Beauty pageants - How about something different?

I remember many of us have sat in front of the TV with great excitement, struggling with our sleep trying to catch many of the beauty pageants relayed late in the night.

In many of pageants, some of our own country-women have been crowned Miss Universe, Miss World, etc. I understand there are also categories like Miss Photogenic, Miss Congeniality (or was this only a movie?) and so on. Often times, also shown is the preparation that the contestants go through, prior to participating in them. No doubt it is hard work.

Image source : Google Images

Though it is emphasized time and again that the attitude, intellect and other aspects of the contestant is evaluated during these pageants, I am somehow not convinced beyond a certain point. Many women who participate in this undergo teeth correction and what not. So, where is their "natural" beauty after all those corrections, trainings, counselling, et al? I understand that such pageants exist for men too.

Once they win these contests many of them go about endorsing various products or join films. Very few really walk the talk of bringing about positive changes to the society or world peace or emulating Mother Theresa, though they wax eloquent about these topics.

That set me thinking.

Why can't we have pageants in which people are crowned as Miss Kindness, Miss Compassion, Mr Integrity, Mr Inspiration and so on?

The winners of these pageants would be through voting by the entire nation or the world, what with social media and all that. These pageants should be open only for the common people; common people who have really emulated Mother Theresa without proclaiming to, or have done their bit to make the society & world a better place or have surmounted great difficulties in their lives by their sheer will power and grit, say like, Nick Vujicic or Bethany Hamilton or Sudha Chandran or Dr. Sunitha Krishnan or Narayanan Krishnan or Dr. H Sudharshan or Saalumarada Thimakka or Lizzie Velasquez or scores of such really beautiful people.

Nick Vujicic and Bethany Hamilton
(Source : Google Images)

Saalumarada Thimakka with all the
trees she has planted and tended to
over decades, all on her own.
(Source: Google Images)

Such people give hope to the hopeless, inspire people to believe in themselves and to finish strong. So many lives would change for the better. The ripple effect it would produce would be mind-boggling.

Isn't that what we want for ourselves and for the kids? Wouldn't such qualities rather than just being a pretty face, really help them at all times in their lives?

With such people winning these "beauty" pageants, the depth and breadth of positivity generated will be immense.

Yes, I would wholeheartedly support such pageants crowning real life heroes as they really contribute to bringing about......

(Source : Google Images)

This post is for A-Z Challenge 2014