And this one's from David Anthony…
I hope you will indulge a response to your critique of beauty pageants in general and Miss America in particular. I have found your posts to be thought-provoking and welcoming of criticism, so you will forgive me for feeling the need to dispute your characterization of Miss America, but one might say you asked for it with your kindness.
I spent the better part of a year accompanying a Miss America local title holder (someone who is eligible to compete for a state title but does not win) as she made presentations and attended events throughout a major metro area (I am purposely being vague so as not to appear as though I am writing to inflate my own importance or promote one local pageant over another). While the ribbon cuttings and celebrity events were a great time, the other 75% of the appearances were visits to hospitals and schools where children and adults would light up when they interacted with the title holder. I will never forget many of the reactions and expressions of gratitude for acts as small as singing a song or reading a children's book. Particularly poignant in a time where much celebrity is based on a sex tape or topless photoshoot, the Miss America program offers hundreds of girls the chance to go out into their communities and make a difference (albeit limited) in other people's lives.
It's true that many of these girls fail to realize the value of truly interactive appearances and instead book only the ribbon-cuttings and other celeb events. Fortunately, the majority choose to spend their time making other people happy, and having seen what I've seen and met so many of these truly exceptional women, I will happily defend the Miss America program against any charges of obsolescence or shallowness.
Please note, I have no experience with Miss USA (the Trump pageant system), and do not wish my comments to reflect on that organization in a positive or negative light. Thank you for your time and your blog.
You know, I'm glad you sent that, David. It's easy to forget that some folks are genuinely thrilled to meet Miss America or Miss North Dakota or Miss Lansing, Michigan or whatever. It's also easy to forget that some of those crownings represent golden moments in some woman's life and great joy for their families and friends. I wouldn't dismiss any of that.
I do think however that Miss America and similar pageants aren't as meaningful as they once were…and you can look at the low ratings and see proof of that. Perhaps that didn't have to happen if the pageant operators had allowed their contests to evolve with time. Or perhaps it was inevitable in a time when females are taken a lot more seriously for reasons other than their looks. But hey, where and when it still makes people happy, that's great.
Personally, I never liked those contests. It always struck me as cruel in a way that at the Miss America pageant, one stunning woman was going to be almost arbitrarily crowned and 49 stunning women were going to go home as "losers." Later, when I was writing a lot of variety shows on TV, I was asked twice to write beauty pageants (neither time, the Miss America one) and met with their producers. Both times, the show they wanted didn't sound like something I wanted to do so I passed. Both sets of producers made it clear they were out to promote a product — a temporary celebrity they could "own" for a year and rent out to christen the new Olive Garden at the mall or something. But you're right that within the context of that job, a lady could do a fair amount of good. Thanks for reminding me of that.