Do Beauty Pageants objectify women?

Question

Are beauty pageants a way of objectifying women? This was a debate on T. V  What's you opinion?

Penyair · Accepted Answer

Yes and no. At one point the pageants simply focused on beauty, poise, and etiquette. Some early pageants looked at women's ability to curtsy, properly set a table for formal gathering, and even food preparation as well as sewing (of their clothes). They also had to present needle crafts or a short acceptable craft or interest and the list of what that could be was quite short. Back then you didn't really have swimming suit contests or much skin exposure.

Later pageants started to expose skin. But not to objectify women but as a protest. Women's bodies were their own as was their right to their style. This originally still didn't involve a lot of skin exposure but it certainly gave some vs the old long sleeve ankle or floor length, high neck dresses they had worn.

After these contests were influenced by people traveling. Then seeing some blending of indigenous cultures. Who sometimes wore less simply from the heat but took the view a body is a body. They also challenged what might be considered men's only things. So new categories of interests and presentations came up.

From this comes more modern contests. You reveal as much as you want, still have some design choices but you might not make your outfit (and usually it isn't spoken of if you do), you say your interests and if you have career focus. A big change from the original competitions.

At one time the wearing less and showing more was such a novelty that it was seen as risque. It got ratings on the radio or tv. People bought the papers or magazines showing something but sometimes they were partially censored at that time in history. This did lead to some objectification but soon enough equality shown through and pointed out such objectification of men had existed longer as they were shown shirtless, etc far before women wearing bikinis.

Eventually people became used to men in speedo's and women in bikini's. Women would talk of cute men and men of cute women. So I don't think these days it objectifies and there are men's versions of competitions.

Brokenheartedx · Accepted Answer

We don't get them here.. we have miss Scotland.. Nireland Wales and England n miss UK.. but not on the scale Americans have it, and rarely we hear about comps here..
I think the woman who enter know what it's about and if it bothered them they wouldn't enter.. its niche over the top glitz n glamour
they have world strongest man competitions so it evens it up on the genders... I don't think it does objectify women though it's not like they are posing nude, plus you have to have a good moral standard to enter... can't be sleepin about or other things..
The only thing that makes me cringe is the kids beauty pageants to much America... thTs objectifying children to look like women.. adult comps fine but kids comps are not

ssilver · Accepted Answer

Yes. I think they do, regardless if they are willing participants in it, or not. Woman are taught, practically, straight out of the womb, to objectify themselves. Our culture force feeds us, that looks are are most important assest. We learn young, that we can use it to our advantage to navigate through life. It can be both an asset and a curse, but in either case, we LOSE.
These contests are just another way in which our cuture pits us against ourselves, to obtain status based on an ideal beauty standard that we've never really had a chance to define for ourselves.

COCOCHANEL · Accepted Answer

no, i think they celebrate femininity

BlueCoyote · Accepted Answer

Yes, I think they do. One reason I find beauty pageants extremely boring is because the women there all look the same way. It's almost as though somebody had taken taken a cookie cutter and created them from that pre-existing mold. Sure, they might have different hair colors and different eye colors and once in a while, you might even spot a hispanic or a black girl. But the TYPE of beauty is always exactly the same. This strikes me as odd because it's by no means a natural representation of femininity as a whole. When I go out on the street, I see a lot of girls who are very pretty but wouldn't be successful in a beauty pageant. This makes me feel like beauty pageants are essentially made for the average lad to look at some women. The women's individual beauty isn't really important anymore because it's all the same anyway. What matters is the collection of girls that average men would find pretty. It's almost a bit like a soft porn, except that they're not naked and there's no sexual actions going on.
Now, if that objectification is good or bad is something I'll let others decide.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

anybody who complains about objectification is an idiot.

madhatters4 · Answer

yes it does. but i have no ill regard for the pageant world. people opt to participate. no one is forced. the winners are afforded great benefits and publicity. but of course an even that picks it's winner's primarily on their looks would seem to objectify women

OlderAndWiser · Answer

You should provide a definition of what you mean by the word "objectify." It is one of those words with excess emotional baggage and everyone "knows" what it means but it actually means different things to different people.

