Opinion: Immodest Miss USA Photos. It is Time for Dignity and Decency

Lowest Common Denominator Appeal

The Miss USA pageant must pull back the reigns and take a more modest approach, or women of virtue and ethics will not participate.  Without women of principle, the pageant will scrape the bottom of the barrel for eager, unprincipled participants.  That industry exists and it's called pornography-and God knows we don't need more of that.

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - They are supposed to be classy and intelligent, but the Miss USA contestants have resorted to sprawling out on a bed in their underwear for attention.  I would think that being on television and sought after by some of the fashion industries biggest companies would satisfy their need for attention, but that is apparently not the case. 

In what resembles a Victoria's Secret catalogue, the contestants are being scrutinized for being too sexual in their latest shoot.  Going from bikini bathing suits on stage to underwear on a bed, many feel that the shoot overly sexualized a competition that once promoted feminine ideals of intelligence, dignity, and self-confidence. 

The biggest question on the minds of those who are discouraged by the role models posing suggestively, is: Why?  Miss USA President Paula Shugart was interviewed by CBS' Maggie Rodriguez and made it clear that she wanted to be "cutting edge" and felt that because other programs on television denigrate women more than the Miss USA photo shoot, they should be given a pass.  Rather than answer the question, "What ideals is Miss USA is trying to promote?" Shugart complete dodged accountability and spoke about the organization's background. 

Rodriguez also asked, "Do you think that this is sending a message to young girls across the country that this is the way to show your femininity and your sexiness-by showing skin and being in your underwear on a bed?"  She responded, in part, by saying, "You can be the total package--you can embrace your femininity you can be in control and be beautiful and do anything you want."  Her answer, in short: Yes.

I would love to hear Shugart explain a recent internet video featuring five 7-year-olds doing an incredibly sexual and provocative dance to the song "Single Ladies" by Beyonce.  The video has been viewed two million times, according to The Early Show on CBS.  I wonder if Shugart feels any responsibility for these types of incidences.  After all, the consequences of depicting publicly sexual behavior as normal leads children to think that it's OK for them to act sexually and dance around in their underwear as well.  It seems that people like the Miss USA contestants grow up into mothers who are willing to let their 7-year-old's do what they did--but do it roughly 15 years earlier.

With regard to the skimpiness of the lingerie, Tara Conner, Miss USA 2006 and a current pageant judge, said, ""It's really not pushing the envelope" because "a swimsuit is lingerie, just different material. You're seeing the same amount of skin, but all of the goods are covered, so there's really no issue."  She misses the point that the problem is not what part of the body is being displayed as much as the way they are portraying themselves.  Personally, I think the swimsuits are too skimpy as well-especially considering the number of young girls that watch the Miss USA pageant with aspirations to be just like the models.  Even so, there is a way to carry yourself that says much about your character and self-respect.  Wearing a bikini and rolling around a bed to catch some googly eyes isn't saying much good about the individual or the organization that represents them.  Sadly, the youth are being shown a counterfeit of real femininity when they see role models act in sexually suggestive manners. 

No merit is gained by pushing the envelop and attracting a large audience at any expense.  In fact, Conner admits that this year's photo shoot was done specific intent-ratings.  The pageant is for more viewers and "Any press is good press...so-keep talking!," as Conner said.  Their ultimate ideal is no longer promoting femininity, classiness, or beauty.  They have moved into the industry of objectification as a means of generating profit.  This comes shortly after Donald Trump took the reigns of the organization.  His reputation as a cut-throat business mogul has likely influenced the direction of the Miss USA organization.

Catholics should be discouraged by this photo shoot and the pageant's general turn toward immodesty.  Carrie Prejean was demonized last year for upholding orthodox Christian teaching regarding homosexuality, and yet no contestant stood up like that this year.  It would have been very comforting if one of the contestants refused to strip down to her underwear for money and attention; but sadly none did. 

Catholics should not ask for modesty from the contestants just for the sake of young onlookers, but also for the models themselves.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that, "modesty protect the intimate center of the person.  It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden." 

By refusing to properly cover the body that God has given them, these woman cry out to an objectifying society to ignore their qualities of modest beauty and intelligence.  Instead they resort to objectifying their body in an effort to attract attention and praise. They have much more to offer. 

Why can't the women remain beautiful and intelligent without showing virtually everything?  People do not respect sexually suggestive women; they objectify them.  Women can be beautiful and intelligent, but once they advertise themselves as sexual beings, they have lost their dignity and self-respect because they have displayed themselves as one-dimensional.  But people are not supposed to be one-dimensional.  Sexualizing the competition will erode the attention given to their other dimensions:  intelligence, work-ethic, and life-goals. 

If Trump and Shugart continue to seek ratings and profit above decency and dignity, then they will likely have it; but the competition will be nothing unique or interesting.  The Miss USA pageant must pull back the reigns and take a more modest approach, or women of virtue and ethic will not participate.  Without women of principle, the pageant will scrape the bottom of the barrel for eager, unprincipled participants.  That industry exists and it's called pornography--and God knows we don't need more of that.

Here's the million dollar question:  when you have young, beautiful women sprawling out on beds in their underwear, what will it take to be "cutting edge" next year?  Perhaps, topless shots?  And after that, maybe the girls will need to be totally nude in order to keep pushing the envelop.  But, now that I think of it, pure nudity might not be enough after a few years.  So, ask yourself: where does it end? 

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Billy Atwell is a contributer to Catholic Online and BreakPoint, and is a blogger for The Point. From the perspective of a two-time cancer survivor he encourages those afflicted with pain and struggling with faith. You can find all of his writings at his blog For the Greater Glory.

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