No, beauty pageants rankle me because it is the most blatant example of what society expects from women (be pretty, be thin, make us want to fuck you, and only speak to say sweet little platitudes) and in fact actually encourages and practices rating women on how well they match up to those standards, like the high-school walkways lined with jocks shouting out your numeric fuckability. Pageants are an acting-out of the thought processes of the patriarchy, a warning to feminists that this is still our reality no matter how many women's studies classes there are, and a reassurance to non-feminists that it really IS okay to want nothing out of a woman than a Playboy-body and minimal opinions. To quote Jay Smooth (from this video of last year):
This whole ritual just seems so out of place to me in 2009. It feels like watching a Renaissance Faire. My Twitter friends pointed out that beauty pageants are a leading source of scholarship money for young women, which is something, but I mean, if that scholarship's coming along with such crazy messages about how women are supposed to be valued, that's kind of like "We're pulling you up as a reward for letting us push you down". Do you really come out ahead at the end of that?I sure don't think you do, especially considering that giving out college scholarships based on looks is even more ridiculous and appalling than giving them out based on athletic ability. I'm not saying that any and all women who participate in pageants are morons, not at all. I'm sure some of them are quite smart. But they should be given scholarships based on their smarts, not their looks, because unless you've got only super pervy douchey professors, your pearly whites and perky boobs are not going to get you a degree. It's a sad commentary on our world that women are far more likely to be rewarded for being pretty than for being intelligent. But hey, the dudez can't wack off to intelligence, can they?
ALL OF THAT BEING SAID I admit to being a little...pleased? intrigued? something like that...about the newest Miss USA, Rima Fakih of Michigan. Fakih is an Arab-American and Muslim woman. Now, she's beautiful, of course, and most sane people wouldn't bat an eye over the thought of a woman of Arab descent winning a pageant. But never doubt the insanity of the right wing! Oh, they are mighty upset - it's affirmative action, she's a fucking terrorist, it's all PC identity politics blarg blarg!! At that first link, you find Daniel Pipes fretting over the fact that six Muslim women over the past five years in three countries (US, Britain and France) have won pageants. OMG A FUCKING TAKEOVER. Except, not. Unless you are a complete xenophobic fundie nutjob. I'm sure Kathryn Jean Lopez is wondering if white Christian women are even allowed to win pageants anymore.
Those reactions were to be expected, in the sense that I have come to expect the absolute worst, most repulsive, most appalling reactions from the right over pretty much anything and everything. They're so emotional! But come now, this should be a time to celebrate! Obviously they were right - we are totally post-racial and feminism is so unnecessary now. Yes, Arab and/or Muslim women - you too can now be completely objectified in this land of dreams! Your bodies can also be judged based on a ridiculous impossible standard that .005% of the population actually matches and that even fewer could possibly achieve! Your daughters can also stare at the TV, having massive realizations that unless they look JUST LIKE THAT they are totally unworthy of attention or affection or kindness, because duh!
Welcome to the wonderful world of the USian patriarchy, ladies. You won't like it here, but it's okay - your feelings won't matter anyway. Love it or hate it, they don't care. Just don't get fat...or opinionated...or smart...or independent...or old...or anything.
TOTALLY LOVE THIS POST!!
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