Miss California USA Carrie Prejean has been quite the newsmaker.
I didn’t have such a problem with her pageant answer to how she feels about gay marriage as many others did. She spoke what she believed and I can’t blame her for being true to herself, even though I disagree with her.
But now racy photos of Prejean have surfaced and landed her in some more controversy. Her supporters will agree with the fact that they are simply modeling pictures, but her detractors are going to have a field day with an ultra-conservative Christian being photographed semi-nude.
The most ridiculous argument is that a Miss USA shouldn’t be seen in photos such as these. She has an office to uphold for young women everywhere. OK now, let’s get real. It’s not alright to appear in lingerie in some long-ago forgotten photo shoot, but it is alright to parade around in a bikini with fake breasts on national television? Somehow that’s being a good role model?
As a mother who would never be able to hide all the “racy” photos taken of her as a model over the years, I’m disgusted with the whole thing. The whole idea of female beauty as a show thing is the problem, not how much or how little of a woman’s body is shown.
Why can’t we use this whole tabloid sensational story to expose the real issues? The true question is not whether Prejean should lose her Miss California crown; the real question is why it is so important to women to be beauty queens in the first place.
I hate the whole pageant thing too. Firstly, the whole thing started as a bathing suit competition and the talent part was added later to somehow make it more than a skin show. It's a skin show and it should have been left a skin show. The whole thing has never been more than a popularity contest. Ask Vanessa Williams how she feels about losing her crown because of nude photos. But another pageant winner, who was a spokesperson for M.A.D.D. gets caught for underage drinking, and she gets a slap on the wrist. I have a problem with that! I have more of a problem with hypocrits than with anyone posing nude. This is why pageants are nothing more than popularity contests. This is why nothing about them promotes good role models for little girls. Pageants are about adults who want to be judged on their beauty.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with Prejean's comments either, but in America, she has a right to say what she feels. And I think she has a right to pose nude or semi-nude. I think it's pretty funny that people feel Christians shouldn't be models. Christians are in all walks of life and taking off their clothes has nothing to do with Christianity. A person should be judged by their character - something the pageant pretends to care about.
I agree with you 100%. Women are always and most likely will always be expected to preform at double standards. When they meet one standard and or rise above one controversy they will fall to another. I don't understand how parading around in a skimpy bikini on a stage for millions to watch and few to judge is considered alright yet old modeling semi nude photos aren't. At this point if I were Miss California I really don't think I'd want to be representing a program that operates that backwards and therefore I'd forfeit my crown and give them a piece of my mind by expressing my opinion. I realize it's a bit more complicated for her and im not in that situation, but i could see myself doing that. - Jen
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