Beauty Contests

Term Paper # 101191

African-American Studies > Racism
Women Studies
Women Studies > Culture
Women Studies > Feminism

Beauty Contests

This paper explores the cultural practice known as the "beauty pageant".

1,543 words () | 7 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the importance of the cultural practice of the beauty pageant, in particular the Miss America beauty contest. The paper discusses how although there has been scholarly aversion to studying the phenomenon, it is clear that this apparently frivolous cultural practice is enormously significant in shaping how sexuality, gender and race are shaped within the broader fabric of power relationships in our society. The paper also demonstrates how this cultural practice has spread across the world during the twentieth century to become a global phenomenon.

From the Paper:

"The topic of "beauty" and, in particular, "beauty pageants" is a highly controversial one in contemporary academia. In the wake of late twentieth century feminism, scholars in the fields of sociology and anthropology "often see beauty contests as somehow trivial, frivolous, or vulgar" (Cohen 5). In large measure, this scholarly response reflects the widespread controversy over addressing the cultural construction of "beauty" in the modern context. While feminist critics have led the debate over the scholarly analysis of the construction of beauty, scholars in other fields have tended to avoid discussion of the issue and the cultural practice of beauty contests. As one critic observes of this scholarly aversion: "The failure to grant beauty pageants serious attention may reflect a reluctance to deal with beauty itself as a serious matter" (Cohen 6)."

Sample of Sources Used:

Banner, Lois. American Beauty. New York: Knopf, 1983.
Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin, 1972.
Cocks, Catherine. "There She Is, Miss America: The Politicsof Sex, Beauty and Race in America's Most Popular Pageant."The Journal of American History. 93.2 (2006), 589-590.
Cohen, Colleen, Wilk, Richard and Stoeltje, Beverly. "Introduction." Beauty Queens on the Global Stage. New York:Routledge, 1996, 1-13.
Deford, Frank. There She Is: The Life and Times of MissAmerica. New York: Viking, 1971.