BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – EACH year a number of pageants are held throughout the Federation, undertaken by various community groups and giving young females the opportunity to display not only their creative talents but also their intelligence.
However, some people are of the opinion that putting these young females on display could also nurture in them a number of negative traits such as: seeking the wrong type of attention, becoming sex symbols for some men, and becoming too pompous and self absorbed.
Because of such negatives, SKNVibes asked a number of people to respond to the following question: Should minors under 18 be allowed to enter pageants other than the ones promoted by schools?
A young woman named Mellissa said, “Sure they should be allowed to.” She stressed that by entering, their talents could be developed, and they could excel and become proud representatives of the Federation in pageants such as Miss World and Miss Caribbean Talented Teen.
Xavier, another responder indicated that, in his opinion, as long as their parents agree, and both the contestant and her parents believe that she is mentally fit and mature enough to handle such an endeavour, then why not?
One father arrogantly stated, “None of my daughters could never go in for no show while they under my supportment. All shows does do is make them get wild and look man.”
Sherma, who has been a chaperon to many contestants, said she loves pageantry and has no problem with any age group entering. She added that any negative effect resulting from entering should not be blamed on the pageant, but on the character of the contestant and her reaction to winning.
There are many females such as Genieve Hanley, Nicole Gumbs and Sudeakka Francis, who entered pageantry at a young age and later walked away with National Queen Titles. It would be fair to say that the experience gained by entering those pageants would have helped to develop their talents and mold their characters over the years.
Besides enabling contestants to parade on stage to win a crown, pageants are said to be a platform on which young ladies could develop self-esteem, the ability to enhance their public speaking skills and self-confidence.
Julie Martin, who has been involved in pageantry for over 20 years, said that a lot depends on the nature of the pageant, what is at stake and whether the pageant was going to provide them with an opportunity to showcase their artistic skills. In such cases, then any female under 18 should be allowed to enter.
Martin said, in her view, there are many benefits which can be derived from entering pageants such as: meeting new friends, learning to work as a team, building socialization skills and boosting confidence.
When asked if she thinks pageants have negative effects, the veteran pageant expert responded by saying, “No”. She also indicated that people normally embrace pageants for what they offer, but like everything else there would always be naysayers, who for no worthwhile reason would bash the organisers or pageant contestants.
“Overall I think pageants are viewed as positive avenues to showcase the talent of the participants. Furthermore, pageant contestants, or winners in particular, then go on to shine in other areas, so one would want to believe that the actual pageant was a springboard for these young ladies, and that’s a great thing,” she stressed.
Pageants are all defined as a form of entertainment, so it is left up to the individual to determine what use they wish to make of them.
