Editing Beauty pageant (section)

== Criticism ==
[[File:Miss Amsterdam jury 1973.jpg|thumb|right|The panel of judges for the 1973 Miss Amsterdam pageant]]

Critics of beauty pageants argue that such contests reinforce the idea that girls and women should be valued primarily for their physical appearance, and that this puts tremendous pressure on women to conform to conventional beauty standards by spending time and money on fashion, cosmetics, [[hair styling]], and even [[cosmetic surgery]]. They say that this pursuit of physical beauty even encourages some women to [[Dieting|diet]] to the point of harming themselves.<ref>{{cite web|title=Beauty and body image in the media|publisher=Media Awareness Network|access-date=2009-01-17|url=http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090118094138/http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm|archive-date=18 January 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Plastic Surgery: Bollywood, Miss Universe, and the Indian Girl Next Door|publisher=Gujarati Magazine (Sandesh)|access-date=2010-08-23|url=http://www.shahfacialplastics.com/media/plastic_surgery_bollywood.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716050154/http://www.shahfacialplastics.com/media/plastic_surgery_bollywood.pdf|archive-date=16 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The London Feminist Network argues that rather than being empowering, beauty pageants do the opposite: denying women's full humanity by subjecting them to [[sexual objectification|objectification]], denying their full humanity by maintaining that their primary purpose is to be attractive.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.object.org.uk/campaigns/beauty-pageants |title=Why OBJECT to Beauty Pageants? |publisher=object.org.uk |access-date=22 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522065802/http://www.object.org.uk/campaigns/beauty-pageants |archive-date=22 May 2014}}</ref>  Beginning in 1981, the International Year of the Disabled Person, campaigners in Australia targeted beauty pageants in order to, in the words of activist Leslie Hall, "challenge the notion of beauty" and "reject the charity ethic." High-profile demonstrations led to some charities abandoning their use of such contests for fundraising and also saw some remove offensive language from their organisational titles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McIntyre |first=Iain |date=2023-04-26 |title=People With Disability Australian Protest Timeline |url=https://commonslibrary.org/people-with-disability-australian-protest-timeline/ |access-date=2024-03-31 |website=The Commons Social Change Library |language=en-AU}}</ref>

Another criticism is in the way beauty pageant is quantifiably scored as highlighted by the "Myth of the Perfect 10".<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Myth, America and Other Misses: A Second Look at the American Beauty Contests.|last = Riverol|first = A.R.|date = 1983|journal = ETC: A Review of General Semantics}}</ref> Beauty becomes a numerical coefficient in ranking contestants, and this type of scoring still remains followed as a system even in nationwide beauty pageants such as [[Miss America]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Miss America : National Judging Process |url=http://www.missamerica.org/news/press-kit/national-judging-process.aspx |website=www.missamerica.org |access-date=2015-12-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151226173205/http://www.missamerica.org/news/press-kit/national-judging-process.aspx |archive-date=26 December 2015}}</ref>

Researchers suggest that these events strengthen skills, such as interpersonal communications, self-assurance, and public speaking, which prove to be useful in future career paths.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hinojosa |first1=Magda |last2=Carle |first2=Jill |title=From Miss World to World Leader: Beauty Queens, Paths to Power, and Political Representations |journal=Journal of Women, Politics & Policy |date=16 February 2016 |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=24–26 |doi=10.1080/1554477X.2016.1116298 |s2cid=147392523 }}</ref>

