Are Beauty Pageants Exploitive?

A Beauty pageant or contest is a competition and as the name suggests, it is decided on the basis of beauty. Although, the new evolved pageants are trying for a basis of judgment that encompasses the beauty as well as other important necessary features of wit and talent.

The structure of the modern day beauty pageants is based on the May Day celebrations of the olden times where a king and a queen were chosen from amongst the crowd on the basis of their beauty.

Whereas the beginning of these pageants might have been more for the fun and revelry, with time they have started becoming coveted and celebrated titles. Nowadays, the pageants are more like stepping stones leading to fame, fortune and recognition in media and in public. The titles have been so exemplified that girls start preparing themselves for these pageants from a very tender age. Even before their teenage they are aware of the requirements for making it to top spots in the pageants and they do not shy away from trying anything to become the typical image that these pageants seem to demand.

This has led to little girls experimenting with their diets to get the reed thin body shape and in case of their failure in achieving that ,they suffer from chronic depression and many lifestyle psychological disorders.

There are others who resort to extreme measures like surgical enhancements and even diet drugs to lose weight. So are beauty pageants exploitive? Yes, they are, but the responsibility for such a catastrophic, sad situation does not lie with the pageants alone.