In recent years, beauty pageants have increased drastically in numbers. If nothing at all, I can possibly (out of my head) name about 50 beauty pageantry shows in Ghana; starting from Miss Abokobi to all those having ‘Miss’ as their prefix.

Such beauty shows keep popping up every single day, and I know it will continue as long as we live. However, I have tried to analyse the importance of such beauty pageants but have not been positively convinced so much.

Beauty pageants basically refer to contests that primarily lay emphasis on physical beauty of the participating contestants, although intelligence and talent are sometimes incorporated.

In every industry or institution, the various audiences are blind to what goes into the running of the industry or institution. That’s how come some people will perceive some companies as very reputable that pay their workers good amount of money. They will do whatever they can within their powers to get employed in such companies. Such people become shocked when they are employed and find out that what they have been thinking was not so.

Such is the case with beauty pageants. Many young ladies are more than happy to be part of the train when auditions are opened. Some go to the extent of borrowing money from friends to buy audition forms.

However, the dreams of most of these ladies are smashed when they are faced with the unexpected. I am more than sure someone like Giuseppina Baafi (don’t even know which title to assign her – whether Miss Ghana 2013 or former Miss Ghana 2013) never expected what happened between Exclusive Events Ghana and herself.

Just as one runner up for Miss Ghana in 2013 made it known on radio, they (the winners) were made to visit some companies everyday in order to raise some money. According to her, the organisers promised them some percentage on the monies that they would be able to raise, but they (organisers) did not fulfil their promise. Aside that, the ladies used their own monies for transportation to the companies they visited.

Are these all not exploitations?

I am convinced that majority of the ladies who take part in beauty pageants only see the glamour and fame that comes along with them.

As I mentioned above, although intellect/talent is incorporated, the primary focus is physical beauty. This makes the participating ladies do anything within their powers to conform to conventional beauty standards by spending money on expensive cosmetics and fake weaves. Instead of such pageants empowering women, they rather disempower them and buttress the idea that the purpose of a lady is to look beautiful, physically.

Isn’t it time such beauty pageants shift attention from physical beauty to other areas? Some of the areas will be discussed in another article.