I've been writing elsewhere lately about various different interests-- my kids, playing, pageants, figure skating, books, TV shows, and child geniuses.
You can check out these three different pieces by clicking on the titles:
1) Play, Outsourced- Written as part of the blog series, 28 Days of Play, about what impacts and at times impedes playing with our children. This focuses on the somewhat surprising reason (to me) I enroll my kids in classes like Gymboree, music, dance, etc. (Spoiler alert: the repetitive play of infancy and toddlerhood often bores me.)
I wonder if outsourcing my sons' play at times means they will be more or less likely to be on Child Genius someday, or compete in a figure skating competition (actually, my educated opinion is that the answer to that is yes), but they likely won't be competing in beauty pageants... Time will tell!
Last night Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev was crowned Miss America 2015, making history in particular for being part of a never-before three-peat for a state at Miss America. The reigning Miss America and past two Miss Americas all represented New York (though all grew up in states other than NY, they went there for college).
She is also making quite a splash due to her talent.
Now some are saying she has no talent and only played a cup. While I find it ridiculous that a Miss America sat cross-legged on the stage in Boardwalk Hall BAREFOOT, in her defense she did sing. And for the record, she can carry a tune much better than many of the other contestants (I'm looking at you, Miss Tennessee). Also, no joke, my mother, who is Miss America 1970, picked her after her talent saying her voice is "pleasant." Likeable has become the new buzz word for Miss America. I'm guessing my mom, like other pageant lovers, hasn't seen Pitch Perfect, so the truth is that this act was semi-pop culture current and besides the barefoot element (Again, what and why?!) is recreated down to the criss-cross applesauce posture.
Also, this year's Miss America Pageant proves, more than anything, the old Showbiz adage (from the legendary Gypsy) that you gotta get a gimmick...
Indeed, those with "gimmicks," or stories, this year got attention and airtime on prime time network TV.
* Miss Idaho was People's Choice after making headlines for her "Show me your pump" statement
* Miss Kentucky's story of overcoming MS earned her headlines and a spot in the Top 12 (and a prelim talent win)
* Miss New York wasn't the only one with a gimmick in her talent, Miss Ohio (also a prelim talent winner) is getting national attention for her ventriloquist routine
(Silly me, I originally thought the gimmick here was going to be the "Joan Rivers" doll commenting on the inanity of a "mullet" dress with *sequined* pants!)
In the end, it wasn't a bad pageant overall. I think the winner had many pageant watchers (as opposed to the general public) taking a drink from a red solo cup because no one EVER expected a three-peat. I admit I didn't pay much attention to Kira in the lead-up to the Pageant for precisely this reason. Going into last night (as I shared on social media), I predicted 11 of the Top 16 correctly. But after that I went off the rails as my pick in each subsequent event was eliminated. Interestingly enough, 3 of the Top 5 were part of my missed group of 5 (the winner, NY, 1st-runner-up VA, and AR). I have told people for months FL and MA would be Top 5, so at least I can keep my Pageant PhD for that I suppose.
The bigger issue here is that if Miss America keeps three hours on the network (and it's possible with the new dick clark production deal) they absolutely must consider showing more of the interview process. I, like many others, believe much of the Pageant is determined in the interview room, not only because it's such a big part of the score but also because judges "like" contestants from then on. The viewing audience, who only tune in once per year, must see more in the room-- even more than was shown last night.
Or, at least in the case of one contestant, perhaps a bit less.
Seems Miss Nebraska (along with Jane "Austin," oy) got the memo that you gotta get a gimmick and took it a bit too literally in the Gypsy Rose Lee sense...
The past month has been full of "pageant scandals." From discussions about bodies, state-hopping, age of contestants, and tabulation errors, I can scarcely recall a time that both Miss USA and Miss America were so talked about in the news. Unfortunately it's all for negative reasons and not for positive ones... The Miss USA pageant had the former two issues and Miss America the latter. Just as there are differences between the two systems (and some similarities, articulated very well here by former contestant and winner in both), this year the scandals also differ in an important way. The Miss America scandals haven't been caused by a lie, or alleged lie; instead, they are the result of human error. Below I present my take on both of the issues and then some overall take-aways.
