Abstract
This paper discusses how beauty pageants define gender, hierarchy, and power. The paper contends that, despite growing resentments to a male-imposed version of femininity, women in America are influenced by a wide range of powerful cultural messages that serve to define unrealistic expectations of what women should look like and how they should act. The paper explores the Miss America, Miss Universe, and Miss World pageants.

From the Paper
"Data for the winners of the Miss America competition from 1921 to 1986 (when the pageant stopped collecting the data) were analyzed by Freese and Meland; these researchers found that simple correlations between WHR and a linear measure of the time of pageant victory show that the WHRs of Miss American winners have changed over time. The correlation coefficients indicate that the WHR Miss America winners have decreased over time (r =.-55, p < .001) and those of Playboy centerfold models have increased over time (r =.46, p < .001) (Freese & Meland, 2002, p. 135). On the one hand, the authors say these results could reasonably be assumed to mean that this is evidence of an invariance in the underlying preference over time; the opposing trends, while important, could merely reflect idiosyncrasies of employing self-reported Playboy and Miss America measurements as measures of indicators of American male preferences for specific gender characteristics in the opposite sex at a given point in time. In other words, they say, because the trends are in opposite directions, they can be thought of as canceling each other out, allowing the conclusion that reflected WHR preferences have effectively been temporally invariant despite evidence of change in both samples (Freese & Meland, 2002, p. 136)."

Tags:miss, universe, world, contest

Abstract
The paper discusses how we live in a society in which demands for equality abound. At some point, the rights and privileges associated with the white heterosexual man between the ages of 25 and 40 became associated with the perfect life. At the same time, it seemed that a trend began. The paper describes how hyphenated Americans began their quest for the apparently ideal lifestyle that had been withheld from them. Women, gays and lesbians began their own efforts to achieve this same equality outside of gender and sexual preference. The paper concludes that despite it all, the beauty pageant still survives.

Tags:pageant, media, beauty

Abstract
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)."

Tags:culture, power, gender, race, feminism, male, domination

Abstract
This paper discusses why national beauty contests emerged in America and Australia, among other nations, in the 1920s and why they declined
in popularity by the 1980s.

From the Paper
"The withdrawal of US network television from the Miss America pageant marks a new low in the steady decline of a once great institution: the national beauty contest. From being shared communal events that embodied the hopes and dreams of a sizeable section of their populations and played a role as flag-waving occasions of national pride, events such as Miss America have become just one part of the fragmented multimedia world that is entertainment today, and a distinctly tawdry and unfashionable one at that. The same story of marginalization revealed by ABC's withdrawal from Miss America is repeated across the world, with national contests no longer shared national events."

Tags:Television, contest, fashion, womens, rights, feminism

Abstract
In this article, the writer argues that the "beauty pageant" is a culturally significant object of study given how it represents a site of conflicting readings of power, gender and race where cultural meaning is produced, resisted, and consumed. The writer discusses that, with particular reference to the Miss America pageant, from an anthropological perspective the cultural practice of the beauty pageant is revealing of important elements of the construction of gender, sexuality and race in our mass culture.

From the Paper
"The cultural practice known as the "beauty pageant" or "beauty contest" - originally an American concept - spread across the world during the twentieth century to become a global phenomenon. However, despite its global scope, this practice has been comparatively undocumented and largely dismissed as a serious subject of study by scholars. This essay will argue, however, that the "beauty pageant" is a ..."

Tags:art, meaning, culture

Abstract
In this essay, the writer discusses aspects relating to the Miss America Pageant. The writer focuses on the controversies of the pageant. In this paper, the ideal of the Pageant is studied. The writer examines the Pageant's desire to visually communicate a specific image of the ideal young woman. The relevancy of the Pageant is also discussed. Further, the writer looks at the impact of the Women's Movement on the Pageant.

