Beauty Pageants Pros and Cons List
Since the 19th Century, beauty pageants have been held around the world that highlight the good looks and talents of their contestants. While there are some obvious positives that can be taken from these contests and the crowds that they attract, there are also some notable negative factors that should be considered as well. To this day, these events are growing worldwide and the variety of contestants that participate and the affect that they have on society. It may just be a question of the pageants being a good outlet for the individual’s growth or just a shallow event that that promotes the wrong values.
List of Pros of Beauty Pageants
1. Qualities and Skills Are Tested
One positive aspect of beauty pageants is the fact that one can really become good at public speaking and performing in front of large groups. When you get practice at being in front of people and keeping your cool, you will feel better about doing it and expressing yourself freely. This could be valuable training for a future career in music, broadcasting, and other jobs that require you to speak to groups of people with confidence. You can see your comfort level grow with experience and you can get a level of comfort that helps you grow as a person.
2. Fitness and Discipline is Needed
The level of fitness and discipline that it often takes to participate in beauty pageants can help a person in the contest and in the future. Getting your body in top shape to be in a pageant is typically very hard work and you learn how to put in the effort. Not only do you gain knowledge on how much it takes to get to peak physical condition, you can also learn a lot about patience. After putting in the time to get yourself in shape, you can get a greater appreciation for the results you see and use this outlook to help you in future activities.
3. Can Win Prizes and Awards
Winning and participating in pageants can lead to great prizes and opportunities for those who are involved. Many of the top beauty pageants do not award cash prizes for the winners, instead they usually give awards like college scholarships. There are good opportunities to travel the world and represent the pageant that you are involved with and make new connections. Doing charity work and being the face of your pageant are other benefits of getting involved and winning. There are other pageants that do offer cash prizes and can really help the contestant fund their passion.
4. Fosters Goals and Ambition in Life
Going through the experience of participating in beauty pageants can help you to go for other things in life that you want and really push you forward. The confidence you gain will be there when you do other things that challenge you and you will have the self-esteem to do what you want. Contests that require you to show a talent can encourage individuals who are not focused only on their beauty to get involved and prove that looks and talent can go together. Having to answer tough questions on the spot can also improve your ability to think quickly and accurately.
List of Cons of Beauty Pageants
1. Can Become Shallow and Overconfident
One downside of being in beauty pageants is the chance that you can become shallow and hung up on the beauty part of it all. Getting into a beauty pageant and winning one can be great but it can also make someone care about their looks even more than they did before and become conceited. People will shower contests winners with so much attention that the positive aspects of what the competition should be can be pushed to the side and overconfidence can take its place. Contestants should try to keep a straight head about it and use it to build good qualities.
2. Feelings of Depression if You Lose
Losing a beauty pageant can also cause someone to lose confidence and come away with a negative outlook on the whole experience. Someone who really wanted to win a pageant and those who may already have a lack of self-confidence can really feel depressed and empty. Without a good network of support, someone can let a pageant affect them in a way that is unhealthy and counterproductive. It is best to remember what positive things you gained from participating and build off those factors and reinforce what is good.
3. Focus on Physical Beauty is Bad for Younger Children
Children participating in pageants can experience all the negative results that can come with losing just like adults can. Since young kids are not mature enough to handle things the way adults can, they may be more likely to take a defeat hard and lose some self-confidence. There has been considerable criticism of having children participate in beauty pageants and having them focus so much on looks and judges can be harmful. If a child is going to be entered into these types of competitions, they should be taught the right lessons and have fun doing it.
4. Taxing on Health and Financial State
The toll that entering beauty pageants can take on your finances and health can be quite taxing. It is not cheap to get from city to city to get into pageants and the clothing alone can be expensive. Training hard to get your body where you want it can be tough too and eating disorder can occur when you take it too far. You have to find the balance between being focused on your goal and care of yourself at the same time. It you can avoid the pressure getting to you, you can enjoy what you are doing without it being extra stressful.
There is no perfect way to be a beauty pageant contestant and winning and losing is decided by someone other than you. Getting the most out of being in pageants and using the positive factors to improve yourself as a person, is the best result you can ask for. Winning is a bonus that should not shape a person and losing should not either. Everyone can get something good out of being involved and find a happy ending. Beauty is a nice quality to have but there are more important qualities to be had and pageants are forums that can help you increase these more honorable characteristics.