Miss Delaware- Look, the rules are clear. Amanda Longacre is too old to compete at Miss America and never should have been allowed to compete at the local or state level. Many are blaming those in the organization, and they should accept part of the blame as they validated her paperwork-- even sending it to the national office where the error was found! But Longacre also is at fault. It is true she didn't lie, but you don't sign a contract and not read every detail. Even though she was told it was ok, she knew it wasn't as she asked in the first place. And interviews like this one where she comes across as whiny and litigious simply don't help. She is almost 25 as we know, and I have seen preteens hold themselves together better. As she says is new to pageantry; this wasn't a lifelong dream for her. She is getting national exposure and she needs to capitalize, not whine.
Miss Florida- Truly the more unfair/upsetting situation, and every winner and director's worst nightmare. On the one hand the Miss Florida Organization did the right thing by correcting the error <insert obligatory joke about Florida recounts>. It is truly unfortunate for all involved as Elizabeth Fechtel (crowned the winner but actually the 1st-runner-up) had already changed her whole school/life schedule in the few days since she was crowned. Also Cowen lost her chance at a crowning moment. I think both ladies are beautiful and seem to be talented (Fechtel was actually Miss America's Outstanding Teen previously so is used to success and the MAO system) and will be fine. And Fechtel, based on her blog about the situation could *definitely* teach Longacre a thing or two about how to handle a situation like this with grace (I love her line that she was herself before the title and will continue to be herself).
Ok, that said, I sense something fishy actually went down in Florida. I followed the Miss Florida competition because I was keeping track of the success of one of the contestants who I have previously met (and she made the Top 10 there on her first try-- congrats, Kelsey Beck!). I follow Pageant groups on Facebook (like the Junkies), people on Twitter, and sometimes the Voy boards for updates. Now, the Voy boards can be vicious and full of lies, so I often take what I read with a serious grain of salt-- as I've talked about on the record before. Throughout the pageant week it was posted many times (hard to tell if it was one person posting many times or actually different people) that Fechtel had been heard saying she did not want to actually win Miss Florida this year. Now if this was said after the mix-up I wouldn't pay it any heed. But it was said many times before, and even on the night of the competition someone wrote that she would resign if she won... And then six days later this very unexpected news? Odd. If she had resigned she never would have been able to compete again, but this way she can and have a huge leg-up.
Now let's talk about the error. So Miss America goes on total points UNTIL you get to the Top 5. Then there is a final ballot and all the previous scores are wiped clean. Judges rank 1-5 and each rank gets points assigned to it, and placing someone first gives them many more points than placing someone second. The official story is: "The family says it was told that one of the judges changed his mind while scoring first and second place on the night of the pageant and that "in the last 15 seconds of the time allotted to vote, that he drew lines to reverse his first vote," mother Dixie Fechtel wrote in an email." I judged Miss New Jersey last year. I can absolutely promise you there were NO shenanigans and we had no idea who was a returning competitor, who was "well-liked" by the organization, etc. The final ballot can be stressful, but not that stressful. One of the judges next to me did make changes and the Judges' Chairwoman made him initial all changes and consulted him before moving forward in any round. She was great and FL should have had someone so conscientious. But the addition is so simple it is hard to believe it took so long to figure out... Unless, of course something else went on. We will never know the truth. In any case, I suspect we will see Fechtel on the Miss America stage someday, she is only 20 and has several more years of eligibility, and even if she doesn't as her supporters say she will be fine.
More than anything though this situation highlights the fact that Miss America is overwhelmingly run by volunteers. People give immense amounts of time and resources to run these local and state programs. Even at the national level high-placed people are volunteers. With so much at stake in terms of finances and credibility, it might be time to establish professional positions at least at the state level.
And, about those runners-up. I hope these two anomalous situations don't give false hope to first-runners-up! If anything it should make people feel more sure of results since tabulators, directors, and chairpeople will be triply checking rules and scores from now on. Then again, check out the bio of the newly crowned Miss Wisconsin 2014, Raeanna Johnson. She was also Miss Wisconsin 2012. Why? She was first runner-up and Miss Wisconsin that year, Laura Kaeppeler (now married to Bachelor/Bachelorette producer Mike Fleiss who was her JUDGE at Miss America!), won Miss America so she assumed her duties. Since Johnson never competed on the Miss America stage she was eligible to re-compete. So, on second thought, hold on to your tiaras all you first runners-up, things will change for at least one of you in September!
