Beauty & Brains

Kiara Jones & Marc Martinez

Professor Metzger

ENGL 1302

April 30, 2015

Beauty & Brains

Beauty pageants have been an on-going event in the United States. Even Thomas Edison himself served as a judge for the first contest in 1880; the pageant mostly centering on a bathing suit competition. During the first beauty pageants, “contestants had to be under 25 years old, at least five feet four inches tall, weigh less than 130 pounds and be unmarried. The prize for the winner was a bridal trousseau” (Issues & Controversies). It seemed as if it was almost like being a part of this activity was a sure-fire way to score yourself a husband back in those times. Perhaps for some it hasn’t changed.

Since 1880, beauty pageants have thrived. Studies have estimated that there are close to about 7000,000 pageants every year. Some of these include: Mrs. America, Miss Teen USA, Fitness America Pageant, Miss Gay America, Miss Earth, Miss Gothic Massachusetts, etc. A positive aspect of these beauty pageants is that interests of women—or even men—can be found in some sort of contest. Not to mention, many beauty pageants nowadays offer scholarships to young women and girls that win.

However, what are some of the cons to beauty pageants in America?

Some people may argue that beauty pageants objectify women and give young girls an unrealistic idea of beauty. It is also argued that these pageants promote a poor self-image. Expenses due to pageants may put financial burdens on contestants and the families, as well. Many views on beauty pageants have possibly been turned to a negative outlook due to the pageant’s attempts to improve TV ratings—which had dropped considerably after so many decades. For example, one attempt to get their ratings boosting once again was allowing the contestants to wear any sort of bathing suit, including bikinis for the first time in beauty pageant history. Eventually, “. . . in 2004, the Miss America pageant cut the talent competition—the main element that separated the pageant from other, more “skin-baring” beauty contests like Miss USA—from its television broadcast” (Issues & Controversies).

In contrast, there are still many people out there that believe beauty pageants improve participants’ self-esteem, mostly be encouraging personal and intellectual growth. These types of opinions may also be true. Beauty pageants across America may give young girls and women something to strive for, something to make them want to better themselves in not just a physical aspect, but mentally as well.

To our gender discrimination group, beauty pageants should not get as much hate as they do now. Women should of course be treated as equals and are capable of doing more things than just “looking pretty”, but when someone that may call themselves a feminist turns around to say that women who voluntarily participate in something that makes them feel better about themselves are objectifying the female population are just as worse as people who do not believe in equal rights for all. These women that are contestants in beauty pageants across America may be doing what they do because this could very well help their self-esteem and build them up personally.

So who are we to judge?

If women should be allowed to have the choice in becoming fire fighters or joining the marines, women that want to prove themselves in other ways—such as beauty pageants—should be allowed to, too.

Works Cited

“Beauty Pageants.” Issues & Controversies. Infobase Learning, 18 Mar. 2005. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <http://proxy.nvc.alamo.edu:2693/recordurl.aspx?wid=95142&ID=1736>

Her Body—Her Choice

Marc Martinez, Kiara Jones, Sal Espinoza

Professor Metzger

ENGL 1302

April 16, 2015

            In recent years, a large controversial topic has been the subject on abortion. In 2012, an article was released discussing this on-going debate. The article was titled, “To what extent should women be allowed access to abortion in the United Sates?” Although the rates on abortion have gone down over the past few years, the argument on whether or not abortion should remain legal is still afloat. The groups of people that believe women should have the right to do what they wish with their bodies have been named “pro-choice”. In contrast, those who see abortion as murder have been labeled “pro-life”.

            Supporters of abortion argue, “If abortions were illegal, women seeking to terminate their pregnancies would be forced to resort to unsafe and dangerous underground procedures” (Issues & Controversies). This is a very plausible prediction. Abortion, if were to become illegal, could be placed on the same level as drugs such as heroine, meth, or cocaine—once it become illegal, the measures people take to get what they want become dangerous and hazardous.

            On the other end of views, opponents—those against abortion rights—argue that, “Even if a fetus was conceived by a rape, terminating a pregnancy amounts to killing an innocent child” (Issues & Controversies). Though it may be considered “murder”, is it really these peoples’ choice in the matter—or the mother’s?

