The proliferation of pageants
What the people say about…
By Johann Earle
Stabroek News
July 26, 2004
Sharmilla Doma - Computer Student, Dancer: 'I think that young people need to get the necessary exposure so that they will get the courage for other tasks in life. A lot of people don't have the courage. But I feel that we need to take things more serious as it concerns pageants. We need to be more organised so that the hidden talent of the young people could be exposed. I do not believe that we have too many pageants, in fact the more that we have the better. I myself grew up around Sari pageants and I was crowned queen at one of them. I like going to Miss Universe. We have a lot of talent and this is borne out in the pageants. The thing is, pageants are not only about winning the crown; it is also about the participation and the exposure.'
Oneka Adams - Guyana School of Agriculture Student: 'I think that the number of pageants should be narrowed down. Instead of having all of those pageants, work on a few and make them of good quality so that our local girls would be able to truly compete when they go to represent Guyana. Many of the foreign girls who do well in pageants were brought up from small. Right now I do not believe that our girls can class with the foreign ones, they have a long way to go. All of the small pageants would only amount to a waste of time and money. They are not really benefiting the girls in any way because when they win, they can't use that as a basis for landing a secure job. Normally when the girls win a major pageant in Guyana they would appear in some advertisements and do some local modelling. Maybe what can happen is that pageants are arranged in different categories, such as adult, teen and children. I would get rid of all the small, inter-village pageants and Miss Jamzone and retain Miss Guyana World and Universe.'
Marva Clarkston - Former National Athlete: 'Pageants are very good for encouraging young girls to showcase their talents and themselves. It is also a way of keeping them occupied and others will be able to learn from what they are doing. No, I don't believe that there are too many pageants: the more there are the more girls will try to improve themselves. But there should be better-educated people organising the pageants. I admire Guyanese girls going up and showcasing themselves and all Guyanese should support them. I do believe that if the pageant organisers make promises to the contestants then they should deliver, even if it means that they have to seek donations of some of the prizes.'
Eleanor Otto - Seamstress: 'I think that all of the pageants are a waste of time. There simply are too many of them these days. Those young girls should be concentrating on educating themselves so that they can make a livelihood. And there are too many instances of broken promises and that is not good.'
Triston Prescod - Teacher: 'There are too many pageants and I think that they are a waste of time. Nowadays, everybody is trying to capitalise on the young girls; the girls are getting used. I went to one of the smaller pageants the other day and I observed what I would call favouritism. It was clear that from the inception that the organisers wanted one particular contestant to win. What I found even more amazing is that I saw no officials or members of the media there. I saw much better performances from some of the other girls there. I believe that the relevant authorities should get involved and visit these pageants.'
Alicia Blake - Cosmetologist: 'Pageants help to highlight the talents of young women and to showcase their personality and what they have inside. But some pageants organisers can be unscrupulous. I don't think that they should get away with breaking their promises to the young women. I find the annual Miss Talented Teen to be one of the best organised pageants and it fulfils its purpose in showcasing the talents that the girls possess.'
Nigel Bunbury - Labourer: 'There are a lot of fake pageants going on and some of the contestants are not getting their prizes when they win or become a runner-up. The organisers of the pageants should be certified and monitored. I admire the Miss Jamzone pageant because to me it is one of the best organised.'
Mark Cummings - Carpenter: 'Two of the many pageants that I respect are the Miss Guyana World and the Miss Guyana Universe. All of the smaller pageants are not making much sense since they are a waste of time. The girls should be going after the pageants which would really allow them to make an impression on the international scene. The organisers of those pageants ensure that the girls are given their prizes.'
R. Hoodith - Sugar Worker: 'There are far too many of these beauty pageants and it is leading to a lot of vulgar behaviour. It is also creating a lot of social disharmony. Look at the recent situation in Mocha on the East Bank of Demerara where a contestant died after she and another had a fight. We should have one major pageant where we would concentrate on training the contestants for possible overseas competition. It is shameful to have all these small pageants all over the place and bad things following them. These young girls should concentrate on their education.'
Gary Hackett - Concerned Citizen: 'Preparation for a pageant would help young girls know what is going on not only in their country but abroad. Smaller pageants would also help the girls from the various parts of the country. But I feel that organisers need to view tapes of foreign girls in training. Parents also need to get more involved when their daughters are entering into pageants. There is also a need for a binding agreement between the contestant and organisers concerning prize giving for the top positions. If this cannot be achieved then parents should not encourage their daughters to get involved in the pageant.'