31 agosto 2007

Miss South Carolina Fights Back After Miss Teen USA

Submitted by Scott Goldberg on August 30, 2007 - 7:00am.

Laurn Caitlin Upton, Miss Teen South CarolinaThe clip has been viewed nearly 9 million times, and now “Miss South Carolina” is a household name. To capitalize on the lighting speed of her fame – and demonstrating that, as one of our readers put it, she was the real winner of the Miss Teen USA contest – Lauren Caitlin Upton is fighting back. The day after the contest she appeared on NBC’s Today Show then made a quick hop to People Magazine where she recorded her own geography quiz.

In her Today Show interview Matt Lauer asked, “What are your plans, what do you want to do, in terms of after that pageant, what are your goals?”
Miss South Carolina answers, “Well my goal is to attend Appalachian State University, major in graphic design, once graduated from there go to L.A. and go into the International Academy of Design & Technology, major in Special Effects learning to design special effects for movies and television.”
But a reader predicted a different future for Ms. Upton’s yesterday: “This girl will do Maxim or something, SNL, get spoofed on Family Guy, become a reality TV star, the next Paris Hilton / Nicole Richie, and maybe the spokesperson for MapQuest and make millions if her agent plays it right.”
Either way we’re about to see a lot more from Miss South Carolina. The latest YouTube celebrity might be making her way to L.A. sooner than she thinks. Who in this town would stop her?
Scott Goldberg

http://www.dmwmedia.com


MisMiss South Carolina exemplifies problems with beauty pageants

Britney Drumm

One of my all-time favorite movie quotes is from the Adam Sandler comedy "Billy Madison." Toward the film's finale, Billy is asked a question he must answer intelligently. Using an analogy for the Industrial Revolution, the contest's referee declares his answer to be a "rambling, incoherent response." He awards Billy no points and asks God to grant mercy on his soul.

It's a beautiful line. Those among my cinema-loving generation probably could recite the line verbatim, but who knew it actually might apply to a scholarship contest?

The Internet sensation of the moment is a clip from the 2007 Miss Teen USA competition, seen on NBC and televised to millions. A charming, gorgeous Miss South Carolina is asked a trying question: "Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?"

The question is leading in a specific direction - and not subtly. I assume the most logical answer would be related to the United States' public-education system. She could have discussed how such systems are lacking, funded poorly or segregated among the social classes. She even could have delved into such areas as American global awareness or America's perceived lack of intelligence abroad.

But, to be practical, Miss South Carolina seems to answer her question through example and modest self-sacrifice.

She responds, "I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps." She goes on to make references to "our education, such as in South Africa" and how this education can help "the Iraq" and various Asian countries "to build up our future for our children."

As if blondes needed anymore bad press.

Established in 1983, Miss Teen USA is the pre-version of the Miss USA and Miss Universe competitions. As opposed to the Miss America pageant, all three of these showcases are honest enough with themselves to be called "beauty contests." Miss Teen USA includes a preliminary round prior to the telecast competition in which semi-finalists are determined. Once announced at the beginning of the live show, semi-finalists then participate in swimsuit, evening-gown and final-interview competitions.

Am I the only one who can hear Susan B. Anthony rolling over in her grave? Few things can get my feminist engines to spark, but doesn't this sort of pageant ritual seem somewhat outdated? Watching girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years old walk across a stage in glorified prom dresses isn't really capturing my personal respect and admiration. Is such a skill - nay, an art form - really something a young girl should be encouraged in?

Yes, the contestants are beautiful. Miss South Carolina looks like an even prettier version of Jessica Simpson. Watch the video, and you cannot deny she's gorgeous enough to be labeled a "beauty queen," but why parade her around as the great hope of American education on national television only to ridicule her when she can't answer rationally?

Not to say both beauty and brains cannot be achieved in life. One is not opposite of the other. But, you can't take a competition called a "beauty pageant" seriously when its vanity is praised, while the interview section is merely a background concept and often a target of extreme ridicule.

Yes, we laugh at her, clearly, but perspective almost can make the incident look rather sad opposed to simply amusing. The poor girl later explained to a South Carolina newspaper she misunderstood the question and "lost her train of thought."

Furthermore, the eventual winner, Miss Colorado, was posed a much less academic question and asked which girl she liked better: Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie or Lindsay Lohan.

These competitions are a contradiction to themselves. If they are beauty pageants, fine; keep swimsuit and evening-gown judgments. If members of the American public (20 percent of which can't even pick out their own homeland on a globe) was so interested in what these women had to say, they would eliminate the "beauty" portions completely and have a competition based more upon merit. There are organizations that have such competitions, or merely scholarships awarded, but are not as well-known or celebrated because they lack the superficial aspect of entertainment we all know and love.

I'm not going to call sweet Miss South Carolina stupid, but I will question her authority on the subject matter and reliability within the field. I even will laugh at her rambling, incoherent response. I know with a face like hers, she won't need to be knowledgeable on global politics, economic situations or education initiatives.

But, still, it wouldn't hurt for her to try.
media.www.dailytoreador.com

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