Nilacharal

Beauty contest - a sentimenatal issue?.

If we look at the emotional angle of this issue, even the progressive women's fora object to these contests. The point put forth by them is that it hurts human sentiments if we romanticize beauty. All are not born pretty / handsome. This can not be brushed away by any counter arguments. For them, I only have a request. If this is truly hurting the sentiments of the less fortunes in terms of physical beauty, may I ask them one thing- Why don't we object to the kind of advertising given in matrimonial columns such as "Good Looking", "Pretty","Slim", "Fair", "Attractive", "Pleasing Look" (while seeking brides), and "Handsome", "well-built", "Tall" (while seeking grooms). These would also affect the sentiments of those who do not qualify under these criteria and who are short, fat, dark, and handicapped. So recognizing beauty is not disrespect to womanhood or an insult to anyone's feelings.

Some of those who oppose the beauty pageants say that beauty is not a talent of an individual. If this is the case why this country always longs for a "charismatic" political leader. I accept that "charisma" includes many other qualities apart from the physical attraction. But a large part of it is to do with some kind of attraction. Attractions need not always be based on pure merit. It could be due to other extraneous considerations also. Even if this is considered as a weak argument, let me ask how can the physical strength of a person be recognized and rewarded in sports. If one says that the strength is cultivated over the years by strenuous practice so is the case with the girls participating in beauty contests. They also sweat a lot to shape themselves. On the same lines, if the "body-building" competition for men is not cribbed about, how can one crib about beauty contests for women? In the "body-building" competition, men also expose their full body except for their few centimeters. Somehow we always take the exposure of a man for granted but we crib about the exposure of a woman. There is a calculated suppression here by men over women. They do not want their daughters or wives to expose themselves to others. When I say this, I do not equate physical exposure to freedom. The point here is that traditionally, we put a lot of restriction on women and one among them is covering their body from head to toe. This psychology comes in our way to accept the changing times and provokes us to raise a hue and cryagainst beauty contests.

Coming back to the definition of talent, if we are accepting that intelligence needs to be differentiated, why not beauty? If one says that intelligence is through genes, then there is no meaning in rewarding the intelligent also, as it is not the greatness/mistake of the individual either way whether he poses it or does not have the intelligence. If one says that training sharpens it and thereby an intelligent excels over others, so is the logic behind the beauty contest. If the beauty is considered as having been bestowed at the time of birth, so is the advantages of being a rich, strong (physically) or intelligent. Who decided the hierarchy of talents - mental (by way of intelligence), physical (by way of sports and beauty contests)?

Turning to the less emotional but the important aspect of the beauty pageants, the importance attached to the beauty competition (apart from the fact that huge money is spent on it and a lot of popularity is given to this) is due to the fact that we are starved of "Role Models". We always look for "Role Models". Whoever succeeds in whichever walk of life, we want to emulate them or at the least feel happy in their glory. We want to identify with our "Role Models". This is not something wrong. It enhances our potential to achieve or at the least kindles our enthusiasm to achieve something in life. But it should not go to an extent where we consider underworld dons and crooks as "role models". None to be blamed for this except the poverty of this nation. If one does not have sufficient opportunities to show his/her caliber, you atleast take pleasure in others' successes. Sometimes even the persons who enjoy negative popularity become "Role Models". This is the psychology behind veneration shown to cine stars, cricketers, and politicians (even to Veerappans). This is how the young women in this country view those who win the beauty titles. Nothing more than that. So, all the above arguments become superfluous if one agrees to this logic. This is the reality.

The winners of "Beauty Pageants" are considered as the proud symbols of the society and the nation. They are, to a limited extent, considered as ambassadors of our country to the rest of the world, as Tendulkar is our torchbearer in the word of sports (cricket) as of today. This could be the reason why our Prime Ministers and the Presidents give an audience to the winners of beauty titles when they return to the country after the contests. Probably, it might be told to them that they hold high responsibilities after winning the titles as the youth of the nation look up to them. Probably, they are advised to exercise caution in their actions as it would have to reflect the aspirations of the mass who are carried away by their success. It is not the point whether we should have beauty contests or not. No one can pass a judgement on this. We can only echo our opinion. But the concern could be whether our beauty queens live up to the expectations of this great country and keep up the glory of this country. Of course, this is applicable to every citizen in every field.