=== Swimsuit competition ===
{{Main|Swimsuit competition}}
The requirement for contestants to wear a swimsuit was a controversial aspect of the various competitions. The controversy was heightened with the increasing popularity of the bikini after its introduction in 1946. The bikini was banned for the Miss America contest in 1947 because of [[Roman Catholic]] protesters.<ref name=DailyTelegraph>{{cite news |title=We're all intellectuals |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | date=6 November 2008 |location=London}}</ref> When the [[Miss World]] contest started in 1951, there was an outcry when the winner was crowned in a bikini. [[Pope Pius XII]] condemned the crowning as sinful,<ref name=Selvedge>Various, ''Selvedge: The Fabric of Your Life'', page 39, Selvedge Ltd., 2005</ref><ref name=theweek>{{cite web|title=The controversial bikini ban at the Miss World beauty pageant|url=http://theweek.com/article/index/245346/the-controversial-bikini-ban-at-the-miss-world-beauty-pageant|access-date=22 August 2013 |first=Harold |last=Maass |website=[[The Week]] |date= 7 June 2013}}</ref> and countries with religious traditions threatened to withdraw delegates.<ref name=shin>Han Shin, ''Beauty with a Purpose'', page 193, iUniverse, 2004, {{ISBN|0-595-30926-7}}</ref> The bikini was banned for future and other contests. It was not until the late 1990s that they became permitted again,<ref name=Almanac/> but still generated controversy when finals were held in countries where bikinis (or swimsuits in general) were socially disapproved.<ref name=Almanac/><ref name="au.ibtimes.com">Nidhi Tewari, [http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/519644/20131105/miss-universe-swimsuit-round-lingerie-diamond.htm "Miss Universe 2013: Winning Beauty To Wear Million Dollar Diamond-Studded Swimsuit"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110040433/http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/519644/20131105/miss-universe-swimsuit-round-lingerie-diamond.htm |date=10 November 2013 }}, ''International Business Times'', 5 November 2013</ref> For example, in 2003, [[Vida Samadzai]] from [[Afghanistan]] caused an uproar in her native country when she participated in the [[Miss Earth 2003]] contest in a red bikini.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/central/11/09/afghan.beauty/index.html Beauty prize for Miss Afghanistan] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219211926/http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/central/11/09/afghan.beauty/index.html |date=19 December 2007 }}, CNN.com, 10 November 2003</ref><ref>[http://www.sptimes.com/2003/11/10/Worldandnation/England_s_queen_is_gr.shtml "Miss Afghanistan named 'beauty for a cause'"], ''St. Petersburg Times'', 10 November 2003.</ref> She was condemned by the [[Supreme Court of Afghanistan|Afghan Supreme Court]], saying such a display of the body goes against [[Sharia|Islamic law]] and [[Culture of Afghanistan|Afghan culture]].<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/story/miss-afghanistan-takes-prize-at-miss-earth-contest "Miss Afghanistan Takes Prize at Miss Earth Contest"], Associated Press, FOXNews.com, 10 November 2003.</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3208417.stm Afghan beauty queen makes history], BBC News, 23 October 2003.</ref> In 2013, the swimsuit round of the Miss World contest was dropped because of Islamist protests in [[Bali]] ([[Indonesia]]), where the contest took place.<ref name="au.ibtimes.com"/> In 2014, the Miss World contest eliminated the swimsuit competition from its pageant.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lange |first1=Maggie |title=Miss World Pageant Axes Swimsuit Portion |url=http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/12/miss-world-pageant-axes-swimsuit-portion.html |access-date=22 December 2014 |work=New York Magazine |date=18 December 2014}}</ref> In 2018, Miss America eliminated the swimsuit competition after 97 years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Settembre |first=Jeanette |title=Why Miss America finally eliminated the swimsuit competition |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-miss-america-finally-eliminated-the-swimsuit-competition-2018-09-07 |access-date=2022-05-28 |website=MarketWatch |language=EN-US}}</ref>

In 2017, [[Carousel Productions]] was criticized for objectifying women during the [[Miss Earth 2017]] competition where delegates wore swimsuits during the event with their faces concealed by a veil in the ''Beauty of Figure and Form,'' a segment first introduced in the [[Miss Philippines Earth 2017]] pageant.<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=http://us.blastingnews.com/showbiz-tv/2017/10/miss-earth-organizers-slammed-over-controversial-preliminary-round-002104593.html|title=Miss Earth organizers slammed over controversial preliminary round|last=Dela Cruz|first=Lito|date=19 October 2017|access-date=20 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite news|url=https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/06/25/veiled-faces-and-2-piece-swimsuits-in-miss-philippines-earth-pageant/|title=Veiled faces and 2-piece swimsuits in Miss Philippines Earth pageant|last=Requintina|first=Robert R.|date=25 June 2017|work=[[Manila Bulletin]]|access-date=20 November 2017|archive-date=26 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126102252/https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/06/25/veiled-faces-and-2-piece-swimsuits-in-miss-philippines-earth-pageant/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.pep.ph/news/67353/miss-philippines-earth-2017-organizers-defend-controversial-preliminary-event|title=Miss Philippines Earth 2017 organizers defend controversial preliminary event|last=Tuazon|first=Nikko|date=24 June 2017|work=Philippine Entertainment Portal|access-date=20 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://coconuts.co/manila/lifestyle/miss-earth-pageant-covers-contestants-faces-walk-swimsuits/|title=Miss Earth pageant covers contestants' faces as they walk down in swimsuits|department=Mania News|date=20 October 2017|work=[[Coconuts Media]]|access-date=20 November 2017}}</ref> It was one of the three preliminary judging segments of the pageant that include ''Poise and Beauty of Face'' and ''Environmental and Intelligence Competition''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://entertainment.inquirer.net/234430/miss-ph-earth-winners-unveiled-tonight|title=Miss PH-Earth winners 'unveiled' tonight|last=Adina|first=Armin|date=15 July 2017|newspaper=[[Philippine Daily Inquirer]]|access-date=20 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="auto"/> The organizers defended the "beauty of figure and form" segment and released a statement that the said round was intended to promote strict impartiality during pre-judging by focusing on the contestants' curves, execution and not beautiful face.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/specials/miss-earth/philippines/173937-miss-philippines-earth-organizers-statement-veil-swimsuit-controversy|title=Miss PH Earth organizers on veil issue: Women not objectified|department=Rappler News|date=25 June 2017|work=[[Rappler]]|access-date=20 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="auto1"/>