When you say “beauty queen”, what image does it conjure up? Probably a tall, sexy woman in a gown. In a society where the media plays an important part in shaping the minds of the people, it is discouraging to see that young girls idolize the waif-like models they see in beauty magazines, and strive to be like them. The end result is a rather large age group of youngsters uncomfortable with their bodies, starving themselves to death to become what society perceives as “beautiful”.
I have heard of several instances in the news where beauty queens were stripped of their crowns because they gained a couple of pounds during their reign. While it might be a big issue for pageant bodies (I can imagine there would be a “weight” clause in the contract), most of us would think it’s just ludicrous, bordering on the obscene. I mean, what is an additional couple of pounds in the bigger scheme of things?
It would be a fine day indeed when beauty pageants start accepting more voluptuous women in their midst. It’s about time we flaunt women’s beauty of all shapes and sizes, and not just focus on what most of us deem as the perfect body shape. It’s time we teach impressionable young girls of our time to love themselves as they are, because we are all beautiful, no matter what size we are.
