FOR GENUINE BEAUTY OR FOR BUSINESS?

DENOUNCE

The Miss Universe Beauty Pageant

and all other beauty contests

Let us now face a more vigorous campaign to assert our presence and our right to participate in the socio-political, cultural and economic affairs of the cuntry Let us focus our attention on the biggest deterrent to women's development, these pimping beauty contests.

For many decades now, we have been led and inured to think that women's bodies can be paraded and sold in the guise of such contests. The proliferation of smut magazines and tabloids, as well as beauty contests on television programs manifests this degrading attitude towards us – that we are commodities for sale in whatever form and manner.

It is true that appreciating and loving our bodies are normal.

What we are questioning is the money attached to others' appreciation of our bodies. Beauty contests commoditize women by making the contestants parade on stage with numbers attached to their bathing suits which now have been slitted to highest proportions in order to make the wearer look sexy, or ready for bed. Then the observers of the bauty contests are charged a heft sum – what for ? For them to be able to ogle at the bodies of the contestants donning bathing suits at close up.

​The media are now promoting the Miss Universe contest. Local and international movie stars are being asked to lend credibility and/or legitimacy to this event. Hence, this requires our utmost vigilance.\

WHY DENOUNCE THESE CONTESTS?

1. Many women have lost their sense of reason because of this preoccupation over physicalities. They have been led  to believe and think that past their youthful stage, they are no longer attractive or desirable.

2. The young are given more opportunities for advancement  in the workplace, especially, while the needs of the senior citizens are neglected or if there are programs at all, they merely done in lipservice.

3. Such beauty contests make women look inward all the  time, instead of outward; in other words, women turn too individualistic, forgetting that one's talents are for service   to those in need as well; that we have a lot of women from the disadvantaged sectors of society needing our help and service.

4. Beauty contests pit women against other women, creating an uhealthy standard for competition. Our physical looks are natural; we cannot change them nor attempt to              change them artificially. They are God's and our parents' gifts to us. But beauty contests make us feel as if we  should not be ocntented with them.

If ever there should be any form of competition among women, it is only in terms of serving others using our best talents and abilities, whether this bein the form of the arts or social services.

5. Beauty contests discriminate against the disabled and the aged. Persons who are lame, blind or have any for of disability is right away eliminated in such beauty contests. Holding a beauty contest is adding insult to injury to them.
6. Beauty contests generally have racist standards with a prefernece for white or light-skinned contestants. These  are contrary to the UN Declaration of Human Rights which states explicity that people are all equal regardless of skin color.

7. Beauty contests depict women as jjst plain bodies to be ogled at in a parad of their legs and thighs with buldging bathing suits below the waist.

8. Beauty contests use women as come-ons for products advertised side-by-side with media programs; in other words, they use them as commodities to sell              manufactured products. Women are treated as objects, nnot as human beings.
9. Most of the so-called questions to test the intelligence  of the contestants are just sugar coating to hide the real commercial intentions of the sponsors.
10. Beauty contests give false hopes to women that these are stepping stones to fame, wealth and glory. Definitely, there are decent ways of achieving those goals.
11. Beauty contests make a mockery of the spiritual character of our people They are contrary to the Christian tenets in this country which is proud to be the only Catholic country  in Asia. To be a Christian is to value the human body, and not to use it for commercial purposes. The priests and            nuns of all denominations in the country must look at these contests as anti-Christ's teachings.

12. Beauty contests hammer the idea that for women to be considered adorable, desirable and worthy of recognition, then they have to be young, with beautiful whistle-bait bodies. Ergo, if a woman is beyond the required age qualitied in beauty contests, the implication is that she is no longer adorable desirable and worthy of recognition..

13. Beauty contests provide the wrong aspirations and image of the future of women in our country to the young girls of our generations

14. Beauty contests are imported commercial activities that  do not jibe with the Philippine traditions and customs of revering womanhood. In our tribal groups, we do not have        any history of women baring themselves for commerical purposes.

IN THIS REGARD, may we call on all individual women, women's groups and non-governmental organizations to help  in this campaign by signing the petition denouncing the Miss Universe Contest.

Miss Universe Contestants will be parading at the Flores de Mayo on May 8, 1994 thus blurring the real meaning of this even which is to honor the Queen Helen, the mother of Constantine who found the true cross of Christ. The significance of Flores de Mayo rests on the religious and spiritual meanings of Christ's teachings and their influence on the directions of our lives.

Hence, let us all put up our streamers and posters on that day.

May we also request all the women in media orgnaizations to conduct their own campaigns, keep a running commentary on the issue and propose to the publisher to put up their own streamer in front of their offices decrying the degradation of womanhood.

Let us all exercise our creativity in this campaign for the  future of our own children, both girls and boys who will grow into what we are shaping now a liberated society steeped in equality, development and peace.

For further information, call or write to:

MAKAMASA

Makabayang KABABAIHAN NG MASA

c/o Wilhelmina S. Orozco, Coordinator

The beauty of a woman is felt in her self-awareness, in her sisterly attitudes, and her humanitarian acts towards those in need.”

“Ang kagandahan ng babae ay nadaraMa sa kanyang malalim na  pagkakakilala ng kanyang sarili, sa kanyang pakikipagkapatiran at sa pakikipagkapuwa-tao sa mga nangangailangan.” WSO

This manifesto came out on May 8, 1994 in MetroManila to refocus the sights of the youthful women to what are genuine achievements in life. -- WSO