Wouldn't Miss World or Miss Universe send the wrong message out too then in your opinion?
I don't think these type of things objectify the girls. . . not any more than bodybuilding competitions objectify men, at least. I see using one's beauty for one's benefit as a sort of skill, just as I would see using one's obscene huge muscles to win a body building tournament as a sort of skill - and I's say both require hard work!
Hey, if you can benefit out of it, or make money from it, go for it is what I say. . .
As you pointed out earlier Miss World and Universe are for adults. My only issue is when children are involved in them. In an ideal world, an adult has been reared as a child to make good decisions and understand his or her self worth goes beyond whats on the outside. Armed with this knowledge if they make the decision to enter a beauty contest, a wet T-shirt contest, or whatever I could care less. I just hate it that a child's self worth and foundations are built on something so frivolous and superficial.
As for body building contests, they have them for men and women. So in some respects the playing field is level. Each gender is based on their muscular build and definition that they obviously have to work at. Beauty contests are different - which is essentially what they are. I've yet to see a Mr. Universe competition on network TV. OH and I've heard the claim that Miss America, Miss [enter random state], etc aren't beauty contests, but has anyone that's fat and conventionally uattractive ever won?