MazeOfLove · Answer

I do relationship coaching and women empowerment for a living, here's my take: It depends.

From the lens of the beauty contestants: They want to do this for a lot of different reasons and being objectified isn't one of them. That said, they are aware that there are some men who believe that they are objects and some women who scold them for objectifying themselves. And yet, they would not give it up for the world.

Believe it or not, there's an analogy to football players. From their lens, they want to play for a lot of different reasons and getting a concussion or long-term brain damage isn't one of them. They are aware that there are some people who believe that they are money making props and entertainers for franchise owners and NFL fans. And yet, they would not give it up for the world.

There are people who believe that beauty pageants objectify women and that is their perception. As such, it is true from their lens. But until the beauty pageant contestants start coming out of the woodworks complaining about how they feel objectified, used, etc. we have to stop calling them objects, which is what we're doing when we label the pageants themselves as functions that objectify women.

Joti_Harrison · Answer

So what If they are being objectified, those women love it, they also get to do good work to help people.

They become role models for young girls too, not just by their looks, but also the charity work they do as beauty queens.

Besides, asides from beauty a lot of the process of the pageantry also involve showing skills, intelligence and talent in other fields. Those are very deciding factors too.

And in my opion, people who claim anything is objectifying are people who are just sad they can never be up to the standard of whoever their claim such against. Those people probably never get as much attention as they'd like to. The idea of Objectification is simply just BS.

In ither news, the 3 minutes video below shows how real women react to being praised on how attractive they are.

cth96190 · Answer

Yes, they do objectify women, but only dried up ugly Feminists have a problem with that.
Good looking young women line up to take part in such events, because it enhances their sexual market value.
Those who oppose beauty pageants are showing their ignorance of both history and human nature.
The history of beauty pageants is that in pre-Christian Europe young women competed to be chosen to represent an aspect of the Goddess (for example Freya, Aphrodite, or Venus). To be chosen as the most beautiful and sexy woman in the clan/tribe/village to represented the youthful aspect of the Goddess as a huge thing for a girl.
The modern beauty pageant is a modern extension of that cultural history.
Pageants are women competing for male attention and men honouring female beauty.
Only hateful bitter Feminists oppose pageants.

RSav4013 · Answer

Absolutely they are being objectified. Isn't that the point though? People automatically associate the word objectify as a negative thing. For some people it is a positive thing. Some people want to be objectified. When those women (or men) enter competitions like this they might as well nbe wearing a sign that says "Objectify me, I am here at my own discretion and want you to judge me". Bottom line, whether male or female, if you do not want to be objectified that is perfectly fine, just don't do things to appear sexy or awe inspiring. If you do want to be objectified that is perfectly fine and you have every right to do so.

America1st · Answer

This is really simple for everyone except the left and feminists. Why can't they let the girls do what they want. It's not anybody else's business. The girls that think it's objectifying don't have to participate. Why can't people believe each individual in America has a brain and can decide for themselves what is good or bad for them. We just don't need the PC police telling us what is good and what is bad. Let us do what Americans have been doing for over 200 years. It seemed to work fine since we became the best country the world has ever had. This is the country everybody wants to come to. Must be a pretty special place. Everybody, Democrats and Republicans as well as the other party's have the same rights. Why does one party need to try to take away the other party's rights? That is not the America we used to have just a short time ago.

Mrwoo99 · Answer

Women need to stop with this objectification bs. The truth about objectification that feminists hate to admit is that a woman's sexual market value is determined by her beauty, fertility, youthfulness and reproduction which are the only aspects that attract a man.

Women only hate objectification if they can't profit from it which are mostly the women who past their sell by date (30+), fat, 'plain janes' and women who are a sexual failure. These women or feminists are jealous and envious of the beautiful women who are stealing all the quality men that they desire.

oddwaffle · Answer

I don't know. What's the point of beauty competition anyways? I mean if you have it then do you follow the women's standard of beauty or men's standard?

If you follow the women's standard then it would be like one of those women's magazine: none of them would be interested in the women unless it's scandalous. They would all look at the hot guys, who aren't part of the competition.

If you follow the men's standard then you will have this 'objectifying' thing going. I mean just look at how men rate women: boobs, asses, looks. Everything else seems secondary.

