Pageant
Questions WHAT
YOU'RE ASKING
 "Do you have to be super skinny
to win a pageant?" - J.D., Texas
You bring
up an important point. Like many observers, we have been concerned
about the trend toward pageant winners being exceptionally thin.
We oppose
pageantry encouraging contestants to conform to unrealistically thin
stereotypes. The physical development that occurs from junior high
though college is a crucial stage for building stores of bone calcium
for adulthood. If girls restrict their dietary intake for a prolonged period
of time to achieve and maintain a low level of body fat for comeptition, the
calcium stores needed for a lifetime of healthy bones may be jeopardized.
Some nutritionists have expressed concern that dieting at this stage could
place young women at risk of early onset osteoporosis.
While there
are well qualified physical trainers and nutritionists available to
contestants who can afford that option, many most teens and college women
cannot afford private nutritional coaching. Therefore, given
potential health complications from adolescent dieting, we encourage pageant
organizers to encourage contestants to strive for a healthier standard of
physical beauty and instruct judges to reward participants who demonstrate
physical fitness and beauty without resorting to excessive thinness.
To
contestants who ask, "Do you have to be super skinny to win?" we reply that,
whether or not that is the trend, in our opinion, the risk of potential
health problems due to prolonged dieting is simply too high a price to pay.
We'd also
like to point out that many women have won major titles without being
exceptionally thin. Miss Americas: Phyllis George ('71), Shirley
Cothran ('75), Tawny Godin ('76), Susan Perkins ('78), Gretchen Carlson
('89), Debbye Turner ('90), Marjorie Vincent ('91), and Carolyn Sapp ('92),
were all of normal weight for women their age. Several of these women had
larger bone frames and "husky" thighs. Kenya Moore is a recent Miss
USA who thighs some people viewed as surprisingly large for a "beauty
queen." So, while it may be common to see very thin women win, many judges
support contestants who project physical fitness and health without
resorting to excessive thinness.
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