Miss America

The other night I was channel surfing and came across the Miss America Beauty Pageant on TV. I turned it on and watched the second half of the show. I came in during the swimsuit part of the competition and proceeded to watch the evening wear portion, the talent show portion, and finally, the question portion (the questions came from what seemed to be a random selection of people who asked their questions via video while standing on the street). While watching it, I thought about our class and the meaning of "star" in our society. These women from 50+ states went through probably years of preparation for this night and may finally get their chance to grab the spotlight and receive the title of Miss America. It made me wonder about what kind of star Miss America really is. Is she a star in the sense of actresses and movie stars in Hollywood? Or is she a more localized star, one that is only recognizable by those who are more engaged with the beauty pageant circuit? On another note, I found it interesting that most of the questions that were asked of the 6 or 7 finalists surrounded the contestants' opinions about Hollywood celebrities/stars and their influence on children or on American culture. One woman asked about Jamie Lynn Spears' recent pregnancy and whether or not the contestant thought she should be fired from her show, Zoey 101. It made me realize how much celebrities and stars have become part of our society and our lives to the point where people are asking Miss America what to do about the "Lindsay Lohans" in the world (this was also asked specifically). It seems that we've gotten to a point where "important" issues have come to revolve around celebrities. There were no real political questions asked of the candidates, but only those related to pop culture. I guess Miss America is someone that is supposed to be a role model for young girls, but it amazes me that most of the interest has switched from issues like the environment, war, education, etc. to what we should do about stars like Paris Hilton. I was always under the impression that while the Miss America pageant is very flashy and almost like a long Hollywood red carpet event, she is still supposed to spend her year doing community service and working with charities. It surprises me that people (and the producers of the show) steer away from questions about what Miss America will do for children and education and instead ask ones concerning the Hollywood elite.