A 50 year old Miss Universe?
Are the new MUO regulations (or lack thereof) a sign of inclusivity, or just capitalism under the guise of progression?
Welcome to the first post of Riled Up! This might be an uncomfy one for many of my friends. So much of my circle is built around women I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in the pageant, beauty, or fashion community. None of this is personal, and I hope you enjoy it, even if it does rile you up ;)
For the past 72 years, the contestants of the prestigious Miss Universe pageant have been required to be unmarried, childless, and no older than 27. Now, that’s all changed. At the end of 2023, The Miss Universe Organization announced that any woman regardless of age, marital, or childbearing status can walk the stage in pursuit of the Mouawad Force for Good Crown (worth over $5 million…the irony). Some are touting this as a diverse and inclusive move for the organization, a celebration of women throughout all stages of womanhood. Others view it as nothing more than capitalism under the guise of progression. (That’s me, I’m who thinks that.)
Miss USA state entry numbers are low. So low in fact, that many directors are opting to combine their competitions with neighboring states to lower costs. Accompanied by poor television ratings, people appear to be less interested in beauty competitions than ever. As scandals soar (here’s looking at you, Pageantry Reimagined) and viewership plummets, the timing of this regulation change is exceptionally coincidental. How can we get more women involved, they wonder? By allowing more women to be involved. State entry fees range from several hundred to thousands of dollars simply to enter. The organization has now multiplied its potential candidate pool substantially, generating vastly more income by removing nearly all regulations to compete.
Womanhood is facing a major shift in the eyes of society. Significant progress has been made in professional ascension, offering exponential growth and a broad variety of career and life opportunities. Pageant winners like Zozi Tunzi and Cheslie Kryst exemplified a new ideology and direction for the organization. Now, as all regulations have been lifted, is this a mark of diversity, or a strategic marketing ploy?
Miss Universe now claims to celebrate beauty, intelligence, and empowerment for women in all walks of life.
The latter of this mission statement offers a modern take on the new trajectory for those involved with the pageant, both for contestants and viewers alike. It would appear that the organization, which has historically crowned 20-somethings who were no larger than a size 4, is ready for a drastic change.
As you’re reading this, you may be a current or previous titleholder, perhaps a hopeful contestant, or possibly a devoted fan with a social media page dedicated to your favorite contestants. Or your pageant knowledge may only extend to the one time you kinda watched Miss Congeniality. Whatever it is, if you find yourself uncomfortable with my stances, or you think I just have no idea what a pageant is truly like, I represented Montana at Miss USA in 2020. There was once a time when my life was engulfed by what many call crown chasing, but that’s a story for another time. Stay tuned for that exposé (on myself.)
The public image of a beauty queen has shifted drastically over the years, and it changes from system to system ie. Miss USA to Miss America, and while many people have a perception of pageant queens attending local events or smiling for photos with kids wearing their crowns, which at times still does happen, overall today’s modern titleholder looks a bit different. Mostly we see her online. When a new titleholder is crowned, she is given a contract that outlines the rules and requirements to follow throughout her reign (yes, we’re still calling it that.) A large portion of a titleholder's contract is dedicated to her sponsorship and social media responsibilities.
This sponsorship package often includes photoshoots, coaching, and stuff. Lots of stuff. Brand partnerships are the foundation of modern pageantry. What’s more, the new reigning queen does not have the freedom to refuse to promote companies and brands that they don’t morally align with. Queens are bound to blindly promote any products they are given. I was told that if my vegan beliefs forced me to refuse to swim with dolphins at a pageant-related outing, I would be in breach of contract and potentially forced to give up my title and would not be allowed to compete at Miss USA.
To be an exceptional titleholder, you must also be an exceptional brand ambassador. Social media is now the crux of pageant queen responsibilities, and the brand deals are the driving force behind the posts. The vast majority of these deals are products that alter or enhance your physical appearance. What was once confined to a very specific subset of eligible Miss Universe contestants is now expanding to all women everywhere. Much of this new direction reminds me of the expansion of skincare and makeup targeted towards men, which many saw as inclusive. Yet, in truth, it created a market that did not previously exist, generating insecurity and financial loss to uphold a newly placed beauty standard.