If you do this half and half thing like what we have now then... the men would watch it for the bikinis and some women watch it.

jjthejetplane · Answer

If the winner would win simply based on appearance--I think it could certainly be a way of objectifying women. Yes, the women chose to do that, but the pageant organization/business is always there recruiting... Another important, perhaps related question, is whether pageants, in general, have helped shape society's ideal body figure (for both women and men), thereby contributing to many in the population feeling insecure about themselves and judging their worth on their appearance. This is the superior ethical question for me, personally (knowing that pageants often include non-physical attributes as well). I don't know, though. Good question!

Anonymous · Answer

Does the Mr. Universe competition objectify men? I never hear women talking about men being objectified, but as soon as a woman is shown in exactly the same situation as a guy, then it becomes objectification.

There was a controversy about a drawing of spider-woman, because of the way you could see her butt in that picture and feminists were really upset over it. They had pictures of spider man in the exact same pose showing his butt, and these feminists never had a problem with it. Why do you think that is?

It is because this idea of women being objectified are really just a slam against male sexuality. Since feminists have no problem with female sexuality, they have huge double standards calling one objectification, and pretending like the other doesn't exist, or at the very least isn't as important of an issue so can be ignored when it happens.

Humans like looking at attractive people. There is nothing objectifying about that.

foodfairywins · Answer

No.

The women choose to participate in those pageants, and they also enjoy being looked at and judged based on their looks, otherwise they wouldn't enter those pageants to begin with.

I don't think it's possible to objectify the willing.

Now children beauty pageants - that is something different because they are not of legal consenting adult age to make a decision like that. The discretion in that case is up to the parents of said child.

Iraqveteran666 · Answer

I think of anytime I watched or went to a beauty pageant and I don't know any other men that has. I think this is really a woman’s thing, they watch and look at the clothes and whatever else goes on wishing it was them up there taking the winners crown and having their pussy put on a pedestal. It's kinda like modelling shows, men have no intrest. As for objectification you will find that it's women who objectifyou themselves for many reasons that are related to getting attention of some sort from a man's to the media.

KeiranByrne · Answer

They are revolting. They have disgusted me ever since childhood.
i also disapprove of other forms of judging competition whether athletic or artistic, from figure skating to synchronised swimming to classical music and ballet.
Every instinct I have screams that beauty is marred by the competitive element. It is pure and to be loved for its own sake.

asheslee · Answer

Yes and no. The women who are participating want to be objectified and to me, there is nothing wrong with that. They worked hard to get into good shape and at least they have to have some kind of talent to show.

natured · Answer

They never made sense to me honestly... like what sort pf example are they supposed to give us?

chrissykerdock · Answer

of course they do but they also showcase women so it's like catch 22 yes we're sexual objects and yes we get attention from both sexes in a way... when i wear a nice dress i get probably 1/2 of the looks from women versus men... meaning most men will give me a look while only 1/2 of the women will... not to say it's all sexual but to look at me as an object... so i think it's good and bad... and it's a tradition if you ever been to the south beauty pagents, being a cheerleader is a tradition.

Sami365 · Answer

I think they do, but the women in them enjoy it so I have mixed feelings about them. One of my close friends used to do them and her sister still does. They enjoy it.

To me though, its just women proving to each other who is more beautiful and interesting of a person. Beauty pageants aren't solely about looks, but if an average or below looking person tried out, they'd never win.

CyberKnight · Answer

if women want to objectify themselves, sure. but you don't see men forcing women into beauty pageants, nor are a majority of the viewers men. men generally don't care about beauty pageants. they are there to allow women to feel better about themselves.

Anonymous · Answer

I asked similar things several weeks ago and some people said no because the own women are the ones who chooses to participate and they aren't forces so for some that is not objectifying a woman. For me those peagants are boring and lame and I dont even know the reason of what they do exist in the first place, what is so educational about a beauty pageant and compete with women just like you to see who is the most beautiful among all the participants? What do I learn from those pageants? What do they exist anyway?

Anonymous · Answer

Of course beauty pageants objectify women. SO WHAT! Women objectify themselves. So do men. SO WHAT! It's not a bad thing. Why would we want to stop it any more than we would want to stop people from participating in body building competitions? This whole question is just latent feminist bullshit and needs to go away, just like feminism needs to go away.

