Down with the Crown

Crowning Disappointment 

I spent my Sunday night begrudgingly watching Miss USA for a project I've been working on. I will try to separate my feeling about pageants from this post but to a small degree the two do go hand in hand. If you want to talk to women about foreign policy, why do 50 of them need to strut around in bikinis and evening gowns six times before finally giving 10 of them a chance to prove they have a brain? 

I digress...

After several struts, smiles and costume changes, it came time for the interview. Up to bat, Miss Iowa. The question: "A recent New York Times story suggested "narcissism is an epidemic" and America's youth are turning into a "hyper-entitled self absorbed generation." Agree or disagree?"

The answer: "I actually do agree with that. I think social media and technology has allowed the youth to post pictures and videos of themselves. That to me seems kind of narcissistic."

Though I do love irony, I'll refrain from posting a link to her Facebook fan page.

Anyways, after a few more crown hopefuls came through we eventually got to Miss Nevada. This is where things got interesting. Her question, asked by Rumer Willis, comes after an alarming statistic about date rape on college campuses. Willis: "Why do you think this crime has been swept under the rug and what can colleges do to combat it?"

Miss Nevada: " I believe that some colleges may be potentially afraid of having a bad reputation and that would be a reason it would be swept under the rug- because they don't want that to come out into the public." 

Yeah, I would agree with that. It does pose unique marketing challenges...

She continues: "But, I think awareness is very important so women can learn to protect themselves. Myself, a fourth-degree black belt, I learned from a young age that you need to be confident and be able to defend yourself. And I think that's something that we should start to really implement for a lot of women."

Ugh. What started strong ended with a nose dive into victim blaming. Shifting the responsibility right off the rapist to not rape, and directly on the victim to keep from being victimized. Lovely. 

And let me just state for the record, It's not that I'm against self defense,pepper spray, or locking doors. I've taken self defense, at times have carried mace, and double check to make sure my doors are locked every night before  bed. There is nothing wrong with taking extra precautions. But, the problem with her answer is that most women aren't fourth degree black belts, and confidence has nothing to do with becoming a victim of rape. 

From the moment Rumer muttered the question, I knew this was coming. I was immediately flooded with a rush of emotions. On one hand, I was so glad this subject was even broached. Every year, the Miss America Pageant captures the attention of young women across the country, for better or worse. But I can't help but wonder if it would have been better for the cause had the question not been asked. Awareness is only helpful when it sends the right message. While I'm sure Miss Nevada never intended her message to be harmful, it is in turn saying, "I'm a black belt and I'm confident. I am fulfilling my responsibility to keep from being raped." It perpetuates that notion that if you didn't fight hard enough, or even at all- you allowed it. but in reality, very few people would use black belt karate moves on a friend, boyfriend or date. And those are the mass majority of people who commit rape. Nearly 90 percent of the time it's someone known to the victim. And, news flash: it's really hard to be an effective black belt when you're blackout drunk. Many victims are incapacitated or not in a position to give consent. Further more according to the National Report on Self Esteem, 98% of girls feel there is an immense pressure from external sources to look a certain way. By that measure, only 2% of girls feel confident in how they look. Thank GOD incidents of rape do not correlate with victims' confidence. 

A recent UN study revealed 70% of men who admitted to committing rape did so because they felt entitled. Entitlement is a dangerous trait. But entitlement can likely be lessened through education. All the self defense in the world will not combat an attitude of entitlement. And as long as we continue to perpetuate the stereotype of rapists being masked criminals lurking in dark alleys, society will unsurprisingly continue to look to self defense as the answer.

Watching Miss USA didn't open my eyes to anything new in the world of pageants. I didn't expect it to. And even though the question took a turn I hoped it wouldn't, it being asked is an indicator of progress. There's a  societal shift taking place. People are finally beginning to recognizing an epidemic that's existed for decades. But as Miss Nevada's answer proves, we've still got a long way to go.