Basically, a 15 year old girl called Olivia O'Neil won her regional beauty contest, and then decided that, having been blonde for the contest, she wanted to change her hair colour, and dyed it dark brown instead.
From the story:
...pageant organizer Barbara Osborne was incensed. "Is that a wig?" Osborne wrote. "I hope it is, don’t give me heart failure."
Olivia admitted that she had in fact dyed her blond hair dark, and said that if she wasn't allowed to dye her hair, then maybe pageant life wasn't for her. “Well you better decide, miss. Hand over your crown with an attitude like that. I’m sure someone will step into your place with manners," said Osborne, adding that O'Neil "would not go far in this world."
Respect to O'Neil for sticking to her principles and stating clearly that she wasn't willing to be part of something that controls her to that extent. But Osborne's response is somewhat less impressive! Sticking up for oneself is not "bad manners", and expecting to have control over one's own body is, well, something we would wish people could take for granted, no? As for, "Would not go far in this world" - well, the ability to toady up to people in power is certainly a trait that can help people acquire money and prestige in an organisation. But I suspect that Osborne is saying that a woman who thinks for herself has no chance of being accepted.
O'Neil made the best choice, and ditched the crown - and then went to the press with her story, revealing the harshness of beauty contests as she described what went on:
"It’s hurtful. She was always really harsh on the girls. And when she says things like 'present yourself better,' 'wear lots of makeup,' 'do 20 sit-ups,' it gets to you after a while."
The pageant's spokesperson said, "In a beauty pageant, it’s not about sugar coating and providing lip service to the girls. They should be treated the same way as in any other beauty pageant in the world."
Which of course just reveals how damaging the beauty contest industry really is!
I then went and had a look at the website for the pageant (link not provided because I don't want to give them that traffic - if you're interested you can find it from the Yahoo article). I read the text about what they expect from their winners:
The winner of Miss Wanganui and Miss Teen Wanganui will not only bear much responsibility as a role model for other teenagers to follow. She will be a leader in setting high standards of excellence in honesty and integrity. The clothes she wears the make-up she chooses the food she eats to her sporting and musical interests will have an impact on teenagers around the region.
"Young women make the Best Role Models for young women, let them lead by example, let them follow their dreams and let their actions speak louder than their words"
(their emphasis)
By these standards, O'Neil I think is a far better role model than a woman who will subject herself to the invasive and predatory control of a beauty contest organisation! She has, indeed, followed her own dream (and not that of the organisers); she has led by example and used words and actions to speak clearly about what is wrong with beauty pageants!
But that first paragraph also reveals what's wrong (and why the pageant's organisers were upset at the hair colour change): a pageant winner is to be an "example" in "the clothes she wears, the make-up she chooses, the food she eats" because she will "have an impact on teenagers around the region". That implies that she will surrender control of these to people concerned with image (oh Lord, I only wish a winner would turn Goth next year!). Her "sporting and musical interests" are also under scrutiny - I'm willing to bet no rugby-playing (rugby-watching, yes, but playing?) girl would ever win, it would be all athletics or aerobics (if she plays sports at all), and what teams she supports. (Again, I fantasise about a winner then going away and joining a women's rugby squad and getting battered and battering others, and grinning all the while!)
As for setting high standards of "honesty and integrity", once again, O'Neil set those standards and exemplified those qualities most clearly. Integrity by being true to herself, honesty with the world about what's involved in beauty pageants. Surely the make-up, the sculpted hair, the special dresses, the façade, of beauty pageantry is inherently dishonest, and removes integrity from the contestants!
So, Olivia O'Neil, I salute you for your integrity and self-determination, and may the world see many more women like you in the future.
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