Beauty pageants for women have always been controversial. The first modern beauty contest in 1855 put together by American showman Phineas T Barnum in New York City to exhibit “the handsomest ladies” in the US proved to be a damp squib. Few young women were willing to participate in a public display of their bodies in the conservative Victorian era. Religious and social conservatives nearly put paid to the most recent Miss World 2013 contest—considered the most prestigious beauty pageant in the world along with Miss Universe—in Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world. When they threatened to scupper the event planned in the outskirts of Jakarta, it had to be shifted to the Hindu-majority island of Bali. The biggest gripe of the opponents of such contests is that they objectify women, reducing the feminine essence to how she looks. For many devout Muslims, the sight of women sashaying in scant clothing is sacrilegious. The acrimony was evident in signs like “Miss World is whore contest” in vogue among the Indonesian protestors. For the supporters, there is nothing wrong with the idea of beautiful women flaunting their bodies: If you have a beautiful body, why not show it? Nor for them is the contest only about physical appearance. A successful contestant has to have a rich repertoire of talents. [break]
Just like Ishani Shrestha, who on Saturday became the first Nepali woman to finish among the Top 10 Miss World contestants, for the very first time in the country’s 13 years of participation. Ishani has a beautiful body all right, but apparently Miss World judges gave equal weight to her other talents. For not only did she finish in Top 10, her video of teaching the people of Jumla vital dental hygiene also earned her the prestigious ‘Beauty with a Purpose’ title. The University of Colorado Dental Nursing graduate can, in fact, be said to embody modern Nepali women who do not fear to follow their dreams. The widespread adulation she has earned since being crowned Miss Nepal earlier this year shows how the traditionally conservative Nepali society has started to embrace modernism. These days taking part in beauty contests has come to be seen more as a mark of women’s confidence than her ‘loose morals,’ the allegation leveled against the participants of such contests over the years.
Nepalis have had little to celebrate in recent time. They have had to clutch at anything they could get. Earlier in the month the eyes of the whole nation was riveted on the national football team during the SAFF football contest in Kathmandu. When Nepal crashed out in the semifinal stage, a sense of dejection was palpable all around. On Saturday, the country once again seemed to be united behind Shrestha who seemed second to none in what was a tough, global competition. The confidence with which she carried herself at the Miss World must have inspired some hope among the legions of disillusioned Nepali youth. They desperately need role models like Ishani to give them something to aspire to. One might disagree with the socio-cultural aspects of beauty contests. Harder it is to question the grit and determination of contestants like Ishani that was there for the world to see and admire.
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