NationStates Jolt Archive

Tiara Sign Of Oppression, Declare Feminists
The Issue

Elysabetha's upcoming hosting of a major international beauty pageant has upset some citizens concerned about the message it puts across.

The Debate

"These beauty pageants are a disgrace to women everywhere!" shouts feminist campaigner, Hack Winters. "They objectify the female body and re-enforce negative stereotyping! They celebrate the appearance instead of the personality! What message is this sending out to our children? Do we want them to think shallowness and vanity are virtues? Ban beauty contests! We must focus the education of our progeny on ethics and equality or suffer the consequences!"
[Accept]

"I agree that the pageants should be banned," pontificates renowned moralist, the Ever So Slightly Reverend Thomas O'Bannon. "But purely in the name of moral decency! All those fashion stores that sponsor these contests make lots of money from this blasphemy and that is just plain wrong! These women wear revealing clothing that seek to entice and seduce young men. As such, we should go a step further, and institute a dress code! Long, plaid skirts for the girls, with necklines that never drop below the base of the neck! Only then will the women of our nation be cleansed of sin!"
[Accept]

"What in the name of all that's decent and good are you talking about?" exclaims Elizabeth Jefferson, leader of the egalitarian civil rights movement 'Everyone Is Equal, Dammit'. "Obviously these pageants will always be sexist unless they're open to everyone. Admiring women only for their beauty is an insult to their intelligence and the beauty of men! It's dually sexist! Open up the pageant to both sexes!"
[Accept]

I really don't like this issue. There's no option for people who like pageants and want to keep them as they are. Surely a representative of the pageant, or a reigning Beauty Queen would weigh in if this was for real. All three of these options seem freakishly stupid, and, as someone who's competed in pageants before, I really don't see anything wrong with them. Surely I'm not in the minority here?

If you don't want to change anything just dismiss the issue.

If you don't want to change anything just dismiss the issue.
I know that, but I just really don't like the way this issue is gone about.

I know that, but I just really don't like the way this issue is gone about.

There are some other issues that I feel an additional option might improve, so I wanted to validate that your feelings are not alone.

This particular issue hasn't really interested me too much. Hypothetically speaking, if you could add a new / fourth option, what would it look like?

There are some other issues that I feel an additional option might improve, so I wanted to validate that your feelings are not alone.

This particular issue hasn't really interested me too much. Hypothetically speaking, if you could add a new / fourth option, what would it look like?

Perhaps someone in favor of allowing the pageant to go on as planned? All three of the opinions given are for getting rid or significantly changing the pageant.

As Flibbleites points out, "dismiss this issue" always amounts to a "keep things as they are / let things carry on as normal" option. I agree with you though, that that often seems a weak and unsatisfying option, because it feels more like passively ignoring the issue rather than actively saying "No, keep things as they are!"

Maybe a minor bit of reprogramming to add an extra option saying "confirm existing legislation" to replace the "dismiss this issue" link would be a cheap way of addressing this. It needn't have any functional impact (in fact, I'm not sure what functional difference there could be if we wanted one) but it might be better from an aesthetic viewpoint.