Is Miss Teen USA perpetuating outdated beauty standards?

[zoobyshoe]

Again, I don't really see this as any different than the little boys signed up for Little League, or another kids' sports team, as soon as they're big enough to hold a ball. I know people who have 3- and 4-year-olds signed up for soccer teams already. But when it's men/boys participating in sports and getting scholarships for athletic ability rather than academic talent, while some complain about the lack of academic talent, nobody is saying, "I can't believe in this day and age, they still allow boys to be paraded around for their physical attributes/abilities rather than their intelligence." Nobody questions if they are making a choice, or suggests they can't make that choice themselves. They are no less "conditioned" from an early age to prefer sports over some other activity.

By the time someone is into their teens, I think they're fully capable of saying, "Yeah, it was fun playing dress-up as a kid, but I really don't want to do this anymore." If they're not enjoying it, when they hit the rebellious teenage years, they're going to refuse to keep doing what their parents are telling them to do.

I think the kinds of things girls are drilled in doing for these pageants become more intrisic because they are about their very presence, rather than an activity like baseball. I saw an interview with a woman, about 35, who grew up as Turbo described, and she said she can now not smile: that is, she is incapable of simply relaxing her face and letting her expression become neutral. Angry, depressed, or in pain, she smiles. I see the same thing on a lot of the older Chinese people here where I live.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I hated his evening gown.

He doesn't have the figure to pull that off.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Though, if you can get past the stumbling, it's a pretty hilarious answer...they can't find the US on a map because they don't have maps. Yep, there is that...much harder to find it on a map without the map. She just forgot to fill out that response with, "And if I'm chosen as Miss Teen USA, I will visit schools around the country and start a campaign to ensure all Americans have access to world maps."

To make things worse, in spite of the horrendous map shortage in the U.S., she wants to give out maps to children in other countries!

Hey, Miss S. Carolina! We can't afford to go handing out maps willy-nilly to foreigners! There are U.S. Americans who need them! Charity begins at home, honey.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I have a big World Atlas somewhere, but with all the packed bookshelves and stacks of books I'd need a map to find it.

 

[Evo]

I stole this from someone's blog on another site. I think he's hit the nail on the head.

I'd like to believe she was just suffering from stage fright and maybe was expecting something along the lines of "Terrorists want to kill cute bunnies, are they bad men yes or no?" but she is eighteen years old and not five-teen years old as I might have otherwise suspected. It's likely she's been heavily coached for how to deal with a question like this. Start with "I personally believe..." (It shows conviction dear! You speak from the heart!) then move onto mentioning something about South Africa and Iraq because everybody loves these locations and wants to hear about them constantly. Somehow link helping South Africa and Iraq to the question (Because nice people want to help dear! You want the judges to think you're nice don't you ) and fit in the Asian countries too if time allows. Then round it all off with making the future better...for the children. (Because dear your ideas about forced sterilisation and working childen in the mines will never win a beauty contest) According to an interview on the Miss Teen USA website her dream job would be "Design:TV/Movie special effects/International model". I can't help but feel she hasn't thought this out too well.

 

[turbo]

To make things worse, in spite of the horrendous map shortage in the U.S., she wants to give out maps to children in other countries!

Hey, Miss S. Carolina! We can afford to go handing out maps willy-nilly to foreigners! There are U.S. Americans who need them! Charity begins at home, honey.

We should never hand out maps to foreigners. If we do, the terrorists will know where to find us and "follow us home" after we "cut and run".

 

[Monique]

that girl has lost her way

 

[Ivan Seeking]

that girl has lost her way

What was the question again?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I'd have probably stumbled over my words too trying to figure out some way to respond to such a lame question.

Yes, assuming that she's not a complete idiot, she probably just went into brain lock. The real question in my mind is whether or not she could identify the US on a world map... if she had a map.

 

[edward]

that girl has lost her way

Is she related to Bush? That sounds like the way he rambles off topic when he answers a question.

 

[qspeechc]

<enter witty comment here>. Geography, Bush-bashing and free choice, roly poly hodge podge of Americans looking over their shoulders. I say give the primped up girls a chance to strut it. It only exists because there is a market. And people may do as they please, that's democracy, which is what Bush supposedly tramped into his way into the Middle East for, mapping his plan of attack, which all is blatantly off topic and makes this post quaintly inconsequential. Q.E.D.

