Miss America 'gets real'
http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
WHAT do you get when you combine "Regis," "Richard
Hatch" and a bevy of bathing beauties competing for a
chance to wear the coveted tiara?
No, it's not a reality television nightmare. It's the
"new and improved" Miss America Pageant, which will be
telecast live on September 22, 2001.
In an effort to boost sagging ratings, organizers of
this year's pageant are considering a make-over for
the 81-year-old beauty competition.
In a society where more people can name the winner of
the "Survivor" show than The Secretary of State, it's
not surprising that pageant organizers have elected to
incorporate elements of reality television programming
in the hopes of attracting a wider viewing audience.
Robert Renneisen, president of the Miss America
Organization, says that "the Miss America telecast
has been providing viewers with high-stakes reality
television since its broadcast debut in 1954.
Instead of some contrived contest, the pageant
culminates with one previously unknown woman becoming
a celebrity overnight." And that, he added, is reality TV.
Come on. The Miss America Pageant is about as real as
Madonna's British accent, Pamela Anderson's implants
and Twinkies.
Ric Ferentz, moderator for the Miss America Website is
confused by the public's negative perception of the
pageant. "For the longest time, The Miss America
Organization has been misunderstood, and we really
couldn't understand why people didn't realize that
she's not just a bathing beauty."
Perhaps the misunderstanding arose at the inception of
the pageant in 1921, when only young, attractive women
were invited to compete in a contest that historically
has judged women on the merits of their physical
beauty.
The continued objectification of the female through
the introduction of the swimsuit competition, has
further contributed to the stereotypical ideal of the
beauty queen as an intellectually vapid, vacuous,
shallow, female, forever flashing a frozen smile,
while offering the classic half-cupped wave.
But that's just a guess on my part. I could be wrong.
Originally, in the 1920s, the pageant began as an
attempt to extend the summer season into autumn and to
attract crowds and increase revenue in Atlantic City.
The birth of the feminist movement in the '60s
combined with the recent growth in cable TV, where
viewers can always find women parading around in less
than a bathing suit, have contributed to the decline
of the once popular show.
While this year's contestants will not be forced to
eat cow brains to win, pageant producers have borrowed
elements of ""Survivor,'' ""Big Brother,'' and ""Who
Wants To Be A Millionaire.'' It also has renamed some
of the competitive segments. Some of the proposed
changes include:
But Renneisen disagrees. "What you're more likely to
see is something like a sorority house...a lot of
teamwork and support. There's not a lot of catty
stuff.''
Great, this is beginning to sound a lot like last
year's show. If you want my unsolicited two cents, how
about forgetting the sorority house bit and including
some conflict, some angst?
Trust me, a couple of good cat fights could raise the
ratings through the roof. But that's just a guess on
my part.
I could be wrong.
Jewish World Review August 31, 2001 / 12 Elul, 5761
By Jill R. Jacobs
Some cynics have speculated (OK, some have hoped) that
allowing contestants to take part in voting for their
favorite beauty queen upon their own elimination may
result in some cat-fighting.
Jill Rachel Jacobs is a Manhattan-based writer and singer. Send your comments by clicking here.
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