The beauty pageant system has a negative effect on the body image of women and men. The competitions are based on appearance and promote a culture of ogling and narcissism. Many women who compete don’t mind the resulting “retokada” and many girls take supplements to enhance their physical appearance. Despite the societal costs, the beauty pageant industry is a valuable source of income for the former contestants.
Despite these negative impacts, the pageant system continues to attract viewers. While beauty pageants can be lucrative, they also objectify women. While some people see the pageants as exploitative and sexual, there is a clear difference between sexualizing and objectifying women. While there is plenty of room for debate, the bottom line is that beauty pageants don’t objectify women. Instead, they celebrate female beauty and promote empowerment.
Aside from objectifying women, beauty pageants also have benefits for the participants. By promoting lucrative opportunities and empowering women, these competitions represent their country on a global stage. Thus, banning beauty pageants won’t solve this problem. Moreover, these contests do not objectify women. They promote empowerment and critical representations of women in popular culture. It should not be a matter of debate whether or not beauty pageants objectify women.
The main point of these beauty pageants is that they objectify women’s bodies and their abilities. This is why some critics have accused beauty pageants of promoting self-criticism and self-hatred. They say that the emphasis on physical appearance is detrimental to young women’s self-esteem. They claim that contestants force girls to starve themselves so they can win. But the reality is far more complicated.