2009 and again we see a rise in the return of this sexist competition that our comrades fought against over 40 years ago.
One of the contestants for this years Miss England even boasts in her application of having fought in the Iraq war (liberating women military style?)
Called for by Mind the Gap: London Student Feminists, Object, London Feminist Network, Feminist Fightback, NUS, UNISON, UCU, and Socialist Worker Student Society.
Speakers include
JUDITH ORR- author of ‘Sexism and the System’
ALEX CALLINICOS- Author and professor from Kings College
LIV BAILEY- NUS Women’s Officer
40 years ago feminist activists succeeded in banning the Miss World contest. In celebration of this eminent anniversary, we will ban it again and invite you to join us in the struggle.
6:30pm Hilton Edgeware Road.
WHY PROTEST?
The 2009 Miss England claims to be ‘Myth Busting’ including degree students, war veterans and sports women. It also supports B-eat and eating disorders charity and claims to have ‘no size zeros’. Yet, whatever shape, size, ethnicity, and occupation the contestants are, the competition still remains a beauty contest; promoting the judgment of women according to set parameters. Whether they are an Iraq veteran, or a clinical psychologist, upon that platform their worth is reduced to a vacuous stereotype.
OBJECTIFICATION
We see the resurgence of beauty pageants as indicative of a backlash against the fragile gains that feminism has won. In a society where ¼ women will experience violence, 92% of vice chancellors are women and 75% of people living in poverty are women, challenging the objectification of women is becoming widely recognised as attacking the roots of gender subordination in wider society. OBJECT sees the objectification of women as seen in advertising, lads mags, strip clubs, and beauty pageants as promoting the dehumanisation of women, that leads them to be seen as subordinate in society, encouraging and legitimising exploitation and violence. See OBJECTs website for more info, evidence and how you can take action.
DISCRIMINATION AND WELFARE
The notion of beauty attached to the image promoted by beauty pageants is discriminatory according to gender, sexuality, age, race, and disability. In a society where we are bombarded with commercial images, trying to uglify us into buy into this notion of beauty, it is almost impossible not to judge oneself and each other according to these ideals. Whether we choose to accept or reject them we are left chasing what is essentially a mirage of digitally touched up perfection, creating body disphormia that leads to eating disorders, depression, and pits women against one another in life, not just on a platform.
Only one woman can win a crown, pageants divide rather unite us, preventing us from demanding our rights and freedoms.
FOR MORE INFO
Mind the Gap http://londonstudentfeminists.blogspot.com/ (flier)
Object http://object.org.uk/index.php/campaigns/beauty-pageants (includes useful FAQs and factsheet)
Miss England http://www.missengland.info/
Info and press enquiries contact londonstudentfeminists@googlemail.com or call 07595672964
COMING SOON>>>>>
20th of July
Before Miss England we will be holding a rally in the afternoon at the GLA consultation on rape crisis centres (email to follow this one)
8 comments:
yay!!!!
Please add our facebook-seach "ban beauty pageants" and out myspace at myspace.com/banbeautypageants. Thanks!!!!
What's the problem? I understand all of the contestants are there of their own free will... I also understand that the majority of women (and men!) have bugger all interest in these competitions, so what exactly is your fucking problem?
Jeez... you stupid dumb bull-dyke, nobody cares about your totalitarian nonsense.
I suggest that the people who were "protesting" against the event; rather than wasting there time standing outside a hotel, get out and raise over 30 grand for charities as the finalists did! Then maybe we'd be more inclined to take any of notice to thier narrow minded views! Maybe that would be a more contstructive use of thier time! By opposing the competiton you are opposing all the good things we do and stand for and maybe you should think twice before shooting us down.
You speak as a feminist, therefore if anything you should be supporting what we do, the event only empowers women. Giving thier views on that stage are strong-minded, highly intelligent, indepent women. Some of which run thier own buisinesses, fight in the army, teach under privilaged children in third world countries, aspire to compete in the olympics and have achieved some of the highest academic scores in the country. How this could possibly be viewed as a bad thing is beyond me? You say it degrades women but I myself competed in the final this year representing Durham and I can say on behalf of all the girls who are all wonderful people, that there is nothing degrading about it. If anything, the "stereotypes" are created by people such as these "protesters" who know nothing about the event, and they appear to be the ones misjudging us. Some of these protesters had brought ink "to throw on the contestants"...What kind of people would throw ink over people?? Bully's and generally bad people that's who, the kind of jealous kids who bully people in school. Grow up! They dare to make us out to be these bad "superficial" people...we wouldnt dream of doing that to someone, if anyones de-humanising us its them.
Anyway I just thought I'd put my view foward as I was actually disgusted that people were attempting to spoil an event in which the girls were raising thousands for childrens charity's, national autistic society and B-eat for people with eating disoreders. Its unbelievable that this can be percieved by anyone as a negative thing.
Thankyou
Kim Peacock
Miss Durham 2009. (and proud!)
I suggest that the people who were "protesting" against the event; rather than wasting there time standing outside a hotel, get out and raise over 30 grand for charities as the finalists did! Then maybe we'd be more inclined to take any of notice to thier narrow minded views! Maybe that would be a more contstructive use of thier time! By opposing the competiton you are opposing all the good things we do and stand for and maybe you should think twice before shooting us down.
