Dear Mr. Gallagher,
First of all, you've never worked with, competed in, nor had anything to do with the Miss America organization excepting sitting on your butt watching the live broadcast of finals night. Therefore the fact that I'm dignifying what you've said with a response is beyond me. However I can give you the names of about 56 young women and an entire organization who would stand behind me when I say that it is people like you who motivate us to do what we do.
Let me tell you why:
The 2016 Miss America competition is absolutely necessary because each contestant in the competition is highly qualified, incredibly motivated, and firm in her beliefs. Those are the role models we need--not the all-too-common oversexualized, unhealthy-lifestyle-promoting pop stars of our generation. The goal at the end of the night is not to crown "the perfect woman," but to give one woman the opportunity of a lifetime. The crown on her head is not some justification for being a "basic bitch," but an actual tool. The four points on the crown stand for the four basic pillars of the organization: service, style, scholarship, and success... But I've already written an article on that. It is also a tool in the sense that it provides a platform. How many times have you looked at the crown on her head instead of her face? The crown then becomes a gateway to address the wearer's chosen social issue. Each phase of the competition serves a specific purpose for the women competing and if they--as feminist, opinionated, and determined as most of them are--have no problem doing what they do and find meaning in it, let them do it. I'd rather see a young girl impersonating Miss America than Miley Cyrus.
Now for your list:
1. The Opening Number
Atlantic City was gracious enough to host the entire Miss America class of 2016 for two weeks before you tuned in on Sunday night. As a sponsor,-- and a big one--our host city, and the place of our headquarters, the organization owes an awful lot to the city. The opening number isn't even completely about introducing the contestants. It's about showing off the city.
2. Kevin O'Leary
OSQ is hard AF. Please please please go stand on stage in front of thousands of people and a camera that is recording live for yet millions more and tell me you want the question read quickly with lots of intonation. Go ahead.
3. The Winning Reactions
There are 52 contestants standing on stage. Only 15 are called to move on to the next phase of competition. Then 12, 10, 7... you get it. Each time your name is called you are closer to being the one. How would you react if your team moved on to the next round of playoffs? I say they're genuine.
4. Competition Music
Finals night is, for the girls, the last phase of competition. But for the rest of America, it's all we get to see. So ultimately, to keep the audience entertained, we need a production going on around the girls. You'd be complaining if Nick Jonas picked some obscure music no one had heard before. At least he picked songs people knew and that the girls could get some energy from. And he was hired to do a job, but it's not like it exactly came with an instruction manual. Sit down.
5. Fashion
Everyday people and their fashion are inspired by whatever! I guarantee you if you stopped a normal girl on the street and asked her for her fashion inspiration she'd tell you she saw it on Pinterest. Not every girl is there for her interest in fashion. Not every girl normally has access to designer gowns either, forgive her if her fashion icon comes from her life and not the fashion world.
6. Interesting Facts
She told the world something that was important to her and seemed like an interesting highlight of her life. You got a bunch of people to read your rant... Congratulations.
7. The Monologue
Her interesting fact was actually empowering. There are girls who often get made fun of because of their height and the fact that she worked hard and used the Miss America stage to talk about something she cared deeply about was just added encouragement to girls who are self-conscious about their height. It's not a hindrance, it makes you powerful.
Her monologue was something she wrote herself from her life experience and was ten times better than your article.
8. South Carolina OSQ
Refer to number two. That is her opinion... or it's not. She had twenty seconds to say what came to her mind. Again... you try it.
9. Miss Georgia's On-Stage Question
She didn't pick the question. It doesn't count much toward the final score anyway. It's not as important as people think it is unless it's really close.
10. Scholarship
You didn't even write this one... You left a link to a video someone else did. But nonetheless this goes back to sponsors again. Let's say a school offered you a full-ride academic scholarship, but you didn't take it because you would rather go to another school and play the sport you love for half the money. Would you deny the fact that another school offered you money? I'm going to guess no. I do believe the words were "made available." By not acknowledging the scholarships donated by state schools--whether they were accepted or not--we lose the gratitude we have for those who were so generous. There are TONS of scholarships that go to waste every year because people didn't bother to apply. That doesn't mean they weren't offered.
In the end, you had good points for an outsider. We do what we do because we love it. For us, pageantry is just another platform--like blogging. We can earn scholarships, gain opportunities, get our opinions heard, and do incredible things. Miss America is proof we need better role models, whether you think so or not.
Link to the article by Mr. Gallagher:
No comments:
Post a Comment