are beauty pageants degrading to women?

The real sin against life is to abuse and destroy beauty , even one 's own - even more , one 's own , for that has been put in our care and we are responsible for its well-being

-- Katherine Anne Porter

Are Beauty Pageants Degrading to Women

They say that a thing of beauty is joy forever . On the other hand , for every privilege , comes responsibility . A lot of women from all over the world , from all walks of life are dying to join a beauty contest . In the beauty pageant world , not everyone

has an equal opportunity . There are rules and regulations to follow before an aspirant is considered as one of the contestants . Although these women firmly believe that if there is no pain , there is no gain . Unquestionably , without a shadow of a doubt advantages outweigh the disadvantages . Beauty contest means prestige elegance , money , travel opportunities , and popularity . Who on earth will not want these privileges ? But , is entering into a beauty pageant degrading for women ? For me , it is not . I strongly believe what Bernard Edmonds said , to dream anything that you want to dream . That 's the beauty of the human mind . To do anything that you want to do . That is the strength of the human will . To trust yourself to test your limits That is the courage to succeed

But then again , joining a being a beauty pageant bears a lot of responsibilities . Do not be too fast to judge until you have walked a mile using there high-heeled shoes . It is not easy and simple to look good , raise money for charities , having all eyes on you , visit hospitals , being graceful , and constantly having to smile . Beauty contest winners travel thousands of air miles every year just to do that . All the gracious things they do are always for a cause . Some people see is only the bathing suits . They see the gowns however they do not see the time , effort , discipline , and research that goes into it The friends , acquaintances , camaraderie that are developed and made there

For thousands of women worldwide , the benefits prevail over the negative attitudes they might stumble upon . No wonder several pictures , thousands of them are submitted each year for these competitions . The ladies believe that being included in a beauty contest is their way to enter into the professional world . These women want to be actresses , they want to be models , and this is perhaps the easiest way to do it

While some beauty pageants are focusing and changing more on motivation intelligence , and knowledge of issues , people outside the pageant organization frequently look at the competitions as degrading and trivial . These spectators do not realize and appreciate that the contestants in some pageants are victorious in other areas of their lives . Classic example is the current Miss Universe Riyo Mori of Japan -- crowned at the age of 20 . In her tender age she is a self-described modern-day female samurai ' who prides herself on having a...