You speak as a feminist, therefore if anything you should be supporting what we do, the event only empowers women. Giving thier views on that stage are strong-minded, highly intelligent, indepent women. Some of which run thier own buisinesses, fight in the army, teach under privilaged children in third world countries, aspire to compete in the olympics and have achieved some of the highest academic scores in the country. How this could possibly be viewed as a bad thing is beyond me? You say it degrades women but I myself competed in the final this year representing Durham and I can say on behalf of all the girls who are all wonderful people, that there is nothing degrading about it. If anything, the "stereotypes" are created by people such as these "protesters" who know nothing about the event, and they appear to be the ones misjudging us. Some of these protesters had brought ink "to throw on the contestants"...What kind of people would throw ink over people?? Bully's and generally bad people that's who, the kind of jealous kids who bully people in school. Grow up! They dare to make us out to be these bad "superficial" people...we wouldnt dream of doing that to someone, if anyones de-humanising us its them.
Anyway I just thought I'd put my view foward as I was actually disgusted that people were attempting to spoil an event in which the girls were raising thousands for childrens charity's, national autistic society and B-eat for people with eating disoreders. Its unbelievable that this can be percieved by anyone as a negative thing.
Thankyou
Kim Peacock
Miss Durham 2009. (and proud!)
Hi Kim,
I think that you may misunderstanding where people like this blog-poster are coming from. It is all well and good that you are all intelligent, empowered and "successful" ladies in your own respects. However, it is not on this success that you are being entered into this competition - the main basis is still on looks, plain and simple, and this is where the contention lies.
Also, as someone that's been involved with a charity group that raised £150,000+ in his time working with them, and someone that works for a charity now, you should be careful about your generalisations about what "we campaigners" are (especially if you're claiming you're the open-minded one here)
Miss Peacock, i suggest you read some of the literature and comments that we have already posted before commenting any further.
http://www.solomonsmindfield.net/2009/07/miss-england-protest-kicked-off-with.html
The ink thing was pure fabrication by the organisers to make you guys think that we are targetting you directly when it is fact the organisers and the capitalist system that we have an issue with for making it seem normal for people to compete over something so arbitrary as an idealised version of 'beauty'.
And dont even start me on the contestant who fought in Iraq. Does terrorising an innocent Iraqi make her 'beautiful inside'? Me thinks not.
I will write more on this tomorrow. Got kids and crowns to look after.
From Clare (Former Miss Andover and Miss Butlins finalist)
http://www.solomonsmindfield.net/2009/07/what-former-miss-england-2006-has-to.html
I think it's really important to remember that the protest was explicitly not aimed at the women taking part. As far as I know, and I was there, nobody brought ink to throw at anybody. It was an entirely peaceful protest.
I doubt any of the women protesting were making judgments about the sort of women you all were. As a feminist, I would certainly refrain from making judgments about other women (and me) I don't know from a place of prejudice or based on offensive stereotypes. The thing is, you only have to look at the disgusting comments left on some of the newspaper websites to see that, however talented you all are in athletics and academia and everything else, you were being judged on your looks and that does all of you a disservice.
I would argue that beauty pageants are never empowering, that is a post-feminist idea. We aren't in a position to be post-feminist yet. Sexism is rife in our society, it just looks different now. It suits patriarchal society for women to view this kind of event as empowering. It distracts us from the real issues at hand like the pay gap and violence against women. We are being sold this idea of empowerment and we don't have to accept it.
We are not 'jealous', we are not against you, we are not bad people. I'm pretty sure none of the protesters that day made anonymous, offensive phone calls to any of the contestants like those received by one of the protest's organisers.
Charity of often used as a excuse for this sort of event. I'm not going to go into that too much in this comment though. Suffice to say, many of use do very good work for various charities and campaigns. We don't sit about all year, waiting to spoil your evening. And I find the idea of a beauty pageant raising money for an eating disorder charity cynical and offensive.
I'm glad you entered this dialogue and I genuinely wish all of you the best of luck with all your other ambitions. You were clearly a talented group of women.
Kim, I'm really glad you've entered into the debate - these things are too often one-sided, and I much prefer it when both sides get to put their argument across, and each has to listen to the other.
I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised to discover just how impressive some of the contestants were - especially the winner, who plans to compete in the Olympics.
However, I disagree with your point that the event itself is empowering. The women who entered have clearly been empowered - but by their phenomenal talents and abilities, rather than any beauty contest. Their achievements bear witness to this.
The contest itself I consider disempowering, because it seems to suggest that, no matter what a woman has achieved elsewhere in life, ultimately what matters are her looks.
For example, I am also strong-minded, highly intelligent and independent. I have also taught under-privileged children in third world countries, volunteered for several charities and causes in the UK, achieved some of the highest academic scores in the country and been published in various newspapers and magazines - and I am currently a semi-professional athlete. (This may sound arrogant - that's the reason this comment is anonymous!)
But I wouldn't be made Miss England on the basis of all this - in fact, I probably wouldn't even make it past the first round, because I'm distinctly normal-looking. Not ugly, just normal. I don't have a problem with my looks, but I DO have a problem with the way that, no matter how much a woman has achieved elsewhere in her life, it's her looks that are considered really important.
And please don't dismiss me as bitter or jealous - I used myself as an example, but really I couldn't care less. (Because of my 'unconventional' looks, those that matter to me think I'm beautiful; those that don't leave me well alone, which suits me nicely.) But I am very worried about the message that this contest (and that so many other things, every day) is sending out to women and girls.
For me, that message sounds very much like: "work as hard as you can, achieve as much as possible, but no one will really care unless you look good too."
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