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seekingAnswer · Answer

I love how all the girls (so far) is like "no, because those women are willingly participating in pageants, therefore cannot be objectified." If this logic is true, than the fashion industry and the movie industry are off the hook for objectifying women as long as all the actresses are willing.

cheapshotbob · Answer

yeah they do and it turns there moms into monsters that dont care about anything but getting some title that says there daughter is better than the rest. lol it can get down right nasty with those moms lol.

and i think i would rather be in a cell with charles manson in the dark with no way out over a beauty pageant mom as well lol

edwinteague · Answer

Well, I'll put it this way. Some people can watch a beauty pageant without objectifying the participants, others can't. In either case, no it beauty pageants are inherently objectifying of women, most of the women in pageants are in them because they want to be, it's a competition with promising rewards/prospects in some instances.

Bluephoniex · Answer

I don't think so ( mainly because women are the only reason they are a thing because guys don't really get into them, plus in beauty pageants it isn't exclusively all about looks, depending on the competition). I think they are a good way for younger girls and younger women to express themselves and build confidence in stage preforming which can help them in all aspects of life.

Loriios · Answer

I'd argue no. The objectification argument only ever seems to stem from women or hard-core feminist boys.

Whatever happened to appreciating the human body? Guess what? Most people find muscular men attractive. Most people find certain looks on women attractive. Let them enjoy it. All the pageants are optional. That should tell you all you need about whether they "objectify" or not XD

likitb4istickit · Answer

Sure it does, but who cares other than idiot feminists? If it's made of atoms it's an object, that goes for humans too and both genders of them. What, you think Trump is married to a model young enough to be his daughter for her attractive mind and personality and she to him for the same? She's a trophy and he's a piggy bank, if you believe otherwise I have a 150-foot statue on Liberty Island I'll sell you for a rock-bottom price (market scrap value).

brain5000 · Answer

Considering the primary audience for beauty pageants is women, I am not so sure. Yahoo knows?

blunttalker · Answer

Competing who's prettier is just so fucked up... it doesn't matter who's prettier. If you're just evaluating her body, her beauty, and a few words she says, it's objectifying.

ADFSDF1996 · Answer

Not in a bad way, the purpose of beauty pageants are to admire the beauty of a woman, Sane goes for bodybuilding competitions, nobody ever says that they objectify men in a bad way because the purpose of Bodybuilding is to admire the physiques.

TripleAce · Answer

Competition fuels greatness... And with greatest, only a few ever achieve such a thing.. no different with beauty.. Only a few women will be at that level --> nothing wrong with that

Hey I'd love to be a basketball star but I know Ill never be MJ... nothing wrong with that. Nothing to be whiny about if some girls ain't as pretty or sexy as these beauties

Anonymous · Answer

Most TV nowadays is so incredibly dumb.
Does it objectify women? Not completely, in some ways it praises women who are healthy.
In other ways, the women are covered in makeup which looks disgusting and fake.
Do bodybuilder competitions objectify men? Not really, they worked hard for that body, and I guess many beautiful women also have to do work to keep fit.
I've not had a TV in my house since i was 10 years old. It's so Fing dumb.

MarkRet · Answer

Pageants DO objectify women. After all, it's mostly about looking at their faces and bodies. I think pageants are a relic from the past, anyway. I haven't watched one in decades.

Chico_brah · Answer

No. Everyone can admire beauty. It's insecure and irrational women who compare themselves to the top 1% of the population that is the issue. It's not the beauty contest themselves.

Anonymous · Answer

Yes and no. Yes they signed themselves to be judged on looks but I've noticed recently that many of the girls in the more competitive pageants like miss universe have a solid education and use their platform to bring attention to current issues and celebrate diversity. With that said the pageant itself might be run by people who mainly focus on their looks.

Nightinggale · Answer

Who cares? This obkectifying shit has to stop. Both men and women "objectify" women. It's a nonsense word. What does it even mean? To find someone sexually attractive because of their body? That's normal and healthy. "Objectification" is just a term that some fat femimist dykes who can't attract any men created do to their jealousy of women who are actually fuckable.

