Beauty contests - Term Paper Example

? Beauty Pageants al Affiliation The current generation has been faced with a lot of transformation from the earlier life; modernization and globalization is a major trend in today’s livelihood. As this happens, the practice of beauty pageants has not been left behind in modernization; the way the practice is done is however different to the approaches of the previous centuries. This essay discusses the ways in which beauty contests are currently interpreted, due to the changes in lifestyle. The transformation and the way in which it is currently viewed have been discussed. There is a big change in approach and the main aim of this kind of competition has slightly changed. Despite the case, the contestants are urged to maintain high standards of morals and act along the global standards that have been set to govern these competitions. The same case applies to the fanatics; their involvement in the competition should be in such a way as to observe good morals and represent the actual modernized individuals. Keywords: Pageant, Miss World, Lifestyle, Contest, Contestants, Global Standards, Competition, Fanatic Beauty pageants, also known as beauty contests are one of the many competitions held in several countries, and were originally held to judge the beauty of women and at recently, they have included men and young children. The contests do not only target the physical beauty, but also the inner beauty of the contestants. They are historic events that have been held across various multicultural divides and as of late, the events have been modernized as evidenced by the current world wide events, such as miss world competitions. In other occasions, the events have been commercialized, used in promotions, and in many other social events. According to Joboone, the image of a beautiful, appropriate woman acts as a symbol of national delight and identity (2013). The history of the beauty pageants dates back to the early 19th century, where it was introduced in America as a leisure activity. Beauty contests expanded due to industrialization and the need for people to invest in the entertainment industry; the competitions expanded at a very high rate. From America, beauty pageants spread to other parts of the world. Many businesses used the competition to market themselves through various shows for which they were sponsoring. Such companies include the cosmetics and clothing industries. In many occasions, across tribes and cultures, beauty contests were used to show the beauty of the society and during competitions, the communities gained pride if one of their queens won the competition. In other continents, for example in countries ruled by kings, young ladies were made to compete and marched in front of a king, who would then choose one of them to become a queen. This practice was most common in the African continent. Perhaps what remains clear now is that beauty pageants have taken major steps, transformed from the traditional approach to the modern system. Rolling through the use of technology, they have remained interesting entertainment and many have invested a lot of their time in them. Plastic surgeons have found their way to play a role in this industry; it is called modernity but in some nations, it is a messy practice. Distortion of human appearance has been a hot debate in Brazil, which leaves the question as to whether this nation will embrace modernity, especially in the matters concerning beauty competitions and improvement of human look. Meanwhile, the current generation has involved technology to appear more appealing; in other words, they have embraced plastic surgeries. This is a major threat to traditional culture. Observation given by Edmonds (2010) shows how the society kills itself slowly; he argues that it’s a sign of failed modernity, or rather an impolite civilization. The mechanism being staged is brutal and kills the culture that has for so long been embraced by the locals. The inner beauty of people will be completely covered and forgotten. The initial meaning of beauty contests was to embrace both the inner and the outer beauty, but with the current technology, it will most likely hide the inner beauty and in the course of it, beauty competitions may lose the initial intended purpose. Many of the females and males who undergo the practice of surgery in order to have their face changed do not view this as a health risk. The main argument given by them is that it only affects the face or the intended body part. It is however argued by medics that it is a health concern, especially when the action is performed by non-specialists. As far as beauty and modernity are concerned, this is how the world trends. The 21st generation has therefore made bigger steps in embracing technology, even in the matters that are threats to their health. The process of modernization has developed together with democratization as one philosophy, and has symbolized change. During the earlier times, monarchial queens were imitated by the contestants, but with the current change in democracy, that has so far changed and there are many icons that are deemed to be democrats in the modern day world. The rewards of the competition are no longer power; they have been replaced with finances and in other cases, given the role of leadership to gear towards democratization. At times, appointments are made to positions that promote environmental conservation, poverty, and illiteracy eradication. The reward that was associated with the queens during the earlier regimes was a symbolic capital. The world is rapidly changing with all in it adapting to this transformation. What used to be practiced in the past has also changed in line with technological approaches, socio cultural setup, industrialization, environmental needs, and political sceneries. Life has posed many requirements and challenges; this has been enough to transform the way beauty contests are approached and practiced. As compared to