A beauty contest for UK University students has sparked off heated debates in campuses around the country.
According to the Guardian, over 400 students are competing for the title of Miss University London to be held early next year.
Contestants include those enrolled in courses at London School of Economics, School of Oriental and African Studies, King’s College, University College of London and Regent’s College, among others.
Event organisers and contestants justify the contest as “a bit of fun.”
They say that the beauty contests are actually empowering.
But fellow students are livid at what they consider an overt acceptance of sexism and objectification of women.
To them, it seems like a sad reflection on the world today that creates an “illusion” of a post-feminist woman who is emancipated thanks to her acceptance of her sexuality and appearance.
Objectification vs empowerment
This argument reminded me of a piece I’d worked on for my course some time ago.
In November, a London borough had refused to grant a licence for a new lap dancing club in a largely residential area.
This decision came at a time when there were increased calls to change the licensing laws in UK. These laws treated lap dance clubs just like any coffee shop or ordinary bar. As a result, the number of lap dancing clubs had doubled to around 300 since 2004 when the law was introduced.
Organisations calling for changes to the legislation argued against the objectification of women in these clubs.
However, lap dancers themselves had marched to Downing Street to insist that their chosen profession was in fact empowering.
So objectification and empowerment – two sides of the same coin?
Forty Two 