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Vox Populi: 'True beauty lies within'

HindustanTimes.comNew Delhi, July 15, 2006

'Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. Therefore, it is a subjective thing. Any attempt to judge beauty would be an exercise in futility. So it is improper to commodify it through pageants held all over the world.'

This was the message that rang out loud and clear from the response to our survey on Beauty Pageants.

Never has a verdict been so unanimous. All the 222 surfers who responded from the world over decried the glittering pageants that claim to discover beauty with a purpose.

The first question we asked was whether beauty pageants were a sham. A whopping 135 people were sure they were. 66 people were undecided and said they looked genuine, but then one never knows. Only a meagre 19 people said the contests were genuine.

The second question was an eye-opener. We wanted to know how many of our surfers would actually participate in a beauty contest given the chance. Our assumption was that a great many of them would jump at the chance. But 142 respondents said they did not want to be items on display.

Far behind were the 46 people who said they would think about it when the need arises. Only 33 people were keen on the idea of contesting in these pageants.

The responses to Question 3 were again unanimous. And surprising. As many as 116 people opined that the participants of these much-hyped contests are not so beautiful after all. 68 surfers said they often wonder why better people could not have been chosen.

While it was only a minority ( 37), which said the girls, were beautiful. Maybe, pageant organisers could take a leaf out of this survey!

Our fourth query was whether such pageants were in tune with Indian sensibilities. Here again, a majority of the surfers (121 of them) said such contests focussed too much on physical beauty and so could not fit in comfortably to the Indian culture.

Fifty-two people said modern India is a blend of the East and the West and so they were now a part the ethos. Only 48 said it's time India tuned into changing trends. Reflecting probably, the fact that beauty pageants are not positively viewed at all.

The fifth question quizzed our surfers on what exactly was ideal beauty. Interestingly, 156 of the 222 respondents were of the opinion that a blend of good looks and intelligence would be the way to go. Forty-six people said intelligence was the only criterion , while 22 people actually said that long legs and a trim waist was their notion of ideal beauty.

Our last and final question wanted to assess the importance of beauty and brains in a person's life. Here again, most people (141) preferred a blend of the two. As many as 59 people vouched for brains over beauty and only 21 said beauty alone counts.

An interesting thing we noticed was that our surfers were all very emotive about the issue. They had lots to say and were vexed about the fact that beauty had to be flaunted in order to be recognized.

Take for instance, a surfer called Farhanaz Dastur from Nigeria who was vocal about how true beauty should be measured.

She said: "It is disgusting to see women being itemized like this. Honestly speaking, beauty pageants are marketplaces where the best commodity is sold off. And it is sad to see so many women desperately waiting to parade naked before the world, only to be termed beautiful.

"True beauty cannot be judged in a matter of hours. It is a process of evolution and the most beautiful person is the one who has emerged wise and mature from the tragedies of life. It is not a two hour extravaganza. We are in fact vulgarising the whole concept of beauty with such contests."

Romita Pawar from Ottawa had the same thing to say: "When is a true beauty contest going to be held? I mean, one where character, wisdom and honesty are judged, instead of how fit you look in a bikini. For God's sake, let's grow up! Who are these pageant organisers trying to fool? They think we'll be taken in if they allow us to vote for our favourite contestant. We know this, and still we vote, just for the heck of it. All these things are pre-decided and the glittering ceremony is just eyewash."

Ritika Aggarwal from Delhi had an interesting view: "Why do we associate beauty with a trim figure and a starved look? I mean, when has that become a yardstick for measuring beauty? True beauty is a state of mind. When you possess a beautiful mind, it naturally radiates on your external demeanour. So, I don't think the present system of judging a contest is genuine."

Perhaps the most telling quote came from Ravi Shanker of Bahrain, UAE: "Beauty contests are sick. They lack logic, and defy all codes of decency and morality. At the same time, they degrade women and denigrate the concept of beauty. So, it is a national waste."

There were a few surfers who said India had more serious issues to deal with. Like, for instance, Dinu Maken from Athens said: "there are so many serious issues facing the world today. But we spend time promoting trivialities like beauty pageants. It is time we wake up and do something for the welfare of mankind. Rather than commodifying beauty, it is time for us to wake up and be responsive to the world around us."

Agreeing with her was Arun Singhania from Vancouver. He said: "Beauty with a purpose is nothing but eyewash! How many of these so called beauty queens actually carry on with social work and charity activities once they win the crown? As far as I know, most of them get into the sleazy world of Bollywood. So, we the spectators are the fools here! Let's get real, everyone!

The recent tragedy of the Mumbai blasts made the surfers wonder how India could have become so frivolous as to promote beauty pageants. Nivedita Maran from Chennai was emotional when she said: "The emperor's fiddling when Rome burns! Everyone is trying to come to terms with the Mumbai blasts tragedy and here we are, trying to find out the most beautiful woman in the world. Shame on us if we are so callous!"

The best response, perhaps, came from a surfer called K Srinivas who wrote in from Mumbai. This is what he said: "Beauty Pageants are basically meant to enhance sales of the beauty product manufacturers. Why else would they sponsor it if there were no vested interest in it? Wearing bikinis to display physical beauty is not required. Physical beauty is not permanent, but the beauty of the soul is permanent.

A woman is beautiful not just because she has a pretty face or a great body, but because she has greater endurance and capacity to sacrifice. Throughout her life a woman performs beautiful tasks of a sister, a wife, a mother, etc and keeps becoming more and more beautiful by ungrudgingly performing her duties and caring for everyone. This is the true beauty of a woman which no pageant can measure and award."

What more can we say?

Vox Populi would like to thank its surfers for their discerning responses. We will be back with another important issue next week and hope you will respond with enthusiasm. Till then, keep surfing!

posted by Cheryl Levesque @ 9:09 AM