Wednesday, 15 July 2009
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Should Christians Participate in Beauty Pageants?
by Sharon Hodde of SheWorships
It’s been a couple months now since the controversy surrounding Carrie Prejean first blew up. Since then Prejean abdicated her Miss California throne and has been touring the Christian speaking circuit supporting traditional marriage and Christian values. I just watched a video of her appearance at Liberty University, and in it she is considerably more composed and articulate than she has typically been portrayed. You can check it out for yourself here.Although Prejean’s interview was well-done and uplifting, I couldn’t help but get hung up on something. Over and over again the interviewers commended her unwillingness to compromise and her boldness to stand for Christ. Prejean herself challenged the students at Liberty to do the same. Yet every time she and Liberty’s chancellor discussed her strength under pressure and the importance of personal holiness in a worldly culture, one image kept flashing into my mind: The swimsuit competition.
I don’t know what Liberty’s dress code is, but I would be willing to bet they frown on women donning string bikinis, let alone parading around in one before millions of viewers on television. In fact, most church youth groups won’t even let their girls wear a two-piece bathing suit to camp.
But before jumping to any conclusions, I decided to do a little research. I found that Prejean did wear a skimpy bikini in the contest, but she was not the first professing Christian to do so. Last week the latest Miss America appeared on the 700 Club with evangelical Pat Robertson, and she talked about her faith in Christ and and the central role it played in her life. When I googled her name, a picture of her in a tiny black, barely there bikini popped up.
I tried finding photos of contestants wearing one-piece bathing suits in these competitions, but they were few and far between. In the process of searching I actually discovered that it was in the mid-90’s when the Miss America Pageant began encouraging participants to wear two-pieces instead of one. The organization highlighted the skimpier and less inhibited bathing suits in its promotions in order to boost ratings.
While I am not morally opposed to two-piece bathing suits (I own a few myself) I am bothered by 2 things about the nature of these competitions:
1. The Display Factor–these women aren’t just wearing the suits because they’re comfortable or to get a good tan, but to show off their nearly naked bodies to a watching audience. Displaying one’s body is the sole purpose of the swimwear.
2. The Face Factor–While there is some emphasis on personality, intelligence, and philanthropy, you don’t exactly see a lot of chubby girls up there. Try as they might to convince us otherwise, we all know that at the end of the day, a woman will not become Miss America on the basis of a great personality if she’s got a little junk in her trunk. That said, the pageant compares women on some characteristics that hold little value in God’s economy. In a culture of womanhood that is already so competitive, should we really be encouraging women to willingly subject themselves to it?
But what really concerns me more than anything else is the way Christian media outlets seem to eat this stuff up. In addition to Liberty’s broadcast, Prejean appeared on Focus on the Family and presented an award at the Dove Awards. Is that really wise? While some of these women do profess Christ in public and that is a good thing, does being pretty, Christian and famous automatically qualify someone as a role model for young Christian women? Even the young lady on the 700 Club admitted that she rarely goes to church because of her busy schedule. As a member of the Body of Christ, that is a significant problem, yet Pat Robertson nodded along with a sympathetic look that conveyed, “I totally understand.”
It may not be clear from my tone, but I do feel torn on this issue. After all, we need Christians EVERYWHERE–we need believers in the workplace, the government, Hollywood, etc. so that we can be salt and light to the world around us. But that doesn’t mean women should become strippers for the sake of reaching other strippers. The Miss America Pageant is not nearly that extreme, but it is a point worth considering. Is it possible for a Christian woman to participate in a competition that compares her with others on the basis of their looks, shed their modesty as they stand before millions in a tiny bikini, and still be uncompromisingly faithful to God?
I’m not going to give an answer to that question, but I do know this–conservative evangelical institutions that are loud about modesty and personal holiness might pick their spokespeople wisely. Fame and visibility are the kind of qualifiers that will later come back to bite you.
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Comments (19)
I honestly don`t see anything particularly horrible about christians being in beauty pagents but that said yeah I do kind of them to be sexist.
