Pageants and the Patriarchy: Empowering or Oppressive?

Keely Morgan
 Introduction

It’s hard to find a system not built off the back of the patriarchy, and beauty pageants are

no exception. All around the world, women and girls compete with one another in order to

showcase their beauty. While historically beauty pageants were focused on the male gaze and

what men wanted to watch, is it still that way today? Are pageants still oppressive to women or

have they taken a turn and become a sense of empowerment for those who compete in them?

If these pageants are so oppressive why do we still see so many of them in the 21st

century; the short answer is money. These pageants are hugely profitable for the people who run

them. Many winners are “a walking commercial for the Pageant’s sponsors. Wind her up and she

plugs your product on promotion tours and TV” (Dow, 2003). These companies profit off of their

contestants all the way from registration fees and tickets to exploiting winners as a face of the

organization. Contestants are also able to occasionally profit off these events, incentivising them

to enter. As for the audience, pageants are a spectacle where they are free to judge the beauty of

the women who choose to put themselves on display (Akena, 2022). For the audience, it’s simply

a form of entertainment, similar to any other type of show.

What hides underneath all the beauty and glamor of these pageants? When you wipe

away the makeup and see beneath the gorgeous gowns, there is a system built on the oppression

and objectification of women. Some would argue these pageants are not just upholding the

patriarchy. Srivastava (2020) believes that “they are a global multi-layered event, deeply

entangled with discourses of nation, class, ethnicity, etc.” These events are a complicated cultural

phenomenon where women’s beauty is at the center of it all.

 Conformity is Key

The expectations for how women dress and present themselves during a pageant are

extensive as well as expensive for girls and women to achieve and are sometimes dangerous.

Contestants are expected to be of a certain weight, know how to walk without wiggling, have

white teeth, nails done, hair styled, makeup on, and flawless skin-just to name a few.

Additionally, contestants have to compete in many categories such as traditional dress, swimsuit,

evening gown, and talent to show their versatility in lots of environments of dress to become the

“ideal woman”.

Pageants for children also require contestants to undergo these body modifications. Kelly

and Garmon (2016) focused their research specifically on children in pageants. They noted how

young girls would be wearing full hair and makeup that we usually exclusively see on adults.

Spray tans, false teeth, fake nails, fake eyelashes and more, all while getting told to “shake that

booty”. Young girls are emulating women through these beauty modifications and practices. By

continuing these pageants, we perpetuate the idea that a woman’s value is in her appearance.

In addition to all the temporary modifications we also see contestants undergo more

permanent changes to try and win. Sy, Martinez, and Twinley (2020) talk about how it’s hard to

achieve the beauty standards set, so modifying the natural body is not uncommon (not just

weight control). Cosmetic surgeries are common for beauty pageant contestants, such as breast

enhancements, facial contouring and nose jobs, face lifts, liposuctions, and skin rejuvenation. It’s

also common for women to whiten their skin in an attempt to look “prettier”. Unfortunately this

is a dangerous practice. “While health-related harm can be incurred by glutathione users, the

desire to be ‘whiter’ remains more compelling than the health risks” (Sy, Martinez, Twinley,

2020). Lots of the rituals mentioned above can be very dangerous and come along with a lot of
side effects, but many contestants are willing to take the risk if they think it can help them win

the crown.

Karmen Walker, 6, center, competes in the Southern Celebrity Beauty pageant in Miss Seychelles Gabriella Gonthier walks through the crowd with
the Charleston, W. VA., in a scene from “Toddlers and Tiaras” on TLC, TLC fellow contestants for the start of the final round. AP

Does the End Justify the Means?

When pageants require women to change so much in order to participate, why do some

women still do it? Most of these beauty pageants come with some sort of prize; whether that’s

money, scholarships, or job opportunities, these are incentives for women to compete. Children

are able to win over $100,000 in earnings, endorsements and television deals (Cartwright, 2012).

The Miss Texas USA website has an entire page dedicated to all the benefits for girls competing,

even if they don't win. It touts things such as gaining self-confidence, communication skills,

improving relationships with parents, and taking pride in one’s appearance, etc. Some

participants see it as liberating. Harris (2008) says “the right to participate in the pageants, to

perform in public and to dress however a woman chooses (or however the competition requires)

may be read as an expression of women’s independence.” Participants choosing to showcase

themselves for who they are can be seen as empowering. Pageants claim to give a platform to

showcase themselves and their talents, as well as their cultures and/or charities they support. On

an international level, it can also be a way for different cultures and regions to come together

giving the opportunity to have a voice to try and change their narrative (Srivastava, 2020). As
Dow (2003) mentions, participation can give women the opportunity to be in a position of power,

and through this, they are in a position to help other women. Lillian Perez, who has won Miss

San Antonio USA, prioritizes getting as many girls to compete in pageants as possible because

the connections she has made through the process have been invaluable to her (Stinson, 2023).

A pageant's main draw is typically the economic opportunities, even if they are earned in

a demeaning way. “Thus, at least for winners, pageants offer women new opportunities, even if

they ultimately serve in sustaining an oppressive beauty culture that creates unrealistic standards

for most women and fosters a culture of violence against them” (Harris, 2008). Some women are

willing to go through the pageant process in order to get ahead financially. An academic

scholarship or modeling contract could change some of their lives, but Harris (2008) asks us to

question if making girls compete with one another around their beauty in order to win an

educational resource is demeaning. There are rewards, but at what cost? “As women we have

less economic opportunities and until we have equality, it’s necessary for some women and we

shouldn’t shame them for that” (Dow, 2003). No criticism should be placed on the contestants as

motivations are individual. Contestants understand the assignment and choose to be subjected for

the opportunity to benefit from participating.

