Persuasive Essay On American Pageants

Butt glue, spray tans and 20 second, world changing answers, I have seen them all. For the past four years I have been behind the scenes of the pageant world.

In 2013 I watched my best friend become Miss Wisconsin Teen USA, in 2014 I watched her compete for Miss Teen USA in the Bahamas and just two weeks ago I was crying as I watched her become crowned Miss Wisconsin USA 2016.

Yes “one of the ugliest souls on the planet” was her boss, and yes, it was one of the best things to have ever happened in her life.

I cannot say I fully stand behind every aspect of pageants. There could probably be a little less swimsuit and a little more intelligence. That said, I will support them to anyone who asks my opinion.

John Oliver really hit this point on the Last Week Tonight show, and he hit it hard. He makes you really realize the austerity of the Miss America scholarship fund. For a fairly regular pageant goer, what the

organization claims is angering.

Oliver focuses his accusations more on the organization than he does the women competing which I have to applaud him for.

His harshness seems to come from a place that wants to advance the view of women in today’s society.

Back to my friend. Let’s just say prior to pageants, she was not in the best place in her life. In the most contradictory way, she felt more of society’s pressure to be perfect before pageants than she does now as a two-time title holder.

The pageant world not only gave her assurance in herself, it also gave her a bigger voice. Instead of feeling inadequate, she realized that she held influence with her crown.

Whether we like it or not, young girls know what being “beautiful” is in today’s society. My friend is the perfect example of this beauty. She knows it, and she utilizes it in every aspect of marketing herself and her platform, “Perfection is Perception.”

This is where Oliver had me hooked. We need to advance the perception of women in society and give them the tools they need to strong, influential

individuals.

For a second, Oliver had me thinking we should get rid of pageants completely. He captured me with his humor and threw down hard facts that had me convinced.

I hope he had as many people hooked as he had me. If the Miss America organization is the largest provider of women-only scholarships, then we really need to re evaluate the amount of power we are giving women to succeed.

As if I was not a big enough supporter of pageants before watching this Last Week Tonight clip, Oliver convinced me just how necessary it may be for women to walk around on stage with their swim suits glued to them.
If I were Oliver, I would not have presented the issue any differently. I would have questioned the Miss America organization as much as he did. In fact, we should constantly be questioning all pageants.

No, I do not think we should take them away completely. Instead, we should work to have them better support women in their efforts to be educated and be leaders of social change.

I cannot wait until I can see my friend on the Miss USA stage in July. Even more than that, I cannot wait to see the positive impact she has on young women across this country.

I hope everyone who heard Oliver’s opinion take it to heart. The perception of women and the amount of support they are given needs all of the attention it can get to ensure strong women of the future.