the previous centuries, learning institutions have enrolled courses relating to modeling and improvement of beauty. Students are trained on how to dress, and all that pertain to beauty and models. In the world today, women and young ladies are put on pressure to look beautiful and fascinating; they spend most of their time on make ups and visiting beauty shops to ensure that they are up to date on products that would make them much appealing. The preparation of beauty pageants begins at a far tender age, though one may not be intending to be a long run beauty contestant, but as times rolls by, one finds herself in the competition because of the feeling that she has been maintaining her beauty since the childhood, and can now get involved in the field. The preparation nowadays involves professionals mostly situated in the shopping centers. They are always consulted about their products and their experience in the field of beauty is very important. Their main work is to improve the physical beauty of the client. Pageants have found some way through cultures. This is through filming and TV shows, for example the American beauty shows that have run in the media since 1954, becoming the fourth longest running TV show in America. Miss American Organization has expressed that its beauty contest are not meant for any profit. Rather, it is a platform to empower women to achieve their life dreams and goals. This has indeed sparked a lot of reaction from viewers, who demand that this organization should express its other intentions, and though adamant about their other purpose, it remains to be seen and with fingers crossed, Miss America remains to be one of the most adored beauty contests across the world. Many critics have emerged questioning the credibility of beauty competitions. Many argue that they are a mere excuse of parading young women to impress men and that their time and money is being wasted, as they spend a lot in preparation for this. The issue of culture and morals of the society are far much taken into consideration and the extent to which this competition is growing will soon or later affect the society. One of the worrying events is the involvement of underage teens in the competition. As argued, this should involve the inner beauty that is to say; the competitors should understand the morals and be modernized, so that they cannot compromise their other daily cores. The young girls involved in these competitions may end up dropping out of schools or their educational performances being affected. The inner beauty will therefore help them realize that they are not only running after the physical beauty, but their livelihoods also have to be maintained. During the earlier times of beauty pageants, technology was still too far behind as compared to the current times. Only those who attended the shows could have a glimpse of what was happening. This means that these events could not be appreciated across many regions neither could the styles be copied. The modern world has embraced technology at higher levels, TVs are all over, mobile phones and other electronic gadgets offer the opportunity for many to watch the shows across the world. Therefore, appreciation of such events has gone up and even the styles can easily be copied from one region to another. With technology, Miss World competition has attracted many young ladies across the world, while many of those who do not make it to the competition get the opportunity to follow whatever that is happening, and even cheer their favorite participants. Beauty pageants have influenced the dressing codes and make ups of many people in the current generation. Actors and those in the art industry dress and model themselves like the beauty pageants. College ladies have not been left behind; they display how modeling has encroached into their system of livelihood. With this opportunity, women have used their physical beauty to lure men, taking the advantage of men’s weaknesses. This compensates them for their lack of opportunities in the society and promotes a culture in which women are treated as objects in the society (Joboone, 2013). For those who have lost the real meaning of beauty contests and modeling, they have found themselves on the wrong side of life, in the process of imitating the beauty pageants, where they lose the meaning of life. Across the region, there are presumed standards that have already been set by beauty pageants and when one fails to achieve this standard, he or she feels less in the society. This increases the chances of people destroying their bodies, when they noticed that they cannot make to this standard. With the increase of beauty standards perpetuated by beauty pageants, eating disorders have affected many women, either those participating in the competition or those following it. In contrary to the many that either misuse the intended meaning of beauty pageants or mistake those who participate in the event internationally, they serve as signs of nations identities portraying the many values that various nations poses. During such competitions, the represented nation is supposed to possess the values of democracy, economic growth, and encourages its citizens to be both culturally and economically active. Therefore, the beauty pageants uplift the nations to grow towards meeting the global set standards. The best example that portrays a woman as a symbol of national identity and pride are the wins of an Indian and an Italian as Miss World in 1994 and 1996 consecutively. This served as conflict among nations and representation of local identity. The win of an Indian was a symbol of legitimization of Indian ideals by western nations. Reference List Edmonds, A. (2010). Pretty Modern: Beauty, Sex and Plastic Surgery in Brazil. Durham: Duke University Press. Joboone. (2013, May 14). Beauty Pageants and Local Beauty. Globalization from the Local. Retrieved September 23, 2013, from http://sites.davidson.edu/anthro/global/2013/05/14/3288/. Read More