Beyond the Crown: Redefining the Standard of Women's Empowerment through Beauty Pageants in Asia and the West

Note. From "In the spotlight: PH, Australia, other countries winning in Big Four pageants" by Hannah Mallorca, 2024. INQUIRER.net.

The glitz and glamour of the world of beauty pageants has been a staggering platform for showcasing the beauty, poise, and grace of women from all over the world. As a long-standing tradition that continues to improve for decades, beauty pageants have been believed to be a significant platform for building international relations since they promote cultural diplomacy through the convergence of women from all over the world to allow cultural exchange and representation.

However, traditional beauty pageants have historically propagated narrow definitions of beauty and femininity in its early forms which can undermine gender equality and women's empowerment in general. Considerably, this is still a case-to-case basis amongst countries with different cultures. Despite these, the West and Asia agree that there is a positive and negative side to each of its own. 

Western Perspective

In a broad generalisation, Western thinking has been more liberated historically and culturally as the exposition towards the prioritisation of individualism, self-expression, and personal freedom are highly valued. This equated to the Western perception that beauty pageants over the years have been combated as a form of objectification as these pageants perpetuate harmful stereotypes and unrealistic beauty standards that can be viewed not as an inspiration but as a form of discrimination towards women.  

The promotion of narrow and the reinforcement of these beauty standards have been the pinning point of argument that is commonly stressed by Western perspectives as the standards set by these beauty pageants can be seen as discriminative and lacking inclusivity as women have to undergo the standardised judgment of physical-level qualities that are considered unattainable as well as unrealistic.

A prime example is the backlash faced by the Miss America pageant prior to its revamp in 2018 for its emphasis on physical appearance. The intensiveness of these competitions has taken a toll on the mental health of the candidates, as the pressure of maintaining these beauty standards is elusive. The West has also pointed out that these beauty pageants are way different than they used to be before as they are viewed as highly commercialised and argued to have exploited the contestants for profit (Philip, 2024).  In reality, the Western view towards beauty pageants has spanned from women's empowerment and its favourable social impacts to the traditional narrow focus on the constant pressure towards the unrealistic standard set by the expectations of society on what beauty is supposed to be. It is an ongoing norm to set a socially constructed ideal of beauty that only a few women can represent (Kumara & Jayawardhana, 2018). 

"In reality, the Western view towards beauty pageants has spanned from women's empowerment and its favorable social impacts to the traditional narrowed focus on the constant pressure towards the unrealistic standard set by the expectations of society."

Under the tremendous pressure from its audience, the West has slowly evolved with the needs of the people and attempted to be more inclusive by allowing contestants of different body types, ethnicity, and backgrounds to participate. Meanwhile, the Miss America pageant has modified its scoring system into a format that is based on talent, scholarship, and care for society (Goldberg, 2021), which reflects this trend towards the celebration of a diverse set and forms of beauty.

In taking such strides in reshaping beauty ideals through these sites, the West is joined by a new example from Asia in conducting beauty pageants which are grounded in communal values and cultural pride.

The Latter Asian Perspective   

Asia has often viewed beauty pageants as a platform that brings pride and honour to the country and their respective regions. Some Asian countries for the past few decades had placed high respect into beauty pageant representatives as these women who get to represent their nations do not just represent themselves but the multifaceted role of promoting their cultural pride, heritage, and traditions. 

A prime example of this is the Philippines, whose love for beauty pageants is manifested in the country’s efforts to support their candidate. Communities would go lengths to host a pay-per-viewing service during beauty pageant competitions to support the Filipina women who compete regardless of the result. Filipinos take immense pride in their representatives as they contend to showcase the national pride of the country as well as the unique beauty of their representative that goes beyond body types. 

For most Asians, both recognition and sense of pride are the driving force in their support for their representatives. Through the years, these events have been the hope and avenue for Asian women to celebrate individuality and diversity, as well as to bring glory and recognition to their respective countries. Indeed, these platforms are filled with cultural significances and are now considered sites rich with symbolism that can reveal fresh ways of cultural production among communities, regardless of whether this is on a local or regional scale (King-O’Riain, 2007). Beauty pageants are viewed highly in most Asian cultures as they emphasize the cultural values of “pride and achievement” that meet the societal expectations of the people, and do not only celebrate individualistic success but rather its broader impact on the nation, society, and most importantly the family.

"Beauty pageants are viewed highly in most Asian cultures as they ... do not only celebrate individualistic success but rather its broader impact on the nation, society, and most importantly the family."

More than the strict maintenance of the physical image of these contestants, Asians view the amount of dedication, hard work, and perseverance, being forms of discipline, as a testament to their dedication and commitment to thriving and bringing recognition. The stage set for these women creates a new ground that defines femininity and ethnicity in terms of national identity (Banet-Weiser, 1999). However, negative perceptions surrounding these events in Asian societies still persist especially in cases of body image perception and self-esteem.

The case of Japan exemplifies the rigorous training and preparation women go through to conform to the beauty standards and high demands on women (Kobayashi, 2024). In the documentary “The Illusionists,” it stated that Japanese women are under incredible pressure to maintain beauty standards that are distinct from Western ideals, with the National Institute of Mental Health revealing that approximately 30% of women in their 20s are considered underweight (Zeilinger, 2015).  The unrealistic standards raised towards these local pageants in some Asian countries have led to the growing call for more inclusive, diverse representations, and less emphasis on the physical appearance of the contestant which is an image mirroring the earlier phases of the West's perception of these platforms.

Especially in the 21st century, beauty pageants serve as a prestigious platform to showcase the unique beauty of women worldwide and have become a platform for societies to rapidly evolve global perceptions and trends from the "physical" idealism of feminine beauty perceptions but this does not negate the fact that there is still a challenge of analysing the difference between a sense of representation and the traditional expectations from beauty pageant representatives. At the end of the day, beauty pageants should adapt and evolve to guarantee that they will serve as a stage for the removal of numerous negative stereotypes anchored in these platforms and instead pursue the promotion of cultural diplomacy, diversity, and inclusivity through an exchange of cultural identities in a single setup.

This article represents the views of contributors to STEAR's online digital publication, and not those of STEAR, which takes no institutional positions.

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References

Banet-Weiser, S. (1999). The most beautiful girl in the world: Beauty pageants and national identity. University of California Press.

Goldberg, N. (2021, December 13). If the Miss American beauty pageant isn’t a beauty pageant, then what exactly is it?. Yahoo News. https://www.yahoo.com/news/nicholas-goldberg-miss-america-beauty-110514278.html

Philip, E. (2024, March 27). Why are beauty pageants bad?. Miss Planet International. https://missplanetinternational.com/why-are-beauty-pageants-bad/

King-O’Riain, R. (2007). Making the perfect queen: The cultural production of identities in beauty pageants. Sociology Compass, 2(1): 74–83. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.17519020.2007.00056.x 

Kobayashi, N. (2023, January 29). Japan’s “Miss Contests” reflect society’s high demands on women. Nikkei Asia. https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Japan-s-Miss-Contests-reflect-society-s-high-demands-on-women

Kumara, C. & Jayawardhana, W. (2018). International beauty pageants and the construction of hegemonic images of female beauty. Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences. 41: 123. https://doi.org/10.4038/sljss.v41i2.7699

Zeilinger, J. (2015, February 27). The disturbing effect our beauty standards have on women across the world. BDG Media. https://www.mic.com/articles/111228/how-western-beauty-ideals-are-hurting-women-across-the-globe