21 January 2008

Reality Check

So I've been watching TLCs special Miss America: Reality Check. They are trying to bring Miss America into the 21st century, is what they are saying.

What kills me about this show is that there are celebrity guest judges who are, to me, close-minded. There's the Army girl on there who isn't into fashion or makeup so they tell her to do more. So she does more and they get pissed because they think she's making fun of it. They gave the all the girls an opportunity to have hair and makeup makeovers by big name people. One girl politely declined to have her hair cut and the judges got all pissed because they "flew in expert advice and she denied it". But because she still took some of the advice on her own and took excellent pictures they were okay with it.

So makes me a little annoyed is they are trying to bring girls into the 21st century but it's their ideal of what the 21st century woman would be. To me that means a strong, confident, leader who stands up for what she believes in and is herself. To me that's these two girls - the Army girl who has fun and is strong and confident in herself despite the lack of makeup and fashion sense; the woman who stood strong in what she believed herself to be and thereby denied 'expert' makeup and fashion sense because she was okay with who she is.

I will say I was happy that they did encourage the girls to drop the 40-year-old look as Miss America and brought it down to who women are at that age.

But what the hell do I know. I relate pretty well to the Army girl - I don't know shit about hair and make-up other than it needs to be off the collar and conservative. Maybe a makeover would do me some good.

1 comment:

Megan said...

Oooh, I've been working myself up to a blog post about this for a while... I've decided to hold off 'til I see how it all plays out in the finale (by which I mean the actual pageant) but still. I hear you. I want it to work - oh, I want it to work! - but the reality show pitch of it makes me sick. Guh.

PS - Had that show been around when I was competing, I woulda kicked its ass. ;)