Beauty Pageant Hypocrisy

The Miss World contest is marketed as having contestants who are role models for young girls – not only beautiful, but intelligent, poised, and virtuous and “as not solely about beautiful young women but a pageant that assists and promotes the growth and development of the individual’s skills, self-esteem and provides a greater sense of worth for the nation’s young women.”

In order to supposedly uphold high standards, most pageants used to bar women who have ever been pregnant from competing. The standard has changed in recent years. Now most pageants exclude only women who have ever given birth.

In other words, it’s ok if you’ve been pregnant, but if you want to be in our pageant, you have to have had an abortion if you did get pregnant.

What kind of message does this give to young girls in the pageants’ effort to promote growth and development of individuals’ skills, self-esteem and provide a greater sense of worth?

When the recent Miss Jamaica World winner became pregnant during her reign, she was asked to step down and give up her crown (and rightly so). However, she was then given an alternative. In order to keep her crown, she could elect to abort the baby.

Hats off to Miss Sara Lawrence. Not for her immoral behavior by having sex outside of marriage, but for refusing to have the abortion and instead stepping down. After all, two wrongs don’t make a right.

Salutations of disgust to the Miss Jamaica World’s franchise holder, Mickey Haughton-James for suggesting that Miss Lawrence kill her unborn baby so as to keep her title.

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