Another year, another Miss USA crowned. You likely won't remember, or ever know, but Miss USA 2014's name is Nia Sanchez and she represented Nevada. Her crowning has made a few headlines, like this article about her final answer on sexual assault on campus (though George Will is the one really making headlines about this these days), but in general the winner was tame. No big viral YouTube moments. No "firsts." Just a very pretty, thin girl winning a crown and a year working for Donald Trump (although the "normal" weight of one contestant generated conversation, which if you look at her pic you will realize is exceptional given how thin even she is!.
What was different this year was that the pageant was THREE HOURS LONG. Judging by my Twitter feed most people like me (loyal pageant watchers) were bored. It took over an hour to even announce a Top TWENTY. While it was great to get that much time for a pageant on a Sunday night, I would have far, far preferred to see that time go to Miss America.
Yes, I am a bit biased toward Miss America in general, but this is also because Miss America has an extra component to the competition-- talent. All Top 10 Miss America finalists used to have their talents televised live. I feel strongly this should return (and not in the reality format elimination way they do it now). Sometimes those talents are laughably terrible, sometimes just cringe-worthy, more often average, and occasionally really good. But at least there we see more than tan bodies, stick thin legs, and too much hair and make-up. Truly, some of the contestants (especially Miss TN with her Tammy Faye eyes and whose look made her look like an aging politician's wife!) look like parodies of women. Talent remains one of the biggest differences between the two systems, as I mention in this news article out last week.
I was reminded of this talent issue because I DVRed both Miss USA and the Tonys. Thank goodness; see that loooong factor. I was surprised that the two were up against one another given that there is a substantial overlap in their target audiences. That said, it was so obvious that one three-hour broadcast sent a very different message and showcased a lot more talent than the other. You figure out which one is which. There may have been some over the top moments in both, but the one I mean had more authenticity than is showcased in this clip of what contestants would do if they won:
(Note that Nevada did NOT do this when she actually won!)
Despite all this, apparently I am wrong because ratings for Miss USA were UP this year and the total number of viewers increased over the three hours! So what do I know, right?! So I am honestly curious: why do 5 million+ people watch Miss USA? Obviously it's for the beautiful, scantily clad women, but isn't the Victoria's Secret fashion better (apparently, yes, as they get almost twice as many viewers)? Miss America has more history and gravitas, even if most people can't distinguish between the two. Is it for the judges (like Lance Bass who has recently judged both!)? Or is it timing and there is more on TV in September? Or something else entirely?
In any case, the winner was an early favorite of mine, so at least I was right there. And I have to say that I feel for the first runner-up, Audra Mari from North Dakota. She was also first runner-up to Miss Teen USA in 2011! Perhaps she can try to win Miss America, which has never had a Miss North Dakota win, next? So long as she has a talent!
Update: I LOVE some of these answers I am getting, especially since they suggest that competition is innately interesting and there is nothing wrong with pretty things and sequins. Great reminder! I guess you could ask why some people watch hockey or soccer or football as well...
"Pageants are the ORIGINAL reality tv. I like to watch because 9 times out of 10, my "faves" are the winners. I actually take the time to read profiles, particularly for Miss America."
"Because they're fun. And because I like sparkles and drama and dresses that twirl. And I missed the point at which it became taboo to like these things, or to require a "larger meaning" behind every choice I make. The scholarship money was nice. The skills I developed were great. But would have I participated if I earned no money, and just got the crown? Yep."
It's been a little over two weeks since Nina Davuluri was crowned Miss America 2014. After an initial media burst, interest has faded a bit-- though she is still in the public eye more than I might have expected. Also, thanks to the French ban on child beauty pageants, a proposed ban in Quebec, and serious protests at Miss World, beauty pageants have remained very much in the public conversation.
The 2014 Miss America Pageant got a lot of attention this year because of the return to Atlantic City and a September pageant date. A few contestants, like Miss Kansas, got the lions share of pre-pageant media attention (thanks to her tattoos, military background, and archery talent-- though no one but me seemed fascinated by her shade of bleached blonde hair that basically blended with her skin tone...). Miss New York, Nina Davuluri, got some negative press attention after a NY Post article quoted her as saying that Miss America 2013 (also from New York) was "[expletive] fat." Here are more details on that, and my thoughts on the controversy, published on Yahoo! Shine.
Because of the return to AC, Miss America even got attention from the paper of record's editorial page. I was one of six participants in a New York Times Room for Debate forum on whether Miss America is bad for women. You can read my piece (and the others) by clicking here. Was also a total bucket list moment when mine was one of three excerpted in Sunday's Review section!
