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Venezuela has won Miss Universe again. While my friend wrote on her blog today, “I don’t know if anyone as big as me deserves to be alive.”
In a right wing newspaper here, there is diagram of the winner of Miss Universe, Dayana Mendoza. She is 176cm tall, and there are lines pointing to her bust, waist, and hips, with the corresponding measurements. We also get an analysis of her face, her lip shape, skin toning, nose length, eye location and hair style.
Rules of the competition demand that entrants be between 18 and 27, never have been married or pregnant and those who have the most chance of winning are those with “the perfect measurements” of a 90cm bust, 60cm waist, and 90cm hips, with a height of at least 170cm.
And so, in this consumer world where everything is measured and given a price and a value, beauty too, is measured in centimetres, and then a few rich white men dictate to the world who is ugly and who ‘deserves to live’.
The owner of the Miss Universe contest is Donald Trump, owner of a world wide network of hotels and casinos. The judges consisted of Donald Trump’s son, a (male) Italian fashion designer, a Porta Rican actress, a (male) US stylist, the 2004 Miss Universe winner, and a (male) transformationist.
Venezuela is a stunning rainbow of black skinned to a gradient of brown skinned people, but it is no coincidence that Dayana Mendoza is blond, green eyed, and white.
In a world dominated by US culture- music, movies, clothes- the dominant idea of beauty is also racist.
Gabriel Oviedo Serrate, the Bolivian participant, said, “People who know something about Bolivia think that we are Indians of the west of the country, it’s the image of La Paz that reflects this, these poor people and people of short stature and Indian people… I’m from the other side of the country, from the east side, that isn’t cold, its very hot. We are tall and we are white people and we know English, and this mistaken concept that Bolivia is only an Andean country is wrong.”
The Russian candidate, Vera Krasova, in the final round of questions, said she doesn’t believe there is discrimination against women these days.
Meanwhile, my friend continues, “It is horrible to think other people have to look at me, let alone no one could possibly love me.”
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by getting a lean, boney, giant to sell beauty and fashion products, the industry is just playing on the insecurity of women who arent lean, boney or tall...
in real life, a girl with such stats would be teased for being too tall, or too lean... but for some odd reason people in the modeling agencies and beauty contests believe thats how all women should be...
these glamor shows are in no way representative of normal, regular or average women... if you’re judging yourself by their standards, you’re an idiot!!!
Um... yeah... what was the topic again ?
;)
It’s a very rarefied environment, the beauty pageant... and who’s being fooled are the consumers of cosmetics and fashion products... but, as a mere male... and a representative of the 50%-ish of humanity which are largely responsible for most of this world’s problems... I blame advertising imagery and the culture of consumption for the unrealistic imagery and gender-contructions.
Seriously?
Venezuela is a stunning rainbow of black skinned to a gradient of brown skinned people, but it is no coincidence that Dayana Mendoza is blond, green eyed, and white.
Pretty much sums up the demand and supply theory and the prejudices alleged against European fashion houses against dark skinned models.
the more confident and secure you are about urself, the better it is for you. be proud of whatever you are! simple as that, and life will be easier for everyone!
:P