As a former Miss South Miami Teen USA and Miss West Broward Teen USA, I am very proud of a recent accomplishment of the Miss Teen USA system. In the past, girls ages 14 to 18 competed in many different categories: swim wear, evening gown, interview, and onstage question. Competing in pageants, can be very beneficial to a young woman as she learns to be more elegant and graceful throughout the production, skilled in public speaking, and altruistic by engaging with the community as a role model.
However, for young adolescent girls, swimsuit competitions can make them feel extremely vulnerable. Not only are their bodies being compared by the judges, audience, and internet, but worst, the girls end up comparing their own bodies to each other. In today’s world, nearly everything is easily accessible – within seconds, photos of the contestants can be taken, uploaded and brought into permanence on the internet, even without their knowledge. The minds of young girls are constantly infused with thoughts of how they ought to look in order to gain the approval of society, and what kind of girl social media deems pretty. Contestants having their bodies scrutinized can be a very destructive force for the self-esteem of these young individuals, leading to unfortunate comparisons and criticism. Though fitness is an important aspect of health and should not be overlooked, every girl is very different and unique in her own way. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, and teaching girls this lesson, especially those in the public eye, is imperative.
As of recently, the Miss USA system has decided to eliminate the swimsuit competition for their Teen contestants. Instead, the girls will be judged in a new athletic wear competition in order to emphasize the importance of fitness instead of the past bikini wear that could be seen as exploitive of the teenaged contestants. I believe this decision was a great one in that it will allow future contestants to feel more comfortable in their own skin, not having to show their entire bodies on stage and in the permanence of online videos and photos. This is also a move in a more current and modern direction, in the past pageants were focused on beauty, today pageants seek to crown well rounded, self- confident girls that will serve as good examples for other girls their age.
Miss Universe, the organization responsible for the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA Pageants, president Paula Shugart said, Miss Teen USA's shift is meant to "celebrate women’s strength, confidence and beauty", I truly do believe this decision will do just that, as well as attract future contestants who will feel more comfortable participating, knowing they don’t have to wear a bikini in front of millions of people. By eliminating the swimsuit competition, the pageant prevents comparisons and scrutiny, while reassuring the idea that titleholders are chosen for their inner beauty, not their bodies.
