from the inequalities that have surrounded females – the lack of society’s ability to abide by a woman’s right to respect, regardless of her outfit or appearance.
The Miss Universe Organization needs to re-focus their campaign on building women, of all ages, to support one another and embrace their beauties. Encourage these young girls to love themselves, and promote the spread of body positivity among contestants rather than asking them to cover up in order for their minds to be appreciated.
At the end of the day, every contestant has a voice and every contestant is beautiful. Empower these girls to flaunt their beauty and their brains, not one or the other.
“A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” – Coco Chanel