Blah blah blah for a good cause blah blah. Why can't we somehow figure out a method of drawing attention to good causes without making women "compete" in pageants?

Does it seem like pageants, instead of receding into history, are around with more bite than ever?

This is a very effective way to raise awareness. Nothing says 'help me' more than a pretty girl who is missing a leg.

retardedness

Yeah, raising awareness = good. I'm not too keen on the pageant idea. But I guess it would be okay if the girls in it were really excited about it and wanted to do it.

Because we can't care about landmine victims unless they're also pretty. *sigh* Well intentioned, but just so deeply rooted in fucked up Western culture it makes my brain hurt.

@zivah: your avatar makes me smile whenever I see it.

It's fucked up by our feminist western ideals or whatever but if youre in a country where a lot of women are missing body parts and they are ostracized and made to feel like they are less than other women, I dont see the problem in people seeing that you can still be beautiful while missing a leg or 2.

@LaComtesse: Yay. Me too. It is my desktop picture, bequeathed to me by the girl who had my job before I did. Who was apparently hilarious.

i mean, i'm fine with this obvs but it does seem like pagaents are used to address a myriad of social ills.

It's not a beauty contest, it's a scholarship competition!

@zivah: I was just thinking the same thing. It's nice that we're drawing attention, but does it have to be about beauty?

No one ever wants to help the ugly ones :( This may raise awareness, but really, for how long? Perhaps money would be better spent improving these peoples' lives with education and better conditions, than parading them around on stage for a few weeks.

@DorothyZbornak: ahem.. program.

Good luck running for Ms. San Antonio Womens Correctional Facility Pagent!

@J.D.Regent: Yeah, right?

Long, soul-crushing prison terms in siberia? The solution? Pageants!!

Landmines? How horrible. The solution? Pageants?

What's next - victims of genocide? FGM? Human trafficking?

Honestly, how many people knew about the civil war in Angola?

@ineffable.me: Very true. Also hopefully by bring these women together they can see they are not alone and can be just as successful and beautiful, if not more, than people that haven't suffered this.

@zivah: You know, this almost IS human trafficking, isn't it?

@Leiakat: That's what I was thinking as well. One might disagree with the pageant aspect, but it certainly got people thinking about land mine victims in Angola, something that I'm sure doesn't cross many people's minds around the world.

@vegemitekid: maybe they're ugly! you dont know!

@ineffable.me: Perhaps, but I seriously doubt it.

@ineffable.me: I agree. Like, by all means let's get rid of beauty pageants but let's not start with the ones that at least have a valid message and a reason beyond "ooh! beautiful women look hot in swimsuits!".

Lots of valid points, but in a country where the women are already competing for a male provider is there a better way to quickly, inexpensively raise awareness about the land mines while telling this society that these victims are still desirable?

@ineffable.me: Def. see your point, but unless they changed the rules, won't all but one... well... lose? Losing takes its toll on self esteem even for beauty queens. Like "Yes, you're beautiful, but not quite beautiful enough..." (or so I've heard the inner monologue goes...)

I want to say this is a good thing because it is at least drawig attention to the cause. But why is everything about looks in the end?

@vegemitekid: well i doubt its a beauty pageant for the large model contingency that lives in a mine-ridden region of Angola...

@eeva: exactly.

@LaComtesse: i think it'll still be a good thing. because if it's one woman from each province then that woman will probably become a role model of sorts in each province and will inspire other women and such.

Weird. I have a cousin who was crowned Miss Diabetic Amputee last October!

This vexes me. I am vexed. Why not give them microloans and help them start businesses? That's a lot more empowering than twirling batons and prancing around in swimsuits.

@ineffable.me: Color me convinced. Very salient point.

@OneMartiniAway: There's a Miss Diabetic Amputee? You learn something new every day. How old is your cousin?

@ineffable.me: Well said.

