Why beauty pageants still exist is a question of how people view beauty and grace. That was my friend’s answer when I asked him the million-dollar question. No, I do not hate beauty pageants. I've been following them since 1994, when Sushmita Sen of India was crowned Miss Universe. In the Philippines – my home country – winners of international beauty pageants are considered heroes for bringing pride and honor to the country. I suppose nothing is wrong with that. I asked several people, and here are their answers to why beauty pageants still exist.
Jeff, my husband, said the reason why beauty pageants still exist is because it has become an annual tradition of sorts, like celebrating Christmas or Thanksgiving. I agree with him. Somehow, people expect a woman will be crowned as Miss So-and-So every year.
As sociologist friend said this. Beauty pageants are still here – and are here to stay – because people continue to define beauty in the images of thin women in bikinis.Until that changes, it's likely pageants will continue to be popular.
What is a pageant without the candidates? Beauty pageants still live because you have several hopefuls waiting, wanting for those crowns to be on their heads. The number of candidates vary between 70 to 120++ (last year’s Miss World had 127 candidates) and we are not seeing a decline of applicants just yet.
Beauty pageants provide a respite from issues of unemployment and poverty. It’s a temporary relief to a society faced with ugly truths. Somehow, people feel "beautiful" on that one day – where beauties from all over the world parade and show the world what they've got.
Even though they might deny it, I am going all out here by saying that most – if not all – women want to wear those bikinis and have flat bellies. A beauty queen sashays with finesse and grace that many descendants of Eve secretly wish to be like.
Beauty pageants have attracted not just the pretty faces, but women who are excelling in their fields of expertise. Miss Universe 2000 Lara Dutta said, "I think pageants like the Miss Universe pageant gives us young women a platform to foray in the fields that we want to and forge ahead, be it entrepreneurship, be it the armed forces, be it politics. It gives us a platform to voice our choices and opinions, and makes us strong, independent that we are today."
Trump owns the Miss Universe Organization, and has since 1996. The organization produces the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants, and has even partnered with NBC for wider broadcast.
Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International and Miss Earth are considered the Big 4 in the pageant arena. It was reported that in 2012, when Miss USA Olivia Culpo was crowned Miss Universe, a total of 5.5. million viewers were watching the pageant. Were you one of them? What do you think of beauty pageants?