By Jessica Warren

I can remember when I was little watching the Miss America Pageant at a friend's house every year. We only had one TV, and no one else in my family was interested.

We would all make our opinions about whose hair, dress, and talent we liked. We all, of course, were hoping Miss Utah would make it, but when she didn't, we all picked our next best favorite.

Now that I am older and wiser (?), I look at the Pageant as a 20-year-old college student, a girl feeling, at times, inadequate of the things I feel I am expected to do and be.

This year, Miss Pennsylvania said that people are confused about what competing in the pageant is all about. She said it's an opportunity to win money for college, and open a way for a great woman to help fix the problems of society.

I would first like to look at her first defense, scholarship money. There is a lot of money for college involved. The winner of the crown wins $30,000. But let's talk about the money it takes to get to the Miss America Pageant.

First, you need to win your city pageant. For example, where I'm from, you need to win Miss American Fork. This involves buying an evening gown, a talent outfit, an interview outfit, usually a tailored suit, and a swimsuit. This can total hundreds of dollars, not to mention outfits that are usually not wearable again.

Then, if you win that title, you go to the Miss Utah Pageant. Now the process just starts over. New evening gown, new interview outfit, new talent outfit, new swimsuit. Again, hundreds of dollars on items may never be worn again. If you disagree, ask yourself how many times you wear a formal in your adult years, or even college years? Perhaps the swimsuit and the interview suit are good investments, but this is only part of the costs.

Now that we have the title of Miss Utah, we go on to Atlantic City to dazzle and try to win the hearts of the judges of the Miss America Pageant. This year the judges included Judge Judy (you know, a judge on one of the new, fad TV court shows) and Tia Carrere, that really bad actress from Wayne's World who played Cassandra, Wayne's girlfriend, (who, by the way, was featured in Maxim magazine for men with Jaime Pressly in little and/or nothing at all).

Again, the process begins again. New evening gown, new talent outfit, new swimsuit. Each of the 51 contestants (the extra is for Miss District of Columbia) compete in the 12-minute interview, evening gown, swimsuit and talent. From there, the judges pick 10 finalists to compete on television, what we in TV land see.

This year they decided to change it. The 10 finalists compete in evening gown and swimsuit. From there, the judges narrow it down to five finalists, who go on to compete in the talent and interview.

Over the past few years there have been some controversies over the judging of women on their looks, (characteristics beyond control) over things they can control (personality, convictions, morals, etc.). The pageant and contestants have fought this, changing the rules of swimsuit, contestants doing their own hair and make up, picking their own outfits rather than having a standard for each competition. This year they even talked about allowing divorced women and women who have had abortions. This might be all good and well, but what does it change about the judging?

It was obvious to me that by eliminating five contestants simply by looking at them in an evening gown and swimsuit says it plain and clear: "That after we get it down to the most 'beautiful' women, we'll hear what they have to say, and what they can do."

Sure the Miss America Pageant is an American tradition, but a tradition of what? To parade women around in swimsuits and high heels (I want to know how many of us actually would wear that ensemble?) and evening gowns (when today most people don't change out of jeans to go to the symphony or ballet) is pointless, meaningless, demeaning to females everywhere. The Miss America Pageant reinforces those ideals of perfectness and thinness, and heightens the already high insecurities in young women across the country. If the tradition must continue, I just hope I will be able to teach my future children about the importance of not watching the Miss America Pageant.

-- Jessica Warren

Staff Writer

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