The glitz and glamour of the beauty pageant industry has been a staggering platform for showcasing the poise, grace, and beauty of women from all over the world. As a long-standing tradition that continues to grow stronger for years, beauty pageants have been considered to play a significant role in fostering international relations as they promote cultural diplomacy by bringing together women around the world to promote cultural exchange and representation.
However, traditional beauty pageants have often perpetuated narrow standards of beauty and femininity in its earlier stages which can undermine broader efforts to promote gender equality and women's empowerment. Considerably, this is still a case-to-case basis amongst countries with different cultures. Despite these, the West and Asia agree that there is a positive and negative side to each of its own.
Western Perspective
In a broad generalisation, Western thinking has been more liberated historically and culturally as the exposition towards the prioritisation of individualism, self-expression, and personal freedom are highly valued. This equated to the Western perception that beauty pageants over the years have been combated as a form of objectification as these pageants perpetuate harmful stereotypes and unrealistic beauty standards that can be viewed not as an inspiration but as a form of discrimination towards women.
The promotion of narrow and the reinforcement of these beauty standards have been the pinning point of argument that is commonly stressed by Western perspectives as the standards set by these beauty pageants can be seen as discriminative and lacking inclusivity as women have to undergo the standardised judgment of physical-level qualities that are considered unattainable as well as unrealistic.
The backlash faced by the Miss America pageant prior to its revamp in 2018 for its emphasis on physical appearance has been an example of this. The intensiveness of these competitions has taken a toll on the mental health of the candidates, as the pressure of maintaining these beauty standards is elusive. The West has also pointed out that these beauty pageants are way different than they used to be before as they are viewed as highly commercialised and argued to have exploited the contestants for profits (Philip, 2024). In reality, the Western view towards beauty pageants has spanned from women's empowerment and its favorable social impacts to the traditional narrowed focus on the constant pressure towards the unrealistic standard set by the expectations of society on what beauty is supposed to be. It is an ongoing norm to set a socially constructed ideal of beauty that only a few women can represent (Kumara & Jayawardhana, 2018).
"In reality, the Western view towards beauty pageants has spanned from women's empowerment and its favorable social impacts to the traditional narrowed focus on the constant pressure towards the unrealistic standard set by the expectations of society."
Because of the intense pressure from its audiences, the West has slowly catered to the voices of the people and made more efforts to become more inclusive by allowing candidates of different body types, ethnicities, and backgrounds to participate. Contrary to this, the formatting of the Miss America pageant has changed the formatting of the scoring criteria for the program; instead of focusing on physical appearance, the competition is now based on talent, scholarship, and societal impact (Goldberg, 2021). These changes reflect a broader shift towards recognising and celebrating diverse forms of beauty and achievement, aligning with evolving societal values and expectations.
While the West has made strides toward redefining beauty standards through these platforms, Asia provides a new frame in enabling beauty pageants deeply rooted in cultural pride and community values.
The Latter Asian Perspective
As a region where the traditions of community and well-being of the family are prioritised, Asia has often viewed beauty pageants as a prestigious platform that brings honor and pride to the country as well as the region. Some Asian countries place high respect towards beauty pageants as the value of women who get to represent their nations highlights the multifaceted role of promoting their cultural pride, heritage, and traditions.
A prime example of this is the Philippines, whose love for beauty pageants is manifested in the country’s efforts to support their candidate. Communities would go lengths to host a pay-per-viewing service during beauty pageant competitions to support the Filipina women who compete regardless of the result. Filipinos take immense pride in their representatives as they contend to showcase the national pride of the country as well as the unique beauty of their representative that goes beyond body types.
For most Asians, the sense of pride and oftentimes recognition are the driving force in their support for their representatives. Instilled in Asian communities is the urge to compete and bring honor to family and nation. Beauty pageants are an empowering way for Asian women to celebrate diversity and individuality, and to bring glory and recognition to their respective countries. Indeed, these platforms are sites rich with symbolism and filled with cultural meanings that can reveal the processes of collective cultural production among local and regional communities (King-O’Riain, 2007). Beauty pageants are viewed highly in most Asian cultures as they emphasize the cultural values of “pride and achievement” that meet the societal expectations of the people, and do not only celebrate individualistic success but rather its broader impact on the nation, society, and most importantly the family.
"Beauty pageants are viewed highly in most Asian cultures as they ... do not only celebrate individualistic success but rather its broader impact on the nation, society, and most importantly the family."
More than the strict maintenance of the physical image of these contestants, Asians view the amount of dedication, hard work, and perseverance, being forms of discipline, as a testament to their dedication and commitment to thriving and bringing recognition. The stage set for these women creates a new ground that defines femininity and ethnicity in terms of national identity (Banet-Weiser, 1999).
Regardless, the beauty pageant industry is still faced with negative perceptions in some Asian societies. The significant societal pressure to fit into the beauty standards from these pageants may often lead to low self-esteem and body image issues.
The case of Japan exemplifies the rigorous training and preparation women go through to conform to the beauty standards and high demands on women (Kobayashi, 2024). In the documentary “The Illusionists,” it stated that Japanese women are under incredible pressure to maintain beauty standards that are distinct from Western ideals, with the National Institute of Mental Health revealing that approximately 30% of women in their 20s are considered underweight (Zeilinger, 2015). The unrealistic standards raised towards these local pageants in some Asian countries have led to the growing call for more inclusive, diverse representations, and less emphasis on the physical appearance of the contestant which is an image mirroring the earlier phases of the West's perception of these platforms.
Especially in the 21st century, beauty pageants serve as a prestigious platform to showcase the unique beauty of women worldwide and have become a platform for societies to rapidly evolve global perceptions and trends from the "physical" idealism of feminine beauty perceptions. However, the challenge of evaluating the difference between representation and expectation from beauty pageant representatives may be overlooked in the long run. Ultimately, beauty pageants must continue to adapt and evolve to ensure that the development of women's empowerment will continue to gear towards the removal of harmful stereotypes on these platforms and the promotion of inclusivity, diversity, and cultural diplomacy through the representation and exchange of cultural identities in the global stage.
This article represents the views of contributors to STEAR's online digital publication, and not those of STEAR, which takes no institutional positions.
References
Banet-Weiser, S. (1999). The most beautiful girl in the world: Beauty pageants and national identity. University of California Press.
Goldberg, N. (2021, December 13). If the Miss American beauty pageant isn’t a beauty pageant, then what exactly is it?. Yahoo News. https://www.yahoo.com/news/nicholas-goldberg-miss-america-beauty-110514278.html
Philip, E. (2024, March 27). Why are beauty pageants bad?. Miss Planet International. https://missplanetinternational.com/why-are-beauty-pageants-bad/
King-O’Riain, R. (2007). Making the perfect queen: The cultural production of identities in beauty pageants. Sociology Compass, 2(1): 74–83. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.17519020.2007.00056.x
Kobayashi, N. (2023, January 29). Japan’s “Miss Contests” reflect society’s high demands on women. Nikkei Asia. https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Japan-s-Miss-Contests-reflect-society-s-high-demands-on-women
Kumara, C. & Jayawardhana, W. (2018). International beauty pageants and the construction of hegemonic images of female beauty. Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences. 41: 123. https://doi.org/10.4038/sljss.v41i2.7699
Zeilinger, J. (2015, February 27). The disturbing effect our beauty standards have on women across the world. BDG Media. https://www.mic.com/articles/111228/how-western-beauty-ideals-are-hurting-women-across-the-globe
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