Shrinkhala

Sure, beauty competition is a capitalistic venture

That extorts women for the purpose of profit

Objectifies them and further contributes to their

Stereotyped status in society

Sets impossible standards of beauty

That leads to low confidence, low self esteem

And eating disorders for so many

And is responsible for my constant struggle

To lose weight because

Anything above size zero is “fat”

For all this and more,

I oppose beauty contests on principle

But at the same time

Our world is not going to change anytime soon

It is not going to become any less capitalistic

Consumerist, or patriarchal anytime soon

And so why shouldn’t a woman

Leverage capitalism to her benefit

In a world which gives her so little already

In a world where women are so poor already

Why shouldn’t a woman use and abuse

The system that treats her like trash

And get what she can from it?

Because if she is going to wait for a utopian world

Where every person (read woman) is valued

For her personality and contribution to society

And no woman is objectified, bid on,

And her sexuality and sexual choices are treated

With respect instead of contempt

She will wait forever (or grow into a skeleton)

Until the world keeps paying

To see women’s body parts

And keeps buying the things

Advertised by Miss world or miss very hot

Let’s not blame the woman

Who wants to make a quick buck

Maybe women of a previous generation were used

(Not that women today are not used and abused,

But this piece is about women and beauty contests

And I will leave aside the notorious worlds of

Media, movies, pornography and

The hidden routes of flesh trade for now)

So, maybe older women were used by

Beauty contest organizers and cosmetic companies

But today’s young women

Have learnt from these past mistakes

They get into these things knowing how to perform

Knowing exactly what they need to do, to give

And what they will benefit from it

Today the young women negotiate for ways

To get more than they give

To leverage their 15 minutes of fame

For a lifetime of opportunities

And I am sure, the ones who win the crown

Are not unaware of their role

As the carriers of capitalism

And still they choose to go that path

Because it gives them easily

What they would take years to achieve, otherwise

And if they still don’t know these unspoken rules

After a hundred years of beauty contests,

If they still claim naiveté

Well, shame on them!

Within the large sphere of capitalism

A very, very large sphere

 Everything in included

The status of women, feminism,

Everything has to exist

And to negotiate everyday with

The unseen biases of capitalism

Including women and their agency

The world will remain capitalistic

for the foreseeable future

And within it are the multiple layers of

Women’s agency

The beauty contest winner is one of them

She who chooses to play along

And fit into the capitalistic ideals of beauty

Let’s not forget that she chooses to do so

Because she hopes to kick capitalism in the ass

And become her own capitalist

Again, I oppose beauty contests on principle

And more important,

I support on principle the agency of any woman

Who can turn its rules on itself for her benefit