 

[mgb_phys]

So the war in Iraq was to bring teen pagents in the middle east while at the same time increasing the proportion of the globe that is America and so making it easier for a pagent contestant to find America on the map by pointing at random.
That is at last a better explanation than weapons of mass destruction!

 

[qspeechc]

In fact, it's pure evil genius! mwahahahaha!

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I think she just zoned out. It happens to professionals, why not her.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20473692/
I never used to watch the pageants until that year when they said the girls wouldn't wear bathing suits. I watched, but it turns out I misinterpretted what they meant.

 

[dontdisturbmycircles]

It is so much worse when you try to read it.

(I removed the quote since it has already been posted on page 2 of the thread, woops)

 

[chroot]

I particularly enjoyed the repetition of "the Iraq."

- Warren

 

[BobG]

Judge: Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?

Miss South Carolina: I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so... because uhh some... people out there in our nation don't have maps and uh I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and the Iraq everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should uh our education over here, in the U.S. should help the U.S. err should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for our children.

What's the problem. She answered the question correctly. At least until she started to ramble, but at least she brought it home with a closing sure to work in any situation - "so we will be able to build up our future for our children."

In the geographic survey taken by National Geographic in May 2006, 94% of Americans could locate the US on a map if one was supplied to them. However, only 19% of Americans have a world map and only 15% have a globe. 22% own no other maps besides a city street map.

Clearly, the knowledge is there. If U.S. Americans are unable to locate the U.S. on a map, it's because they don't own a map. (What's worrisome is the large number of Americans that have to steal someone else's map to locate the U.S.)
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/roper2006/pdf/FINALReport2006GeogLitsurvey.pdf

 

[En_lizard]

do they write these stuff for her and ask her to memorize them and say?

 

[BobG]

do they write these stuff for her and ask her to memorize them and say?

Just watch the movie "Little Miss Sunshine" and you'll understand all. What a classic!

 

[moe darklight]

I'm with bob and jimmy. I still think the video is hilarious, but more as an example of someone who certainly should not take on public speaking than an example of stupidity. some people just can't speak in public, I know a few incredibly bright people who turn into mumbling morons in front of an audience.
I can't stop watching this video though, as in, it's too, such as, funny.

 

[G01]

That video is hilarious! I agree with the blog Evo quoted. It sounded like she was just naming names of places she was told were top stories in the news. (i.e. she thought, or was told, if she mentioned Iraq enough she'd sound more in tune with current events and sound smart and caring...) This is why the Q&A session MUST stay in these contests!

 

[Art]

To make things worse, in spite of the horrendous map shortage in the U.S., she wants to give out maps to children in other countries!

Hey, Miss S. Carolina! We can't afford to go handing out maps willy-nilly to foreigners! There are U.S. Americans who need them! Charity begins at home, honey.

Maybe it's a cunning gov't scheme and they have deliberately deleted the USA off all world maps so terrorists and illegal immigrants can't find it

 

[trinitron]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=W45DRy7M1no

 

[Moonbear]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=W45DRy7M1no

I'm trying to figure out if there was a problem with the teleprompter (maybe it was low budget and the guy holding the cue cards was wiggling them too much while he was trying to read them) or if he forgot his glasses that day. A bit different when trying to read someone else's words scripted for you than to have to free-form your own response under pressure of competition and with a time-limit.

I have had plenty of students perform similarly badly when answering questions under pressure too. The first Q&A at the end of their first talk given to the department can be very painful. Now, there are times when they get stunned because they really haven't given thought to that particular question and aren't yet familiar enough with the subject to answer it adequately, but many times, they really do know the answer and could give it if they were asked informally about it, but the idea of standing in front of a room and answering a question with an entire audience watching has chased all intelligent answers far from their stammering tongue. By the time they get to those questions, it's near the end of the competition and I'm sure anxiety levels are incredibly high.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Maybe it's a cunning gov't scheme and they have deliberately deleted the USA off all world maps so terrorists and illegal immigrants can't find it

Brilliant! Now if we could just put a big blue mesh tarp over the country, we'd blend right in with the ocean and they'd never find us!

 

[turbo]

Brilliant! Now if we could just put a big blue mesh tarp over the country, we'd blend right in with the ocean and they'd never find us!

I think we should level the cities and plant trees to make them think the US is Canada. Nobody seriously wants to bomb Canada.