The Miss Universe Pageant-- The Wrong Image It Now Portrays

When you think of the Miss Universe Pageant, what do you think of?

If you are a male and breathing, you are probably thinking of women in heels and bikinis, or smiling women walking the runway in evening gowns. If you are a female, well, I'm not quite sure just what you might be thinking of. I am still trying to figure that out after almost 10 years of marriage!

And then I wonder what young girls might be thinking. You see I am the dad of two daughters.

Now you are probably wondering, "where is this going anyway?". I am getting to my points, trust me.

I came across an article from Fox News online about how they have added something new to the pageant this year. They have added a nude, well, topless and body painted photo shoot that the contestants can participate in.

Now, that will probably make a lot of men and young boys happy, but to me, I am not one of them.  You see I always thought that pageants like this showcased the whole person, not just their body.  That is why they asked them questions, and they had talent portions, right?  But now it seems that this is just another exploitation of women, and a way for Donald Trump to boost ratings.

More importantly, how does this affect the thinking of young women around the world?  Will this make them think that to get ahead in the world, beauty is all that matters?  Brains and talent are just there, "just in case"? Will they think that the way to win is to show your breast off, pasties or not?   Why is Donald Trump turning this into more of a Playboy spread than what it originally was meant to be, a showcase of the whole woman?

It is my understanding that posing topless was not mandatory, and some of the contestants posed in swimsuits and allowed body paint to be applied.  Some, including the reigning Miss USA did pose topless, although with her back to the camera.  All in all, I have to ask myself why was it necessary in the first place.

I will be curious to see who the top 10 finishers are for this year's pageant.  Did they pose topless?  I will not watch, but I will be looking for the scorecard to be posted in the media to see.


Eric