by Brian Williams

Created on: May 06, 2009

Hard to believe maybe, but as a red blooded American guy, I can say without a doubt that beauty pageants are sexist. I may be going against my own grain here, but the simple fact that there are no men beautifying Speedos on stages across the country is a pretty good indication that I'm right (bodybuilding events don't count, no one gets the Mr. Congeniality ribbon in those).

I never really thought about the double standard that exists between the sexes till I became a dad to a little girl myself. Marrying a feminist also warrants mentioning too. While on a shopping trip once, the wife brought up the fact that little boys get all the neat toys while girls get stuck with dolls and toy kitchens, thus marking one of the few clarifying Zen moments I've had in my life. While the feminists would assert that true feminism is about choice and that the pageant going gals are exercising that freedom, the right answer is to even the table and bring on the men's pageants. That way, everyone benefits: the girls who participate in pageants for college money still get to play, tradition is left intact, and the men get to endure the catcalls and uncomfortable horny stares from women (and probably other men, too.)

There's no use in really trying to fight the quo, you can't do much to change the institution of pageants. What can be done is for the girls to take initiative and put the sex back into sexism. Fight fire with fire. Do as the Romans do. Get some sponsors, rent the venue, and stage an all male pageant, complete with all the trimmings: talent, swimsuit, Q&A, the works. Not only would a legitimate event like that garner all kinds of free press, but once successful enough would surely spur some competition, and the next thing you know the entire idea of the spectacle of bikini clad girls being classified as "pretty" or "the prettiest" is devalued and no longer considered "sexist". After all, isn't actual sexism about the social scale being tipped to favor one gender over the other?

While there's that whole other can of worms about the children's pageant circuit, the argument here is whether or not beauty pageants (Miss America, Miss Universe, Miss Teen USA, etc.) are sexist, and the truth is yes, whether you're in favor of them or not. Once she's grown to the right age, if my little girl wanted to compete in a pageant, surely I'd support her. It's her choice. God knows if I had the goods and knew I stood a chance of banking some nice coin just for getting dolled up and parading around on stage for a few hours, I'd be in.

The girls the pageants compete voluntarily, no one is twisting any arms. Banning or protesting pageants isn't feasible, some gals depend on them. But swinging the door the other way eliminates the sexist notion and evens the Battle Between the Sexes, even if just a tad bit.

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