Miss America reality - Kent Ninomiya
Kent Ninomiya - Miss America is now a reality series. That's right. The 87 year old standard by which all beauty pageants are judged has gone reality. From what I observe it's got the same format of every other reality series on TV. There are 52 contestants (one for each state plus Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands). They stand before a panel of unworthy judges who belittle and degrade them constantly. These once elegant women are reduced to performing "challenges" to prove their worthiness to wear the crown. I must admit that I was horrified at first glance. Miss America was special. Sure the women portrayed on unrealistic image, but that's what the pageant was all about. Are you fake by dressing up for your wedding? Of course not, and they are not fake for showing their best for a national beauty pageant. No one ever watched Miss America wishing the women showed what they were like in every day life. It's about seeing them at their unrealistic best. So why then tear them apart on national television for everyone to see? Here's another confession. The show is unexpectedly addictive. Yes, I'm horrified, but I'm also curious. It's like watching a train wreck. I don't want to watch but I can't turn away. My guess is that the contestants are thrilled to be a part of this experiment. They are getting far more exposure than contestants ever received before. No one ever entered a pageant wishing they had less exposure. So will this be the first of the "realitizing" of other American institutions? Why not have the presidential election be a reality show? It would be fun to see Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Rudy Giuliani living in a house together performing daily challenges. Oh the horror of what we've become. Kent Ninomiya