From the Paper
"The Miss American Pageant has become an institution on the domestic entertainment scene. Countless young women have moved up the ranks of local and state pageants to compete on the boardwalk at Atlantic City hoping that they will be the one to hear the magic words associated with the pageant. 'Here she comes Miss America Our Ideal.' Unfortunately, the pageant has at times been marred by various controversies that speak increasingly to the social and political agenda embraced ... "

Tags:Miss America Pageant, beauty, norms, mores

Abstract
This paper describes the film "Little Miss Sunshine" especially the character Frank, who begins the trip to the Little Miss Sunshine Beauty Pageant as a self-loathing, depressed, suicidal genius. The paper analyzes Frank's attitude makeover from the beginning of the movie to the end. The paper relates that, through various interactions and conversations with another character Dwayne, who is a depressed Nietzsche-obsessed teenager with hatred towards everyone, Frank starts to discover that by helping Dwayne he is actually helping himself. The paper explains that, as the film concludes, Frank develops into a compassionate human being, determined to power through whatever sticky situation he and his family encounter.

From the Paper
"After Dwayne discovers that he is colorblind and is unable to become a pilot, he breaks his vow of silence in a fit of rage. This breaks down the wall between Dwayne and the rest of the family, allowing Frank to get closer to Dwayne. Frank begins conversing with Dwayne outside the Little Miss Sunshine Beauty Pageant, helping him to realize that what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. He goes on to tell Dwayne about Marcel Proust, a "total loser, never had a real job, unrequited love affairs, gay...spent 20 years writing a book that nobody reads.""

Tags:suicide self-loathing proust, risky dance, nietzsche-obsessed

Abstract
Notwithstanding the adage, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," to explain why some humans appear more attractive than others, this paper provides a review of the relevant literature to identify what scientific basis there is for making determinations of beauty and how this can be applied to fashion models today. A discussion of the criticisms being directed against beauty pageants and their directors is followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.

From the Paper
"We have all seen it: the New Miss America proudly walking down the runway, tears streaming down her humble face as she displays her crown and scepter -- showing the whole world exactly what it takes to be considered "beautiful." Some researchers, though, say the swimsuit-and-scholarship competition promotes an "ideal of female undernutrition" by crowning ever-skinnier contestants. A member of the staff at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health said, "Clearly there is a trend toward undernourished winners." In a recent analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, scientists examined the decline in body mass index (BMI) scores among contest winners since first Miss America won the title in 1921. The winner of that contest had a BMI of 20.4. The "BMI reflects a person's weight divided by height to arrive at a number indicative of weight-related health" (Vergano, 2002, n. pag.)."

Tags:barbie, pageant, Golden, Section

Abstract
This paper explores reflexivity in the medieval morality plays, "Mariken van Nieumeghen" and "Man's Desire and "Fleeting Beauty". The paper explains how both are reflexive in that they are both examples of a play-within-a-play: the play enacted within the play reflects the town's morality and quality of living as a whole.

From the Paper
"Reflexivity is central in Dutch plays much like that of the York Pageant Cycle. Drama often served as a self-reflection for the city and its social norms and conventions. When reading the plays with cultural performance in mind, often the ideological multilayeredness is revealed. There is no one reason why the play was produced, and the play is reflexive of the city it was produced in more ways than one. Some Dutch morality plays were designed to instruct audiences in the Christian way of life and church attitude toward death. They differed from the cycle plays by not drawing from biblical stories and characters."

Tags:referential, social, norms, conventions, allegory, epitome, everyman, sin, folly, redemption, dutch, york, pageant, cycle

Abstract
The paper is about how the perception of beauty has changed and how people from different cultures define beauty. It offers a look at how this has changed through philosophy, culture, and society.

From the Paper
"One of the greatest beauties is the beauty of people. It can be expressed both in inner and outer qualities. Outer beauty has been admired in all cultures whether it is the pure natural human form or the use of attractive costumes and paints. Whereas people's inner beauty expresses itself through their character. The standards of what is beautiful might vary from culture to culture and from time to time, but there is something that does not change - all human beings crave for beauty. No matter how different is the vision of beauty in the different cultures, everybody wants to be beautiful and attractive, because to be beautiful is to be desired. Since people existed, they were exposed to the subjective standards of beauty and that most of the people strive to live up the beauty ideals of their society."

Tags:beauty, women