And what about christian actors who involved in heavy-kissing scenes with other actors? If that's fine, why not beauty pagents? I think we always think that it is no good for christians to participate in such kind of "entertainment show" because the temptation awaiting will make us hard to withstand. If we concern too much about beauty or the fame thing, we are so easy to fall and lost the original track towards Christ. But maybe someone is destined to fulfil something for christ in that field. So I don't think it is reasonable for us to judge her wearing a two-piece bathing suits. :P
What bothers me is the fact that she got a standing ovation at the Dove Awards. For what, exactly? Would she have been such a celebrity if she'd fed the hungry, helped underprivileged kids, or fought against AIDS in Africa? She wouldn't have even been invited. I know it's not the topic of this post, I just don't get it.
I fully agree with you. Many men struggle with sexual addiction, and this type of costuming feeds the beast. I am not going to question Ms Prejean's profession of faith (nor any other young woman. I appreciate that God made us uniquely different as male and female), but it was not wise for her to have been paraded in her bikini, and then immediately honored publicly by our "leaders" in family ministries. We need to walk a little more circumspectly.
@pb49r@xanga - we need to walk a LOT more circumspectly.
I know this is completely out of context, but the verse that popped into my mind is Revelation 16:15 -- "Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame."
Anyway, I think that Christians, as a whole, have been talked into giving up WAY too much, for the sake of trying to relate to people. Carrie Prejean professes her faith after a beauty pageant, and all of a sudden we learn ... a lot of things we'd rather not know.
She got no respect for having lower standards of decency or what constitutes "tasteful" art ... no, she got ridiculed for it. No one is taking her seriously after we found out she lied, was quite indiscreet - especially the atheists. To them, she's just another hypocrite.
We've relaxed our standards in order to related, and feel we have common ground with people - but instead we've realized all that's happened is we're now called hypocrites. We're respected less after our standards go down, because we're seen as compromisers.
Far be it from me to consider myself better than Carrie Prejean or anyone else - there are standards I've compromised on too. But with God's help, I think I'm getting back on track. I'd rather be seen as out of touch with reality than as a hypocrite.
"Even though the world may think I'm losing touch with reality, it would be crazy to choose this world over eternity." -- Mercy Me, "Crazy"
First of all, I'm thankful we all live in a place where we have rights and can do what we believe. But, well, to me and my family, and in my country, the way I was raised, there's right and wrong and I believe personally that beauty pageants are wrong.
If you can do so without being a slave to vanity, I suppose its okay. But I highly doubt that this is possible.
And Prejean is not the first professing Christian to wear a skimpy swimsuit..period. We will know they are Christians by the one-piece bathing suits they wear on TV...? Uh, NO. A two piece bathing suit at the beach is still a two piece bathing suit on TV or in a mag.Its either okay to wear in public or it isn't. I think beauty pagents are vain, shallow, and not the wisest thing for a Christian to participate in, but she did, and she did what was expected of her...and I don't think she was originally attempting to be a "Christian" role model. If anyone is at fault, its the Christians who put her on a pedestal.
if a majority of Christians believe that it's wrong to be a temptation, it's hypocritical to say that beauty pageants are okay.
why not?
if you dont want to do it,
you dont have to.
if you do,
go for it.
Who gives a titts.... I think she's sexy... i'd poke...
Eh, if it takes her fancy then I really don't care. Personally, I'm just not impressed in beauty pageants in general. Most of the girls up there aren't anything like what I would consider beautiful.
Having been in a beauty pageant, I'm going to interject.
I, for one, was not in a bikini. I would say as far as girls in bikinis and those that were not, it was an even split. It was when I ran, anyway. What about girls that wear bikinis that AREN'T doing it for an "audience"? People are still watching them. Though it's on a smaller scale, how is it different from girls in a beauty pageant on a stage in a bikini? For another thing, a beauty pageant takes into account the WHOLE girl... not just what she looks like. I won't lie and say it's a nonfactor, because it is. The point of the swimsuit competition is to see how well she takes care of herself. There are times when your physical appearance is an indicator of how well one cares for themselves. Just throwing that out there.
