The feeling of winning a pageant is something every girl has probably dreamt of. The crown being lightly sat on our perfect hair, tears of joy falling from our face while our makeup stays completely intact, roses from a famous celebrity who is celebrating our title and realizing we are about to be a "role model" for many girls.
But are pageant girls really role models, after all? Think about it. These girls are highlighted for the charity work they do after winning, but the people in charge of them, such as the pageant itself, plan all of the charity they end up doing, and these girls just do it because they are told that is the agenda for this day of being a role model.
It is possible some of these girls do not even want to do charity work and would rather being doing anything other than charity work. It is possible these girls do not support these causes and it is all just a cover to make them look good, have grace and be that role model. Who wants a role model who is not true? It is hard to prove if these girls really care or do not.
Going along with this, previous and current winners of the hierarchy of pageantry can have backlash, but still are accepted and keep their crown. Where is the line crossed where a girl should not be able to keep her title? Recent, Miss Teen USA Karlie Hay was crowned her title, and then tweets she sent were found that contained one of the most discriminatory and fowl words ever. Yet, she is still Miss Teen USA.
Another issue is style. Part of being a pageant girl and winner is having style. These girls own the best dresses and clothing items that are probably unrealistically excessive for most girls to afford. Is it really a good idea to have a role model who most girls cannot live up to because they do not have the same connections or family finances?
Lastly, pageant girls own beauty because pageants are partly based on this. We create role models out of girls who are extremely beautiful, whatever beautiful actually means, but what are the consequences to this? Is it possible that pageant girls are very similar to the covers of magazines and models that tend to bring girls down because they cannot be them?
Maybe we should stop pageants because it is possible the winners are not actually role models. Alternatively, maybe we should not stop pageants but curve them toward more realistic girls and expectations, regardless of how old the girls in pageants are and are representing. Just because you help with charity, wear diamonds and are beautiful does not mean you are or should be role model.
