Three words.
Miss. America. Pageant.
Last night I was working out in a hotel gym and it came on one of the many TVs that are meant to distract us while we emulate gerbils running on a wheel.
The show began with all 52 contestants wearing jeans and t-shirts. My how the pageant has changed. They narrowed it down to the top 15 with the usual showings by New York, California and Florida (Miss Texas didn’t make it).
Then came the swimsuit competition. Wow. No longer must they wear the pageant issued modest black one-piece. Now, apparently they can go “Sport Illustrated” cover style. In fact, each woman began in a three-way mirrored type pedestal. The only thing missing was the greased up pole for them to sling around. I’m sure they’ll add that next year.
The music, the turns, the looks…..soft core porn.
Miss America. She represents “us” to the world.
When Hilary Clinton ran for president, more people criticized her pantsuits than her politics. She wasn’t “sexy” enough. Sara Palin was plenty sexy – some even said she was the “hottest” politician ever, but apparently that meant she was also dumb. Pretty can’t be smart, right? I never heard a reporter ask how much Joe Biden’s
suits cost, or “what he was wearing.” I’m just sayin’.
Don’t get me wrong – these ladies are lovely and smart and the Miss America Organization made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance to ANYONE willing to put on a bathing suit and prance around on stage. Isn’t there a better way to help women get an education?
This was Miss America’s 88th year. I think it’s time to stop. Time for a change. You think Obama can take care of this?
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January 28, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Tony Mannor
LOL, this post kills me because I am so on the fence!
The guy raised by a “I can do anything you can do” mom says – They are free women and the can do anything they want for any reason they want and they don’t have to explain it to anyone. If they want to dance for money, then dammit, they have that right!
The man in me says “Wooow woooooo!!”
Just kidding 🙂
I think it really comes down to who likes who. I don’t think the press liked Sarah Palin. So they kind of allowed the attacks, if not facilitated the attacks on her. It was kind of amusing as a man to watch female “journalists” commit what came across as a “Catfight”. All it was missing was the bikinis and jell-o. I think, much like high school, the cool chicks had fun picking on the new girl in school.
I remember one day listening to the talking heads say one day about how Hillary showed too much cleavage, and in the next breath trashed her trademark pantsuit.
I think you are right – women can’t win, even with other women. An example is how often First Ladies are remarked about their fashion sense and almost never about their intellect, opinion or capabilities. Women, in almost every public capacity, are considered first by their appearance and then by their competency.
As long as that is the case in our culture, I say gear up for Miss America 89. I’ll pop the popcorn, you bring the booze. 🙂
January 30, 2009 at 6:20 am
Denise Wymore
Tony,
You make a great point. It’s not necessarily MEN that are keeping women down – it is other women. Once that bar gets raised to a level that is NOT dependent on looks, we get nervous. Looks are easy to control (purchase) but intellect and respect takes time.
We love sparkly things and are easily distracted so when Michelle Obama showed up at the inauguration in that gorgeous lemon sparkly dress with the green leather gloves…….DAMNIT! See?? But I’m sure she’s very smart and she’s a great mom and Bill Clinton would’ve been an awkward choice for FIRST man — given his propensity for sparkly things.
February 2, 2009 at 11:00 am
Glenn Coble
Now I’m all for soft core porn… but I had to turn the show off because of boredom. I am kinda old, maybe that’s the problem… the little naps between the swim suits.
August 5, 2011 at 5:09 am
stskraloi
Wow,thanks for your post!welcome to heath blood.