January 30, 2015 at 6:16 p.m.
Everyone has something to offer
Editorial
There are certainly good things about pageants.
At their best, they offer young women opportunities they would not otherwise experience. The Miss Indiana pageant awards thousands of dollars worth of scholarships, including $8,000 to the winner.
The Jay County Fair Queen contest has a history of selecting its winners for all of the right reasons. It’s not just a beauty pageant, but an effort to select a well-rounded young lady to represent the county at the state level.
But a quick scroll through Twitter while the Miss Universe pageant was airing Sunday evening was depressing.
Mixed in with the usual Twitter fare were tweets from girls comparing themselves to the contestants, noting that they felt ugly or fat, or both, in comparison.
Here’s an example: “With every miss universe contestant that struts down the stage in swimwear, I get more and more depressed.. #fat #sad #fatandsad”
Sad is a good word.
We’re sad that watching Sunday’s pageant would lead any girl to feel the need to compare herself to those on stage.
Sad that anyone is made to feel depressed or unworthy because of her looks or weight.
Sad that those feelings sometimes lead to destructive behavior.
Maybe we need to make it a point to tell these young ladies, on a regular basis, that they are beautiful, and remind them that being beautiful doesn’t necessarily require looking like a Miss Universe contestant. Beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes.
And while we’re at it, it would probably be helpful to mention that physical beauty isn’t everything, and praise them for the other great qualities they possess.
We all appreciate good looks, and there is nothing wrong with that. But too often we allow physical appearance to count for too much in the equation of self worth.
We must also impart to young women, and young men, for that matter, the value of their other positive attributes.
They might be outstanding in the classroom or an all-star in athletics.
They might excel mechanically or have a great singing voice.
They might be dynamic leaders or incredible artists.
And they might have a good heart and genuinely care about others, which really should be the most important quality of them all.
We can all help each other, and especially our youth, by offering someone a compliment each day.
Everyone can’t be Miss Universe. But we all have something positive to offer the world. —R.C.
At their best, they offer young women opportunities they would not otherwise experience. The Miss Indiana pageant awards thousands of dollars worth of scholarships, including $8,000 to the winner.
The Jay County Fair Queen contest has a history of selecting its winners for all of the right reasons. It’s not just a beauty pageant, but an effort to select a well-rounded young lady to represent the county at the state level.
But a quick scroll through Twitter while the Miss Universe pageant was airing Sunday evening was depressing.
Mixed in with the usual Twitter fare were tweets from girls comparing themselves to the contestants, noting that they felt ugly or fat, or both, in comparison.
Here’s an example: “With every miss universe contestant that struts down the stage in swimwear, I get more and more depressed.. #fat #sad #fatandsad”
Sad is a good word.
We’re sad that watching Sunday’s pageant would lead any girl to feel the need to compare herself to those on stage.
Sad that anyone is made to feel depressed or unworthy because of her looks or weight.
Sad that those feelings sometimes lead to destructive behavior.
Maybe we need to make it a point to tell these young ladies, on a regular basis, that they are beautiful, and remind them that being beautiful doesn’t necessarily require looking like a Miss Universe contestant. Beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes.
And while we’re at it, it would probably be helpful to mention that physical beauty isn’t everything, and praise them for the other great qualities they possess.
We all appreciate good looks, and there is nothing wrong with that. But too often we allow physical appearance to count for too much in the equation of self worth.
We must also impart to young women, and young men, for that matter, the value of their other positive attributes.
They might be outstanding in the classroom or an all-star in athletics.
They might excel mechanically or have a great singing voice.
They might be dynamic leaders or incredible artists.
And they might have a good heart and genuinely care about others, which really should be the most important quality of them all.
We can all help each other, and especially our youth, by offering someone a compliment each day.
Everyone can’t be Miss Universe. But we all have something positive to offer the world. —R.C.
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