White Men Still in Charge

The majority of the power in the competitions belongs to men. Whether they’re the

viewers, the organizers of the event, or judging the event based on the male standard of beauty,

men still rule. Srivastava (2020) says it best in that the standard of female beauty is determined

by the heterosexual men of the time. The male definition of beauty tends to be quite narrow and

women in pageants are disproportionately judged in accordance with it. While women are

choosing to participate, they are still being held to men's standards of them, and this standard
tends to favor white women. As previously mentioned, contestants will use skin-whitening

products because they think being attractive to white men is their way to victory. Contestants

often look very similar to each other as there is an obsession with being fair in order to be pretty.

Contestants all go through the same dress practices in order to get themselves ready to compete

(Srivastava, 2020). Women may be the ones competing for the crown but the pageant itself is

made for the man.

One of the most popular pushbacks around beauty pageants is the way they objectify

women by putting them on stage. The exploitation of women’s bodies is not a new concept but

can seem shocking to still see in this day and age. Luckily, we see pressure to make changes.

“Feminists charged that Miss America promoted an ideal of women as plastic, doll-like,

submissive sex objects who paraded in swimsuits for the pleasure of men” (Dow, 2003). They

felt that although we see this concept around the world, the Miss America pageant placed the

emphasis of the competition on the looks of the women. We saw this same sentiment in Uganda,

where the Curvy and Sexy Ugandan Women Pageant raised a lot of controversy after listing the

competing women on the list of commodities the country had to entice tourists. This was a

blatant act of objectification by turning the Ugandan women into a tourist attraction for visitors

(Akena, 2022). Pageants historically used childless and unmarried women making it clear that

they were trying to use beautiful, virginal women as bait to attract business (Sanchez, 2022).

Pageants put women’s worth in their bodies by making them wear a swimsuit on stage in order to

be deemed worthy enough to win. Parading women on stage shows young, impressionable minds

that the value of a woman is based on her beauty.

The ideal body type reinforced in pageants can have a negative effect on both participants

and viewers. It is not uncommon for participants to control their weight with extensive diets and
exercise, as well as medication such as laxatives, diet aids, and enemas, all of which have led to

an increase in eating disorder symptoms within contestants (Sy, Martinez, Twinley, 2020). These

can be dangerous when used incorrectly and too frequently. However, some women accept the

consequences. The ideal size zero body is an unrealistic standard and puts undue pressure on

girls. Winners are used as a comparison point since they were crowned as the ultimate beauty,

and their image is used in marketing and advertising all over. This has been seen to directly

impact the self-esteem of girls and has led to an increase in mental health concerns among this

group. Women and girls internalize this idea and impose it on themselves in a sense of

self-objectification (Srivastava, 2020). And this is true for contestants as well, those who

participated in beauty pageants had a higher rate of body dissatisfaction (Kelly, Garmon, 2016).

When we teach women and girls that there is one standard of beauty and their value relies on it,

it only makes sense that they are more likely to be unhappy with themselves.

The women's liberation movement protested the Miss World Contest in December 1970. Getty Images
 Conclusion

Beauty pageants are a unique process that requires a long list of dress requirements for

participants. The women and girls who participate can spend copious amounts of time and

money to try and win a competition where they get judged on a beautiful, flawless, effortless

look and displaying head-to-toe perfection (Cartwright, 2012). Contestants can go to extreme

lengths to become the “ideal woman.” While some call the process empowering to women now

because they get to showcase themselves to the world, there is no denying the fact that they will

have to jump through oppressive and objectifying hoops to get there.

 References

Akena, F. A. (2022). The “miss curvy Uganda” pageant: Representation, commodification and

exploitation of women’s bodies. Social Semiotics, 32(2), 224–239.

Benefits of pageants. Miss Texas USA & Miss Texas Teen USA. (n.d.).

https://www.misstexasusa.com/benefits/

Cartwright, M. M. (2012). Princess by proxy: What child beauty pageants teach girls about

self-worth and what we can do about it. Journal of the American Academy of Child &

Adolescent Psychiatry, 51(11), 1105–1107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2012.08.011

Dow, B. J. (2003). Feminism, miss America, and media mythology. rhetoric and public affairs,

6(1), 127–149.

Harris, R. S. (2023). Beauty and the patriarchy: Ibtisam Mara’ana’s Lady Kul El-Arab (2008).

Israel Studies, 28(2), 100–125. https://doi.org/10.2979/israelstudies.28.2.05

Kelly, J. M., & Garmon, L. C. (2016). Perceptions of child beauty pageants and their impacts:

What really lies behind the tiara? Atlantic Journal of Communication, 24(4), 201–215.

Sanchez, R. R. (2022). Beauty pageants say they are changing - don’t believe them. Al

Jazeera.

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/9/23/beauty-pageants-say-theyre-changing-do

nt-believe
Srivastava, Simpi. (2020). Global production of a feminine ideal: Behind the scenes of beauty

pageants. Glocalism: Journal of Culture, Politics and Innovation, 2020(1).

https://doi.org/10.12893/gjcpi.2020.1.10

Stinson, K. (2023). I’m Miss San Antonio USA. Beauty pageants are way harder and more

expensive than you’d think. Business Insider.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/miss-san-antonio-usa-beauty-pageants-ar

e-hard-work/465238

Sy, M. P., Martinez, P. G. V., & Twinley, R. (2021). The dark side of occupation within the context

of modern-day beauty pageants. Work, 69(2), 367–377.

https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-205055