Beauty pageants generates a lot of heated arguments with most people saying it is exploitation and sexualisation of women but one person who begs to differ is this year’s Miss Ghana UK contestant number one-Emefa.

According to the student of University of Warwick studying LLM in International Development Law and Human Rights, beauty pageants such as Miss Ghana UK empower women by helping them with their communication skills as well as accepting their bodies since the pageant has women of all sizes competing.

Using herself as an example, she said; “I’m actually very shy but Miss Ghana UK has given me the opportunity to practice speaking in public”. She believes the public speaking training and the charitable courses associated with the pageant makes the pageant worthwhile.

Professor Blain Roberts an associate professor of California State University in an article she wrote for The New York Times stated that that beauty pageants exploit women, sexualize their bodies and encourage conformity to “ludicrous” beauty standards. She further stated that it is a bad idea since this encourages most young girls to follow suit.

The BBC in 2006 started a debate about whether beauty pageants empowers or exploit women in Africa and the majority of the contributors suggested that it exploits women. Patrick Ayumu from Ghana stated that “Beauty pageants are a totally useless venture. What is so useful about women so ignorantly contributing to condescending stereotypes about them? It’s just repugnant”

Looking at the many on-going pageants in Ghana from Miss Malaika to Ghana’s Most Beautiful, “Do beauty pageants still have a place in modern society”?

Let us know what you think..

Meanwhile, we wish Emefa good luck in the Miss Ghana UK 2014 which takes place tomorrow-27^th September, 2014 in London.