@reader123:
I agree (I think.) As someone here already said, I'm vexed. I kept seeing this story on the BBC homepage and didn't want to read it for fear of what it would actually be about. I never thought it would be an actual pageant.

@ineffable.me: Mmmm, couldn't possibly be any beautiful women there.....

@vegemitekid: and NO, I'm not saying that all women in Angola or other African countries are ugly if that's what you're implying by that.

@mollsmolls: Yeah, it's a tough one. Is telling a women she's beautiful empowering or disenfranchising? I think it can be both.

@ineffable.me: Not at all, but it is a pageant. *slinking back into corner now.....*

Every female has the right to be objectified!

reading comprehension problems: I read the last sentence too quickly as "All of the contestants have been maimed by mimes." hmm.

@reader123: Angola mine victim porn?

You also make a good point.

My thing is, who's going to remember this tomorrow? I mean, I hope it catches the attention of someone with money and/or power to help out...to actually get people worried about this problem...otherwise, we'll all giggle over the headline today, and tomorrow be too busy surfing the websites of the newest unveiled Spitzer prostitute.

Initially I thought this seemed kind of exploitive, but after reading the BBC article, I'm on board. I'm not a fan of beauty pagents, but they do grab people's attention and land mines and their victims deserve attention.

These women probably don't have many employment options due to their land mine related injuries. Most people in Angola can not afford artifical limbs.

As someone who lives in Angola- no, really I do- let me tell you that if this pagaent can bring attention to the MILLIONS of women around here who are survivors of land mines, then great. There are so many (men, women, children) that everyone has become desensitized.

Besides, look at the website: there is no way that these real women are your "typical" constestants. Angolans are really into pagaents (there's even a Mr. Angola), so I think it's great that it's being used to remind people about the problem that is still a big threat.
[www.miss-landmine.org]

@ineffable.me:

I seriously doubt the women aren't all pretty. It's a pageant. They selected ONE woman out of thousands in each province. They didn't set up a similar contest for injured children, or for men. They didn't make it a talent contest. It seems obvious that this contest is probably about female beauty, and I doubt any province wanted to send the women whose face was the body part maimed to represent them.

Can I enter the "I hate my day job cause I'm really an artiste pageant"? I want a pretty dress and a sash, dammit. I'm gonna kick ya'lls asses in the talent portion! I learned how to pose from Tyra.

I'm not normally for beauty pageants, and I read about this last year. But the victims were traumatized about losing their limbs and they wanted to do it. Has anyone seen the site? It's not porn. I actually cried when I read it.

See, what bothers me is not so much that it's a beauty pageant as much as it seems like something that would be relegated to the "odd news" section of yahoo, talked about on stupid morning radio shows, and laughed at by the half-heads on Fark. I think people might just miss the point entirely and laugh and then forget about it, like they always do.

They asked Heather Mills to emcee but she wanted 50 million...

@sybann: Yeah, I so suspect the International Amputee PR Co Ltd has put this together to try and restore their damaged reputation.

@laly: It's actually really awesome to hear your perspective.

@filleunique: Too soon?

I have NOTHING bad to say about this. I think a pageant is a solid, defiant response to the absurdity of land mines. Here's their manifesto:

[www.miss-landmine.org]
* Female pride and empowerment.

* Disabled pride and empowerment.

* Global and local landmine awareness and information.

* Challenge inferiority and/or guilt complexes that hinder creativity-
historical, cultural, social, personal, African, European.

* Question established concepts of physical perfection.

* Challenge old and ingrown concepts of cultural cooperation.

* Celebrate true beauty.

* Replace the passive term 'Victim' with the active term 'Survivor'

I'm with aubonpam too, hoping this doesn't get treated as "odd news." Let these women do their thing with dignity, because they are brave as FUCK.

I'm all for it. If you can shine light on something that gets a 30 sound bit then forgotten AND if can help these ladies feel/be treated like a women for a day where's the harm in a pageant?