Missing the Mission | Who Knew Bikinis Were So Scholarly?
I have nothing against attractive women striking provocative poses while wearing bikinis — nothing at all — but for the Miss America Organization to try to maintain the relevance of its annual pageant by bathing it in a risque light strikes me as distasteful at best and harmful at worst. Miss Michigan won the crown last night after a month-long process of sadly typical American excess and hyper-focus on image:
The crowning at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip was aired for the first time on TLC. It capped a four-week reality series, “Miss America: Reality Check,” which followed the contestants as they were pushed to shed the dated look of Miss Americas past and adopt a more updated style. …
Usually tame by modern TV standards, the swimwear competition kicked it up a notch. Most contestants wore black bikinis, and some struck provocative poses and twirled as the audience howled. Contestants also wore blue jeans and added a bit of humor to the traditional opening number, the parade of states.
Maybe it’s because I have a couple of daughters now, and the prospect of dealing with body-image issues worries me immensely, but I can’t help but think that Miss America is trying to have its cake and eat it, too. (Or not eat it because it’s too fattening.) For a nonprofit that bills itself as providing “young women with a vehicle to further their personal and professional goals and instill[ing] a spirit of community service through a variety of unique nationwide community-based programs,” the organization sure has a funny way of actualizing its mission. I mean, this is a scholarship pageant? | 501(c)
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