Miss USA: A Link Roundup

(Thanks to everyone who commented on my two Dress Your Best posts so far. I've got two more outfits I photographed but haven't had time to write up...I'll try to do that in the next few days. Now, to transition back into normal blogging...)

This morning, I woke up to see a friend's Facebook status:

An arab muslim american crowned Miss USA?

I responded:

yay, now everyone gets objectified?

This is basically how I feel about Rima Fakih's victory last night: well, sure, it's a new thing, and it represents a step towards greater inclusion of Arab and Muslim Americans in American society but...it's a beauty pageant. The level of social justice revolution involved is highly limited.

However, as I read the internet today, I saw more buzz about Fakih's win. Here is some of what I saw.

Why I am celebrating the first Arab American Miss USA - KabobFest

Here's where there's good in this: Maytha says, "The image of a woman stereotypical in her phenotypical representation of Levantine beauty, sandwiched in by corn-fed Heidis from the hilltops of Oklahoma and other breadbasket states, and her win over these shoe-ins for belles of the nationally televised American ball, still registered as incomprehensible." Yes, having an Arab-looking woman crowned in a beauty pageant matters for a group routinely profiled for looking different. I'm not going to say otherwise.

Miss USA's Bigot Backlash And Stripping Scandal Begins Now! - Jezebel

Jezebel does the thankless task of pinpointing all the absurd racist crap that's being said about Rima Fakih. It's the usual suspects: Daniel Pipes, Debbie Schlussel, Fox News. I'm fascinated by the idea that there was "affirmative action" for Fakih to win. I mean, let's be honest: look at her. She looks good, people. She was apparently coherent and poised during her interview. (I do not have the emotional energy to YouTube this.) She looked good in a bikini. I don't think she needed affirmative action. And even if she was selected to send a message about acceptance and diversity: that's bad now? The only way that sort of narrative makes sense is if you already believe there's an evil conspiracy of Arabs to dominate the US through their cultural imperialism. Well. Okay then.


American Arab will bring Arab culture to Miss Universe Contest - Ray Hanania.

And then there's Ray Hanania.

I am proud of Rima Fakih but I know that in her achievement, she will face the usual criticism from the extremist corners of the Arab World who are blinded by anger discourse.



We need to support her and encourage her and cheer her on because winning the Miss Universe Contests can only serve to shatter the glass ceiling and add to the movement of empowerment for women of Arab culture in the Arab World and in the West."

I'm just going to say this once: fundamentally, beauty pageants do not empower women. They are about judging women for being ornamental, adhering to an impossible beauty standard, and making themselves available to the male gaze. While certainly some women gain things from these pageants--self-esteem, fame, needed scholarship money--women as a class do not make out like bandits because hot chicks in bikinis parade around and get crowns. No. Just no.

So, I will not consider the women of the Arab world perfectly empowered when they participate in Western-style beauty pageants. I find the small trend of pageants that have arisen from the region (like Miss Arab World) interesting, because of the ways they demonstrate the different beauty norms of the region, and because I think that examining different norms of beauty and feminine performance has the potential to undo the naturalness of the ones you hold to begin with. But still. Women will be liberated as women when gender injustices are abolished (and will be liberated as their other identities when injustices tied to those identities are abolished). Beauty pageants aren't doing this. They can't. It's not possible. Calm down.