Beauty pageants should change to bring real value

Beauty pageants are part of the entertainment industry in many countries, including Vietnam, which has witnessed a rapid increase of the number of beauty contests.

But there are basic problems with these contests in Vietnam.

One of the biggest problems is their limited beauty standards, focusing only on the women's outer appearance and measurements. The contestants' characteristics, knowledge and communication skills are often not major factors for consideration.

That creates an inadequate perspective about the true beauty and true value of Vietnamese women. It has also created a beauty model that does not meet the diverse requirements of modern society.

The contests also harbor unhealthy competition. They do not create playgrounds that boost self-confidence and team spirit. Their requirements of perfect physical form put heavy pressure on the contestants, adversely affect their mental health and prevent a person's comprehensive development.

The contests' definition of beauty is very old-fashioned and heavily gender stereotyped. They paint the beauty queens as a model that women in general should look up to and follow to be recognized and honored. That does not only limit a person's choice of beauty but also prevents society from promoting gender equality and the freedom of expressions.

Beauty contests in Vietnam also lack creativity when it comes to the question part. The questions are very traditional and have been repeated year after year. The contestants thus also give traditional and highly expected answers instead of having the chance to show their true opinions or capabilities. It is kind of boring.

Run this way many beauty contests in Vietnam have failed to inspire the winners to create big values to the community.

The contests need to change, to actually bring some real value. They should create opportunities for the contestants to develop themselves, and understand how much they can do to contribute to a fairer, nicer society.