Valkyrie1 · Answer

Yep. Even when there is question segment its a point value is much less than the physicality aspects. Pageants creep me out the women are like clones or dolls even the in Miss Universe contest they all look so similiar.

AllenSetzer · Answer

Well, yes. You're trying to judge subjects off of their objective qualities. So you are objectifying them. But does it act to support the objectification of women in general society? I don't really think so, no.

dogbert444 · Answer

They are a waste of time and resources. Like film and music awards. People just having over inflated egos, and patting themselves on the back.

There are prettier girls on GAG that some of these pageants.

Mr-Kabuki · Answer

i always it was worship? ever been to a strip club? guys aren't making fun of them women. they aren't saying "haha look at the stupid naked bitch haha!" No. Guys go there to and sit quietly with there beers. they worship those women almost as if the strip club was a cathedral.

myk_90 · Answer

The whole concept of beauty pageants is based on objectification, just as you look at a automobile or gadget at a show. The other things such as talent, thinking etc. is placed there just to fill in the patches. How helpful it's to the contestants career is whole another point, but its definitely profit making to the show organisers and broadcasters. And majority of viewers constitute of males, whether it beauty pageants or bodybuilding competition, cause in both consists of what most men want.

manucabc · Answer

No, they are there because they want to be. And that includes them knowing they're gonna be looked at because of their looks, not their intelligence or beautiful personality...

ASEXY · Answer

Yeah, they do objectify women but I don't care because it's not my problem that these women want to objectify themselves.

ElissaDido · Answer

Im not sure but I think yes, beauty peagents are stupid, whether it's female, male and even worse, children. Often times i see women much prettier in real life than the ones who win thrme titles.

LittleSally · Answer

Of course not! That's why they're all dressed so modestly and they are definitely never seen in bathing suites! I mean what would be the purpose of that?

CheyenneBae · Answer

I couldn't care less, they chose to be in a pageant, they chose to be objectified.

Silly-Sinner · Answer

No beauty pageants don't objectify women at all. Those women enter those pageants or got accepted because they know how to strut their stuff and are beautiful no matter what.

ShivaskarR · Answer

Let me rather give my opinion of the beauty pageant. I feel it is a total waste of time. There are girls who are out there and are being called ugly. And how do we know who is ugly and who is not? God has created each individual in His own image. Which concludes that everyone is amazing beautiful!!! Other humans should not be the judge of this!

VikingOdinson · Answer

No? common if girls dream off this like guys dream about winning the NHL why be a hater. I'm a strong believer in that girls and kids are not the same, but that woman can take their own choices

Maik567 · Answer

Of course they do, it's a competition mostly based on looks. That being said the women themselves want to participate and be objectified like that so there's nothing wrong with them.

A_Mental_Mate · Answer

If the women who signed up want to be in the pageant, let them be in the pageant. It's like saying female swimming competitions objectify women to me.

matheus_mb · Answer

I don't think so. To win those things a woman must not only be beautiful, she must have other qualities too.

danyalovettie44 · Answer

In a way, I think they do because beauty isn't a talent. It's nonsense to give prizes to people simply because they are beautiful. What about character?

zorro8888 · Answer

No, those women willingly chose to enter and be displayed on the stage... if anything they're objectifying themselves.

Greek_God · Answer

My opinion is - who gives a fuck? Men objectify women. Women objectify themselves even more. So lets just stop acting like objectifying women is this scary forbidden thing. Its just the way society is nowadays, let it be

AleDeEurope · Answer

Do they objectify men? There's male beauty pageants too...

gearfourth · Answer

... No?

I mean, beauty paegants don't really make me disrespect women any less, in fact I actually start repecting the women in those pageants for being so dedicated to show how damn gorgeous they are!

kylie_birdy · Answer

they signed up for it and they're okay with it, nobody forces and adult to be in a beauty pageant so there's no issue

spoonman2014 · Answer

It always seems like objectify goes hand in hand with attractive women. Yes they are hot but many of them have other talents and achievements we can admire

Sualtam · Answer

No, because nobody forgets that those women are human because of it. Finding someone sexy =/= Objectification

Do Beauty Pageants objectify women?

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