Katherine&Gito

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__**Beauty Pageants: What do they really mean?**__

Through this article, the writer expresses her opinion about beauty pageants and how she believes that despite the media's less declining coverage of beauty pageants such as the Miss Universe beauty pageant we still "have to have this ritual every year." She continues saying that they are ways for companies to get some publicity without having to pay as much money and how they truly are not the scholarship or talent programs but ways to make women believe that there is one body type or age or whatever that is beautiful.

1. Do you agree with the author's perceptions of beauty pageants? 2. Do you think that that beauty pageants really should be called scholarship or talent programs? 3. How do you feel about the three or four year old girls being put in these pageants? 4. Has anyone been in one of these pagaents before? 5. How do you feel about beauty pagents in general? 6. Did you ever think that in order to be considered pretty you would have to win a beauty pageant?

__**Katherine's Response**__ When I was reading this article, it felt like she kept saying that she did not have any problems with the beauty pageants or the women who participate in these events but then immediately started stating what she thought was wrong with them--the way the beauty pageants only consider one thing beautiful, the women and why they enter these pageants, etc. I felt that she could have provided a bit more evidence like with the section about the little girls being paraded around in these pageants, but I do agree with a number of her arguments. It probably to a certain extent does provide us with ideas of what beauty is with that certain body and figure. I found it interesting that they would not let a woman who may be equally talented or beautiful as the other contestants who has a child and/or has a child enter the pageant. In some ways having those contestants might help with our views that women who are mothers or who are older than 28 can be beautiful.

After reading this article i think of beauty pageants in a whole different way. I, unlike the author, did not really think in to the deeper meaning of the purpose of beauty pageants and now after reading this article i agree with the author. I feel agree that beauty pageants are slowly being forgotten because there is not that much media coverage on it and you don't know when exactly one will be held. Also after reading the requirements to be able to enter the Indiana beauty pageant it does seem that they are setting a standard and giving participants the wrong idea of what the definition of beauty is. For example women who have already had a child are not allowed to join because they are not beautiful? Also if they are over the age of 28 they are not beautiful either? I think that they are wrong because my mom had five children and she is 37 and i think she is beautiful. She is also married too. I also agree with the author when she says it bothers her when little children are entered in to these beauty pageants. Parents should not enter their children in to these contests especially if they are three or four because they are only setting their child up to being obssesed with being "beautiful". It starts from a young age to being insecure about the way they look and always trying to look perfect like magazines and television models and actresses.
 * __GITO's Response__**