EmptyV had a Miss America special on which notably featured people who didn't think the pagent is a good thing...
The best quote came from Diedrich Bader of all people, who said something to the effect of "as she walks that runway, she has to be aware that she has attained one of the most absurd goals in the history of the universe and it must take every bit of effort she has not to just catch on fire."
They showed the clip of him saying that twice, and I laughed my ass off each time they played it.
The official line is still that Miss America isn't a beauty contest, it's a scholarship program. This is to a certain extent true -- you can't just stand around and be cute, you have to do something, even if that something is bouncing around spastically to Creedence Clearwater Revival. And the winner does get an assload of cash, which is good. It's just that most scholarship programs don't require the applicants to strut around in a bikini. (Personally, I'd like to see that requirement become more widespread -- you know, for a Rhodes Scholarship or a Fulbright.)
Anyway, it's not necessarily the standard of beauty we're talking about here -- it's probably more accurate to say that it's the standard of accomplishment for young women, which is, when you think about it, way, way scarier.
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The best quote came from Diedrich Bader of all people, who said something to the effect of "as she walks that runway, she has to be aware that she has attained one of the most absurd goals in the history of the universe and it must take every bit of effort she has not to just catch on fire."
They showed the clip of him saying that twice, and I laughed my ass off each time they played it.
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Keep on burning
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Anyway, it's not necessarily the standard of beauty we're talking about here -- it's probably more accurate to say that it's the standard of accomplishment for young women, which is, when you think about it, way, way scarier.