Unit 6. Are Beauty Contests Outdated ?
Nowadays many young girls dream to become a famous model or a film star. They take pains to beautify themselves in search of a prestigious job in this country or abroad. Some of them take part in different castings, others prefer to participate in numerous beauty contests. But people’s attitude towards beauty contests is different.
Exercise 1. MISS UNIVERSE: Which of the points below are most important when judging a beauty contest?
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Exercise 2. What is the purpose of beauty pageants today? To make money for the media? To entertain the masses? To affirm beautiful women of their beauty? To celebrate female beauty? As beauty pageants have sparked many debates over the centuries, let’s take a deeper look at the evolution n of this American tradition. Read the article and agree or disagree with the statements after it.
How Beauty Pageants Started
Beauty contests are said to have been around since Ancient Greece, starting with the Judgement of Paris: a myth about goddesses Hera, Aphrodite and Athena competing over who was the most beautiful. There are even stronger traces of it in the medieval era, where queens were selected to symbolize bounty and community during European festivals.
Judgement of Paris, Peter Paul Rubens (1636)
But the first actual beauty contest was during the Victorian era with Phineas T. Barnum (yes, the circus guy). He tried to capitalize on the commercial entertainment of his national contests (such as best animal, best flower, etc.) by having women submit anonymous photographs of themselves to be judged on their beauty. Its success inspired other city newspapers to hold similar contests to boost morale and attract newcomers, voting on which woman represented the “spirit” of their community.
Newspaper Beauty Contest
This led the way for beauty pageants to be regularly held as entertainment for the middle class and tourists. In 1921, Atlantic City held the first Miss America pageant as a tourist attraction for Labor Day. This time crowds and judges voted on a young woman who represented the “spirit” of America: “strong, red-blooded, able to shoulder the responsibilities of homemaking and motherhood. It is in her type that the hope of the country rests.”
Margaret Gorman, the first Miss America (1921)
Exercise 3. True and false statements.
Beauty contests started in Europe to select a queen.
The first winner of the contest was Phineas Barnum.
The first beauty pageants were on stage and didn`t have any success.
Beauty pageants were a kind of entertainment for newspapers reporters.
The aim of the contests was to show a representative of a true American woman.
Exercise 4. Find the English equivalents to the following words in the previous article.
Конкурс красоты, убедить, разжигать споры, щедрость, наживать себе капитал, подчиняться, судить, вдохновлять, проводить конкурс, подстегивать, привлекательность, энергичный, взять ответственность.
Exercise 5. Are Beauty Contests Good or Bad?
A quick look shows what people say are the pros and cons of beauty pageants today:
Since the 19th Century, beauty pageants have been held around the world that highlight the good looks and talents of their contestants. While there are some obvious positives that can be taken from these contests and the crowds that they attract, there are also some notable negative factors that should be considered as well. To this day, these events are growing worldwide and the variety of contestants that participate and the affect that they have on society. It may just be a question of the pageants being a good outlet for the individual’s growth or just a shallow event that promotes the wrong values.
Read about the pros of beauty contests, find the English equivalents to the following words in the texts and using them give the gist of each short text.
Наловчиться в ораторском искусстве, сохранять хладнокровие, выражать свои мысли, требовать, уровень комфортности.
Участвовать, приводить в форму, приобретать знания, терпение, высокая оценка.
Быть вовлеченным, стипендия, устанавливать связи, преимущество, обналичить приз.
Заниматься, бросать вызов, вдохновлять, идти рука об руку, жесткие вопросы.