I do agree with your point about what a Christian role model should be. The fact that she barely attends church is bothersome to me. In my opinion, if you're busy, that's when you REALLY need to attend church. You need to hear what God wants to say to you, and you can't hear if you're too busy. Straying from the Lord doesn't happen overnight. It's good to say that you're a Christian, but especially if you're going to be in the public eye, you need to keep a tight leash on what you do. BIG time. Heck, you should be doing it even if you aren't in the spotlight... if you aspire to be in it. What people will see you do publicly (for better or for worse) will be an indicator of what you've been doing all along. The popularity will simply amplify those things.
okay, that's all.
i vote no, and NOT because of the swimsuit contest. imo, the swimsuit contest is a good reason no women should participate, not just christian women. (i feel like i need to clarify here. i am not anti-swimsuit, but very much anti the objectification that's clearly behind this "contest." i strongly disagree with blaming women who wear swimsuits on stage for "displaying their bodies"--my problem is with whoever the heck thought this up in the first place and the people who keep it running, including those who buy into it. so the women are included in this, but indirectly; because i'm not a fan of their willingness to buy into such a stupid culture. okay, i'm done now..) anyway, i vote no, "christian" women shouldn't participate in this kind of competition..it's so shallow, materialistic, and very sexist.
There are many questionable activities that we could list depending on our particular tastes.
To show you how things have changed: I am 75, and remember Christian men discussing:
Should I work in a store that sells alcohol?
Should I work in a store that sells cigarettes?
Should I work on Sunday?
What should I do if someone uses the Lord's name in vain in my presence?
How do we protect our children from hearing the 'world's music?
Things have changed.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I too am a bit torn regarding what you wrote. I am a former beauty queen from the Philippines but became Christian about ten years after representing my country in the Miss Universe pageant in 1985. In those days we wore one piece swimsuits. If we had to wear two piece swimsuits I would have balked not because of modesty but because I felt I was a bit chubby in certain areas and a one-piece hid those areas quite nicely.
I still haven't really formulated a stand on one-piece or two-piece but I do believe that it's a woman's attitude that counts more. You can be fully clothed and still be a 'tease' and then you can be in a two piece swimsuit and look decent. Now if I could only shave off all this excess fat and even wear a two-piece, LOLOLOL!!!
Will include your blog in my list of favorite Beauty Queen articles. Visit my blog if you have the chance - http://adventuresofabeautyqueen.wordpress.com
LIberty college couldn't care less about the swimsuit competition--she agrees with them on their political agenda so they're going to use her as much as possible. Honestly, I'm more offended by her answer to that infamous question than by the fact that she wore a two piece bathing suit. I'm appalled that she's been used by the Christian media ever since to represent the "outstanding Christian" who stands up for what they believe. I mean, yeah, I commend her for standing up for what she believes, but have no respect for those beliefs--and the last thing the American church needed was Miss America condemning gays to the entire nation on behalf of the entire Christian community.
pageants like this in general objectify women and certain physical characteristics while making other women feel put down. The women/people defending them are generally the beautiful people who can/could/have participated in a beauty pageant.
It's amazing how the Christian community will pick up on someone like this to idolize. It's really no different than the secular media's idolization of Michael Jackson recently.
And yeah, I am definitely anti-pageant. They kind of make me a little sick to my stomach.
I see nothing wrong with Christians competing in beauty pageants. We are in the world not of it, and being in a beauty pageant is being in the world & giving yourself an opportunity to help change it.
I don't see anything wrong with Christians being in beauty pageants. I am a local title holder and when I did my state pageant I just asked the pageant director if I could "tweak" the rules a bit. I didnt show anything that would be considered "immodest". But that's just what I'm personally convicted of. I wanted the judges to notice the Christ in me, not any particular part of my body.Besides,,,I'm plus size (yes I competed in a pageant where a size 0 was the norm) Pageants are a great experience for any young woman..if you're going to represent Christ, then go for it.