Miss America Pageant is meaningful

As many Mercerians already know, this year’s Miss America is Betty Cantrell.

A native of Warner Robins, Georgia, Cantrell attended Mercer University before leaving to pursue her dreams in the pageantry system.

Through the years, there have been ongoing debates of whether the pageantry system was respectable or depraved. But do people really learn about the system before they judge it?

To begin analyzing the pageantry system, it is good to clarify which part of the pageantry system you are looking at.

A pageant is described as an elaborate display by contestants, where the chosen contestants receive a reward.

Within this system there are two types of pageants.

The first could be considered more of a beauty contest, where participants compete to win gifts or monetary prizes.

This type of pageant is mostly associated with the show Toddlers and Tiaras, where the basis of the show focuses on young children parading around — usually with bad attitudes — to win the most prizes and the top, but seemingly meaningless title.

The show is also associated with insistent mothers who spend all of their time pushing for their child to win, perceivably living through their child’s glory.

The second type of pageant is mostly associated with pageants similar to Miss America where participants are competing for prizes, such as scholarships, and titles that will further their futures.

For instance, the Miss America Pageant is a well-known procession focused on obtaining the next American icon.

Miss America primarily serves as the United States’ image of a model citizen that will uphold the values and standards of an American, while also attributing time for diplomatic duties.

Even though upholding the title of Miss America is difficult, obtaining the title is equally as challenging.To go through the Miss America competition, a woman must first obtain a state title, such as Miss Georgia in order to progress to the next level.

Once in the Miss America pageant, the contestants must be judged by five aspects in the preliminary round.

The preliminary round consists of lifestyle and fitness in swimsuit which is 15 percent of the total score, eveningwear scored at 20 percent, talent at 35 percent, private interview considered at 25 percent, and an onstage question which is 5 percent.

These percentages are averaged together to make your final score which is carried over to the next round of the competition — the final round broadcast for the public.

The final round uses a competitor’s composite score as 25 percent, the lifestyle and fitness in swimsuit as 10 percent, eveningwear is determined at 10 percent, talent is 30 percent, and the on-stage question is scored at 20 percent.

The winner is picked out of the top 15 from the composite score from the preliminary round, the top 15 from lifestyle and fitness in swimsuit, the top 12 out of eveningwear, the top 10 from talent, and the top seven from the on-stage question.

The scoring for this pageant is intensive and complex, but it ensures that the top contestant will be chosen due to the weight of her scoring in each category.These women put their lives on hold to win this competition in order to achieve their goals in the future.

This beauty pageant has a meaning of distinction and excellence for these women and is not only a measure of their beauty but of their education and determination as well.