miss america | Alice Vega

Hey everyone!

So in the recent months, the subject of race and ethnicity have been a hot topic in politics and pop culture. For one, the Trayvon Martin case definitely evoked intense feelings of oppression and injustice in the court system. Now the newest wave of racist gossip comes from last night’s announcement of our new Miss America.

Photo from jezebel.com

If you haven’t already, check out this article from Jezebel that was published today titled, “Racists Are Being Hella Racist Because Miss America Isn’t White.” The article displays some of the vicious tweets from people about the reaction to Miss New York Nina Duvulari winning the title of Miss America. Here are a couple from the article so you can get an idea of what kind of feedback they gave:

1) “How the fuck does a foreigner win Miss America? She is a Arab! #idiots”
-Jake Amick (@Jackamick5)

2) “Miss America? You mean Miss 7-11”
-CHEEZ-IT (@JPLman95)

3) “Don’t you have to be American to win Miss AMERICA? This bitch is some type of Indian.”
-Emily (@emi_adkins)
Soo.. let’s let that sink in for a minute.

The ignorance, stupidity, and maliciousness that consume most of this country just baffles me. I don’t even know where to start with this one. I guess I’ll start with the most obvious one: geography.

Remember in grade school when you were forced to look at a map of the world? And your teacher taught you that all those colorful pieces of land are called continents and within each continent there are different countries? If you weren’t taught this, then I guess I can understand why you’re a fucking idiot. This, my friends, is called the WORLD. The world is made up of many different places. There are countries and within these countries are PEOPLE. Depending on what country you’re in, there are different dialects and customs. It’s called.. um.. LIFE. Yeah. Go read about other people’s lives while you color in your geography worksheet. Remember, North and South America are two continents, k?

It is BEYOND depressing that people who are racist can’t even distinguish who they’re racist about. Like, if you’re gonna hate on someone, at least KNOW who and what you’re hating on. Otherwise, you look like an uneducated idiot. Oh, too late for that. You fucked that up yourself.

In case you don’t know the history of this country, let me give you a quick breakdown. English pilgrims came to this country to live and be free from a monarchy. They IMMIGRATED here. This land was already being inhabited by Native Americans. But because these bad ass pilgrims wanted to conquer the land, they drove the Native Americans out and took over. Cuz they’re bad ass and bad asses get what they want.

So with that being said, WE’RE ALL IMMIGRANTS. So shut the fuck up with that nonsense about getting rid of illegal immigrants, as if you actually OWN America. Miss Nina Duvulari IS American. So are you, and so am I. Just because we don’t have white skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, doesn’t mean we’re not American. If you were born here, raised here, believe in this country and do your part to be a good citizen, then you belong here.

And don’t sound off about minorities like myself being racist to white people. Oh, jeez, don’t even go there. Minorities like myself who write about these kinds of controversies are just bringing light to the bullshit that’s happening before our eyes. There’s something called “White Privilege.” And if you’re white, you automatically have that. And don’t be all like, “Well it’s not my fault I was born white!”

EXACTLY. Just like it’s not anyone’s fault that they’re homosexual or that they’re black. So for the last time, shut the fuck up with this nonsense.

-Ally

Hey everyone! Happy Monday!

So in case you were busy watching some Sunday Night Football, yesterday night a new Miss America was crowned. Congratulations to Miss New York Nina Davuluri!

Photo from kammasworld.blogspot.com

And let’s not forget the runner up, Miss California Crystal Lee.

Photo from misscalifornia.org

So based on the title of this post, I’m sure you can guess where I’m going with this. But brace yourself, I’m about to discuss a whole lot more than what meets the eye. You see, I’ve always wanted to do a beauty pageant themed post, but I never had a reason to. Well thank god it was pageant season, eh?!

First off let me just say I’m pretty conflicted about all this. I’ll start off with why I’m happy. I’m very, very proud that the top 2 contestants for this year’s Miss America were of Asian-American descent. As a proud Asian-American, I’m absolutely proud of these two ladies for working hard and being recognized for their hard work. Just so you know, this is the first time someone of Indian descent has won the Miss America title. FIRST TIME, EVER! I mean, yes I’m proud, but dear god, why is this the first time? We’re in the year 2013 and we haven’t had an Indian winner? Kinda makes you think twice about our country really being as progressive as we think. Just because we have an African-American president, doesn’t mean we’re progressive as a nation. I will admit we are headed in the right direction, but there’s A LOT that we still need to work on.

Second, I’d like to say that I’m very pleased that an Asian-American woman represented California. California is usually known for it’s “surfer” kinda girls with fake tans, beach blonde hair, and blue eyes, but that’s so not an accurate representation of ALL California girls. California as a state is SUPER diverse, especially the Southern California region. We don’t all look like that. There’s always been a pretty good Asian population throughout California, so I’m glad Miss Crystal Lee can represent that.

Third, in general, I’m just proud that Miss America is slowly becoming a different look each year. I mean, I get that this isn’t the first time a white girl hasn’t won, and that’s not the point I’m trying to make. The point I’m making is that there are A LOT of different ethnicity in this country. Miss America should be an accurate representation of an American woman.

Which brings me to my next point – the opposite side of this whole premise I’ve made so far. FYI, I’m about to get real critical up in here.

I hate the idea of beauty pageants. They’re just so outdated and it just PROVES we reside in this ridiculously apparent patriarchal society that needs to go the fuck away. I mean, think about it: a COMPETITION about who’s the most ideal woman? To who’s standards? Not only do these women have to be a specific height and weight, they need to apparently be able to sound “smart” and have some random ass “showy” talent to display for others. And before anyone starts to sound off, I AM aware that the Miss America website doesn’t specify a specific height and weight, but I’m sorry, when was the last time you saw a plus sized woman win? Exactly.

I’m sorry, but EVERY and ANY woman can do this without it being shown on national television. Have you ever heard of a speech and debate competition? You can practice your public speaking skills there. And all the other categories? I mean, swimsuit competition?! Really?? How can you tell me that we’re a progressive nation if we’re seriously judging these young women on their bodies? THEIR BODIES! Jeez, why don’t you just put me in a cage and parade me around like an animal at a zoo?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying these women don’t work hard. I know they do. I know they are passionate about what they do. And that’s great. BUT, we can do that without competing against one another for a fucking crown. Any person, any size, shape, color, etc. can give back to their community. I think that’s great that all these women want to use their prize money on noble things, but can’t we obtain that money through other ways? Like, without having to strut in a bikini?

The whole idea just baffles me. I believe all woman are intelligent, beautiful, and motivated in her own way. I just don’t like the idea that we need to place a label of “Miss _____” to prove she’s the best. Because frankly, she’s NOT. No one should put a scale on how much you give back to the community and how passionate you are about education and the future. You can do all that shit without investing thousands and thousands of dollars on a fucking ball gown and beauty pageant lessons.

So, now you see the disparity in my feelings for beauty pageants, particularly this year’s Miss America competition. I really do sincerely congratulate Miss Nina Davuluri on her success, but I just think we need to start teaching our young girls that looks aren’t everything. Looks are subjective and we don’t need to be striving to be some sort of “ideal woman.” Fuck that shit. I am not a stick skinny girl and I’m very short, but I’m proud of my body, I’m proud that I can engage in political discussion, and I’m proud I can DANCE! I don’t need to compete in a beauty pageant to realize my potential as a well rounded woman.

-Ally