Pageants - Shelby Stephens

                For my Research Argument Assignment, I chose to use the topic of beauty contests or pageants. This topic is of interest to me because I am the current Miss Senior South Aiken High School and enjoy watching pageants as well shows depicting them, such as the infamous Toddlers & Tiaras. While many people are quick to judge girls that participate in pageants, they are wrong and I think the true nature of these respectable girls should be displayed to them. People view them as shallow, superficial, unintelligent girls or women, they are very often very intelligent and in the higher levels of pageantry, very well rounded and cultured. These girls that so many unfairly pass judgment on are not stereotypical “dumb blondes”, but are in fact excellent role models that every young girl should look up to, as opposed to what society and the media now portray as what girls should strive to become like or grow up to be. Some questions that I will use to support my thesis and guide my research are “What is the average pageant girl REALLY like?”, “What are these girls doing to contribute to society or help make the world a better place?”, and “Why do girls enjoy participating in pageants?”. My preliminary thesis for the Research Argument Assignment is: While many perceive pageants to be superficial and judgmental, they are beneficial to the self-esteem of young girls and the many platforms supported by pageant contestants. Possible references for me to use during this paper are my personal past experiences, “Senator Slams Beauty Pageants” by Emma Hope, “Beauty Pageants” in Culture Wars: an Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices, and the recent Miss America Pageant featuring the Clemson University student Ali Rogers. In order to answer the “So what?” question in my paper, I will attempt to show my readers that these pageants DO serve a purpose other than to just be judgmental and that there are far more to these respectable girls than just a pretty face. Also, I will try to convince my audience that it is not right to judge people based on a stereotype.