29 julho 2007

There she goes...the beauty pageant era is over

By ERIKA GONZALEZ

Scripps Howard News Service
Thursday, July 26, 2007

Bye-bye, Miss American pie.

These days, beauty pageants need cheesecake to capture the public's attention.

The semi-suggestive photos that recently threatened to dethrone Miss New Jersey probably garnered contestant Amy Polumbo more buzz than she'll get from appearing in the aging Miss America pageant. In fact, more people tuned in to see Polumbo's playful pictorial on the Today show than watched the pageant last year.

The beauty competition has drawn so little interest from viewers that Country Music Television, which began broadcasting the event two years ago after ABC dropped it, has decided against airing the contest next year.

Yep, you read that right. Not even Country Music Television, which regularly plays reruns of the" Dukes of Hazzard," wants to be associated with something so outdated.

And while wild child Tara Conner helped boost the ratings for this year's Miss Universe pageant, the 7.4 million who tuned in still represent a decline from the 8 million viewers who watched the broadcast two years ago.

Beauty pageants are simply past their prime. Nearly everything about them -- the painted-on smiles, the well-rehearsed, robotic answers to interview questions, the term "evening wear" -- screams 1955.

Sometimes, old-fashioned can work (consider Shakespeare) but these competitions are just boring. Simply posting pictures and biographies of contestants online and allowing the public to crown a queen might be a more compelling option.

Thanks to reality television, we don't need beauty contests.

Craving a battle between beauties? Check out "America's Next Top Model," which boasts a panel of judges who could teach traditional pageant boards a thing or two about damaging a young woman's self-esteem.

Or if the talent portion is more your thing, look no further than "American Idol." There's no denying that looks play a part in the hit series, no matter how many times Paula, Randy and Simon insist the show is purely a singing competition. For proof, consider Melinda Doolittle, arguably last season's best singer. She was often compared to a troll on message boards and placed third.

Maybe you're one of those individuals who believes that brains factor into the decision- making process for pageant judges. If that's the case, the recently resurrected "Apprentice" might be a safe bet. Trump's boardroom is just bursting with smart, attractive executives.

Worried you'll miss the swimsuit portion of the pageants? There's always "Survivor."

If reality television doesn't serve as a suitable replacement for pageant-lovers, there's always the red carpet. The gowns celebrities sport at the Oscars, Emmys and other award shows usually linger longer in our memories than anything a pageant winner might wear (unless, of course, it's two pumpkins poised in front of Miss New Jersey's chest).

And what about the all-important interview segment? Simply pick up one of the dozen celebrity magazines littering the supermarket checkout aisle. It should be clear by now that Angelina Jolie intends to save the world.

For die-hard pageant supporters (and there's plenty of them, judging by the cottage industry that's sprung up to serve contest participants), there is no replacement for such events. They'll argue that banishing beauty contests would deprive society of all the good, charitable work performed by the winners, and would leave beauty queens without much-needed scholarship money.

So, why not turn Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Universe and the rest of the lot into pure scholarship competitions (based on academic performance) and require winners to do charitable deeds as part of the win? Imagine a day when young women could compete for the title of Miss America without having to literally glue bikini bottoms onto their butts.

Now, that's a pretty picture.

http://www.scrippsnews.com/

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