Feel-good factor

Aug 05, 2001

BEAUTY pageants the world over have been under constant attack from various quarters over the years.

BEAUTY pageants the world over have been under constant attack from various quarters over the years. Uganda's, too, have been no different as they exemplified all the weaknesses that made them easy targets of the bigot and the balanced of society alike. But now we have just conducted what is easily the cleanest pageant ever with Miss Uganda 2001. Unlike many in the past, this one was free of the sexually exploitative stereotype that irritated feminists. Where the swimsuit used to be the main attire on offer, even when there was nary a pool nearby, the stage was graced with decent fashion that is part of our daily lives. With no flesh for the lustful to ogle, attention was drawn to the true nature of the girls, including their beauty, intellect and personae. Indeed the audience, both at the lakeside venue and in front of the television end of the live relays, applauded at the cleverer answers the women gave to a series of questions, including one about an imaginary status as President of Uganda. For the girls, there were more than just the traditional beauty pageant benefits of material gain and vanity. The contest was organised in phases that began at the local level, giving opportunity to many women from all over the country. In this, the organisers did better than many sectors of Ugandan life including soccer, education and private and public resource allocation that tend to favour those centrally placed around Kampala. Many of the girls would have shed their provincialism, and gained confidence from being able to compete at the very top. At the national level, the pageant's entertainment value adds some variety to the desert that is Ugandan cultural life, and it leaves us all feeling good about ourselves and about being Ugandan.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});