For a moment, let’s backtrack and talk about the importance of image in the pageant community. Is it wrong to encourage women to step into the very tall and equally uncomfortable heels of pageant queendom and have her take on the responsibility of creating TikToks about lip plumping gloss and teeth whitener? These product-related requirements further perpetuate the need for women to invest financially and emotionally in appearance modification.
The areas of competition are as follows for most beauty pageants:
2-minute interview with a panel of 5-7 judges
Swimsuit competition
Evening Gown competition
On stage final question
The winner of a state-level pageant is afforded less than 3 minutes in total to speak to the judges, while contestants who don’t make the Top 5 have even less time to speak. Conversely, contestants spend an average of 3 hours modifying their appearance to be “pageant-ready.” Notoriously, Miss USA contestants have expressed that they only allowed themselves less than four hours of sleep to have enough time to prepare their looks for the events of the day.
For many women around the world, winning a beauty pageant in a prestigious system (Universe, International, America, Grand, etc.) offers them the possibility to access opportunities that they may not have received otherwise. It can be a means to evade poverty and achieve higher social status. For me, after I won my state title, people instantly paid attention to my stance on Animal Liberation and Environmental Protection (though a lot of that attention was negative…advocating for climate policy in Montana was not easy.)
It would be naive to argue that pageants don’t allow women to excel, the issue is that in order to be heard, the women must first be seen. Contestants must score high enough in the swimsuit and evening gown competition to be viewed as potential winners and make the Top 5. These new regulations appear to open doors for women everywhere, but first, they must be attractive enough. And if they’re not, they can utilize sponsored appearance-altering products to achieve that attractiveness, siphoning their bank accounts to seek the crown and its benefits. During my USA state reign, I sat uncomfortably in a makeup artist's chair as he explained to me how one contestant who had competed year after year would never win due to the size of her nose.
But wait. What if women want to tan their skin, apply fake lashes, and diet to uphold our societal beauty standards? Shouldn’t we all be allowed to do what we want, isn’t that the point of feminism?
The real issue is not whether or not a married 50-year-old woman with 3 children should be allowed to compete for Miss Universe, rather it is why do women have to perform and modify themselves to be valued in society. Representation is not liberation. The demand for physical modification and exploitative online performance to gain access to opportunity is detrimental at any age to the titleholders, contestants, and the easily influenced consumer.
Pageant contestants mold and adhere themselves to the demands of Western beauty ideals in pursuit of the approval of the judges, and if this acceptance is not met (ie. they don’t win a crown and sash) this loss can lead participants to self-criticize, impose harmful beauty modifications (cue the rise of the skinny shot and the prevalence of rhinoplasty on every pageant stage), and drain their finances to chase the social and career opportunities that pageants can sometimes offer. The visual consumption of beauty pageant winners poses a collective impact on sexism and beauty culture, not to mention the severe mental and emotional toll it can inflict on winners and runner-ups alike.
Beauty pageants can be fun, I like dressing up and feeling pretty. People were exceptionally kind to me when I walked into a room in my crown and sash (though, not so kind online.) I loved having the opportunity to talk about Animal Liberation and Environmental action with a megaphone, and I agree in a sense that removing age limitations is the only way Miss Universe can stay relevant. But right now, as I sit three feet away from my crown and sash sitting inside a monogrammed display case that I worked so incredibly hard to win, I do want them to become irrelevant.
I want women to be able to roll out of bed just like men do, hop on a Zoom call without even brushing their hair, and rise to the top of their respective companies. I would rather spend my time on a walk with my dog than sit in front of a mirror applying products to my skin just so I can achieve neutral societal acceptance. And I am sick of hearing my girlfriends talk about how they’re saving up to get Botox because they’re ashamed of others seeing them age. I’ve had Botox, and I fear aging. But, seeing a 50-year-old Miss Universe isn’t going to help that. A world free of impossible beauty standards and ageism is the only way out.
Contestants are often women aspiring after law degrees or political office, they’re doctors and philanthropists. Few people are as driven and as hardworking as pageant contestants. Regardless of whether she’s 18 or 85, why is it that she has to wear false lashes and spin in high heels for people to listen to her?