Most of the comments-- both positive and negative-- were extremely thoughtful. While I can't respond to all of them, I did want to point out two facts as they directly relate to what I wrote and to several commenters. The first is that in addition to scholarship money Miss America actually earns a salary, which is six figures. Each state queen also earns appearance fees. If a winner never goes back to school (or has no student loans) she never sees that scholarship money, but she did in fact earn a nice chunk of pocket change for her year. Second, many women who never win a state title still earn a significant amount of scholarship money. For instance, when I judged Miss NJ, one woman who didn't even make Top 10 at the pageant still earned several thousand dollars in scholarships (note, NOT cash prize) thanks to her service and academic performance. At each local even swimsuit and talent winners earn scholarships that start at $100, or even $50, but the rewards add up each year.
Due to the NYT article I also had the pleasure of appearing on Melissa Harris-Perry on MSNBC the day of the Pageant, along with a former Miss America and some critics. Here I am sitting next to Soledad O'Brien (let's just say that in general it was a bucket list Sunday!):
You can watch the clip by clicking here, or watching below, and if you do you will see I tried to give historical and social context to where Miss America is today.
In the second segment I didn't get a chance to give my point of view about young girls competing, which is why Prof. Harris-Perry asked me to write this follow-up piece on why I never competed as the daughter of a former Miss America.
(Lest you think I am uncritical of Miss America as well, think again. For instance, check out this piece I wrote that ran atThe Forward about why it's hypocritical of Miss America to say it celebrates diversity when it was held during the High Holy Days for Jews, eliminating a segment of the population from competing.)
After leaving the MSNBC studios I hustled back to Atlantic City to see the live event. Here I am in front of the stage in Boardwalk Hall before the televised portion began:
Being in the audience is a bit like being in the audience at the Super Bowl (not that I've ever done that!); you would likely have a better view at home, but the atmosphere is great fun. In the live audience you don't get to see many of the "video packages" seen at home-- though we did get to see the taped opening number and hear the contestants' state intros (I admit I totally laughed out loud when Miss Vermont announced she was lactose intolerant).
It's also fun during commercial breaks, with people like Dena Rizzo keeping the audience entertained and happy. This also explains why I didn't make time to Tweet or anything-- it's all part of the show.
While I obviously missed the 20/20 special (though I watched it the next day), I knew all about Miss Florida's injury. I have to say that during her talent the entire audience was behind her and it was a special uplifting moment when she twirled so well (and interesting how people reacted by booing after the emcee cut off her [bad] on-stage answer). Plus, who can't get behind a BEDAZZLED knee brace?!
Even during the live pageant I just hated seeing the eliminated contestants forced to sit on stage and watch, I DETESTED the way talent was handled as usual (not letting contestants know beforehand so they can be properly prepared to do their best on national TV), and I disliked the constant talk about food and binging after the pageant.
Overall it was a strong Top 5 and could have gone several different ways, but when Miss New York was crowned I immediately thought: 1) Third time ever for back-to-back state winners, and 2) First ever Indian-American winner, how cool. It wasn't until the next day that I heard about the horribly racist online reaction, something that didn't even enter my mind when I headed off to visitation. But it did give rise to good articles (like this one) and an interesting way to welcome Vanessa Williams (also Miss Syracuse, New York, and America) back into the Miss America fold.
Miss America also got good ratings, its best in years, which likely helps explain the more sustained media attention. Also, the fact that beauty pageants have remained part of the media conversation every week since. The week after, France made headlines after passing a bill that included a ban for all pageants offered to girls under age 16 (this has been talked about for the past year, as I wrote about previously). For my thoughts on why this would never happen in the US, read my comments in USA Today and see a bit of my thoughts on why regulation is important at Al-Jazeera English. This legislation in French has led to discussion, but no action in Quebec (for my thoughts in French, click here) and Ireland.
One place where pageants are held, but not without controversy is Bali (and other Muslim countries)-- the site of the Miss World competition this year. After death threats, etc., the exact location was moved and a winner was chosen, and this controversy kept pageants in the news LAST week. On why pageants are inherently political, see my thoughts in this TODAY Style piece on how pageants have in fact always been political, and will remain so particularly in other parts of the world.
Who knows what pageant controversy next week will bring! Any guesses?!
2) Two Insider Takes on Beauty Pageants and Figure Skating: The New Memoirs of Dick Button and Kate Shindle- This book review essay about two activities I have long loved- figure skating and pageantry/Miss America- appeared on Huffington Post Books.