            A large focal point of this constant debate is whether the fetus is to be considered an actual human being. In other words, whether or not the fetus is independent from the woman it is developing from and therefore does it deserve what people call “basic human rights”. Obviously, yes, the cells in which this fetus is developing from are living. But at what point does this fetus become its own person? At least, that is what many are arguing.

            One fact that people on the “pro-life” side we believe may be overlooking, is that the mother is a living human being and does, in fact, have rights. One of those rights should be the choice in what she does with her own body. It should not be anyone else’s opinion that matters. Especially if the woman seeking an abortion was subject to rape.

Who is society to tell her that she must now carry that child to full term?

Who is society to shun her if she is not mentally capable of delivering that child?

Who is society to judge her if she uses her right of choice?

Also, when a man decides it is his job to make sure women have no say in terminating their pregnancies . . . where does he believe he has that right? Men should hardly think they have a say in what happens in a woman’s body, especially considering they will not be the ones carrying the child or putting their life at risk to birth it.

We, as Americans, have made it very clear that our country offers the power of making our own decisions. When looking at abortion, there is hardly a black or white answer—but many shades of gray, and our gender equality group believes that that has to be taken into consideration very heavily.

It is understandable how many may view this as “cold blooded murder”, but it is also understandable on how emotionally harming carrying a product of rape inside one’s body for nine months can be as equally traumatizing. It should be up to the woman if she will muster up the strength to carry the child of her rapist to full term, or terminate it.

Another question to ask is: what if the woman is not physically healthy to carry the child? What if the birth of the child will not only kill it, but her as well? Should the mother have the choice to terminate the baby—or should America send two innocent people to their graves?

To wrap things up, our group believes that women should not be punished for having the capability of becoming pregnant. When a man forces himself on her and she has no say in whether she wants that child, we are, in a sense, punishing her for the fact she is a woman that has the correct biological parts to become pregnant and carry another human being inside of her. There also some ways to settle a part of this abortion issue, and those include: allowing a woman to receive an abortion only before so many weeks and if there is evidence of rape or life-threatening aspects of the pregnancy/birth in the foreseeable future. Regardless, those are just suggestions and once again, it is not America’s choice—especially a man’s choice—but the woman’s.  

Citations:

“Abortion.” Issues & Controversies. Infobase Learning, 23 July 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.<http://proxy.nvc.alamo.edu:2693/recordurl.aspx?wid=95142&ID=2489>.

The "Weaker" Sex

Marc Martinez, Kiara Jones, Sal Espinoza

Laura Metzger

English- 1302

2 April 2015

Gender Preferences in China

In the article “A Study of Son and Daughter Preference among Chinese Only-Children from Adolescence to Adulthood” by Sung won Kim and Vanessa Fong, shares insight on gender discrimination among the Chinese and their children preference. 

During the one-child policy passed in 1979 thorough 1986, it is seen that there is a strong preference for a male child rather than a female child. This has had a large impact on those adolescences long after the policy was dropped. As the children became more aware that a male was more wanted than a female, they started to create a belief that males were the better sex. It was thought that by having a male, your legacy continues with him due to the fact his last name carried on when married, “. . . sons were expected to care for their parents, continue the family line and perform ancestor work ship along the male line, while a daughter was expected to leave her natal family after marriage to join and care for her husband’s family” (Kim 4). Males were also thought to do better in school and that they were smarter than females. However, at the time it was recorded that “girls did better on test scores in junior high schools than boys, and also eventually had a higher college attainment than males” (Kim 3). . Sadly this was not realized until the late 1990’s.

             We believe that the idea of gender preference is absurd, because Chinese beliefs contribute to the ongoing gender discrimination epidemic continuing on around the world. Studies show that even now, in present time, Chinese adults still prefer male children because of thoughts that their parents led them to believe. As the rate of gender preference of children is slowly decreasing in China, there is still gender discrimination against the adults brought up to believe that males were the better sex. Women are seen as fragile and weak in the Chinese communities, but in reality they just don’t know what they are capable of because of the ideas that older Chinese generations have implemented for so long in society. 

            Women have always had the same ability to succeed as men, but it's the judgmental outlook of the community that deprive women from obtaining the recognition and credibility that they deserve. Not only is it unfair to judge a person on how well they will succeed on there gender, but when you start discriminating on a sex before it is even born is foolish. The sooner people realize that men and women are equals the sooner we will be able to have a stronger community and fair relationships with one another.