The media’s role in the public’s view of Pageants

When I think of pageants the first thing that comes to mind is a scene from Miss Congeniality a popular movie made in 2000 about an FBI agent who goes undercover at a Miss America Pageant. In one unforgettable scene from the movie, the contestants are all asked the same on stage interview question and one by one they all say the exact same answer… “world piece”. This is just one example of how movies and other media sources shape our image of what beauty pageants are really all about. In the 2007 Miss Teen USA pageants, Katie Coble turned into an infamous youtube star overnight when she was asked about lack of geographical knowledge in the United States and answered with broken sentences, poor grammar and points that were completely off topic. The 2006 Miss USA title holder, Tara Conner, also became a tabloid scandal when she was ordered by the organization to go to rehab because of excessive partying and possible cocaine use. These are just some of the things that the media has used to give pageant girls a reputation for being pretty, dumb and hypocritical. The media never focuses on any of the positive things that pageants bring to the young women who partake in them like the millions of dollars spent each year on scholarships and the work that title holders do to support their platforms.