|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 13 October 2002 |
 |
|
 |
Magazine |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
by Umangi de Mel
With varied forms of Ms. Sri Lanka preceding THE biggest event "Ms. Tourism", where if one was to go by TV coverage, swim suits were the dress code, beauty pageants have sort of become the 'in thing' in 21st Century Sri Lanka. But is it OK for women to parade their beauty on stage? Is it OK to be judged for their long legs, curly tresses and high cheek bones? Whad'ya think teens? Yasith 16 I think that Beauty Pageants are really cool. And especially for a third world country like Sri Lanka (truth hurts), being in a position to actually hold an International Beauty Pageant is an advantage. Cause the bottom line being the amount of tourists who will visit Sri Lanka to witness the contest and will get to see the country. And the chances of them coming back are quite good. That means more foreign exchange for the country. Well every coin has two sides to it, beauty pageants too have another side to them. Since Sri Lanka is an Asian country that has many values and traditions we look up to, and where culture plays a major role, the organisers must be concerned about safeguarding them. (i.e-if it's to be held here) Especially when it comes to revealing all that flesh ON STAGE! Madia 17 The thing is, it's amazing how you actually end up seeing anything but beauty on stage. I mean, beauty pageants are a thing that is organized to choose the most beautiful girl among hundred other `beautiful' girls. What we see today is judges having a hard time selecting the most `passable' looking girl among a lot of God-knows-what-they-are-doing-on-stage type of people. I'm not saying they look bad but they don't look good enough either to take part in a beauty pageant. And it's not only beauty, they've got to have brains if they are to bag the title. You've got to know your stuff, you might think that beauty pageants are held to feature pretty airheads but I'm sorry you are mistaken. A beauty has to be knowledgeable and should be able to communicate, conduct and present herself well. So I think Beauty Pageants are a waste of time and money but if properly done, they are not all that bad. Sonali 19 Well, Beauty Pageants are usually held for a cause. It's beauty for a cause. They speak out for women, the battered folk; for instance, Ms. England will be speaking for the Nigerian woman who is to be stoned to death. She is trying to use her position for a cause. But here they don't do all that, it's just superficial showbiz. You don't hear about Ms. Sri Lanka going around and helping abused women. Here it's more personal, it's not a public thing- winning the title Ms. Sri Lanka just to further their personal status or career. Well, the swim wear is OK, since it's part of the entire pageant. But I think people should start using these victories to further a public cause. Prakash 18 Er..OK, to begin with, Beauty Pageants are pretty exciting, ye know. You get to see a lot of lovely women- hey, don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about catching their beauty in a two-piece. Actually that's where we all get it wrong. A lot of people seem to think that a girl's beauty can't be confirmed or measured unless she shows off a bit of leg, bum and chest. True, curves are a beauty requirement but it doesn't mean you've got to go overboard and badger the girls about the bikini line. You see hundreds of gorgeous faces on the ramp in these nice attire that hug the curves- that's beautiful. I mean that makes sense, depicting beauty in a modest manner. The bottom line is that Beauty pageants are good deals too, as long as they don't go overboard and mess things up. Kaveesha, 17 I'm totally against the trend that `sells' the female body to hungry eyes, ugh..Beauty pageants are OK, (like we have a choice) but then you should do it for a worthy cause and not to appear on stage half naked. A beautiful person should be somebody who is mature enough to use her beauty to uplift or serve the needy. Use her beauty for a useful deed. That is accomplishment? It's nothing about flashing a hundred watt smile and going places to pose with the poor. It's about being beautiful inside to use your outside beauty that's just skin-deep, as a chance to see what the world has offered you and what you can offer the world in return. Chathura, 19 Beauty Pageants are basically good entertainment and the participants get a chance to come out and meet people. But Sri Lankan culture is such we don't expose ourselves that much. But I guess it's OK, as long as there's a limit. Bird, 19 It's good experience for those who take part, to meet people, go places and see the world. But I think it also creates low self-esteem and people could get envious. Plus, it standardises beauty. Those days, women used to be fleshy, beauty was considered round and fat. Now it's been standardised. And beauties are usually idolised but that person might not turn out to be all that perfect, which is pretty discouraging. Beauty pageants focus on what's supposed to be the physical beauty and not their personality and character. It could be too provocative to show off your body in public, especially when children and adults are watching you. All these make young people get a totally wrong idea on being beautiful and make them focus a lot (may be too much) on physical attractiveness, when they should actually be focusing on character and personality development. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
Feminists
consider it demeaning, deplorable, degrading and everything else that
devalues women. Beauty Pageants.... when women parade to be judged for
their physical attributes rather than intellectual capabilities.
