Netherlands scrapped their beauty pageant after 35 years: A potential topic for GD round

BACKGROUND

Glamour, a flawless appearance, and immeasurable fame is what comes to our mind when we think about beauty pageants. Female candidates aspiring to win any beauty pageant accept to sieve through all the tough challenges in order to win the desired title, and we too often feel that it's all worth it by watching the winning moment sitting at our couches...but is this image enough to understand the beauty pageant industry?

Recently, Netherlands scrapped its beauty pageant and transformed it into a new platform called 'No Longer of This Time' after conducting their Miss Netherlands beauty pageant for around thirty five years. But what could have made them think in this direction and take such a drastic step?

This particular topic and some other topics of discussion revolving around this case have a great potential to get asked in the group discussion rounds of CAT and other MBA entrance exams in 2025. This incident can also be quoted in some other discussion topics such as feminism, inclusivity of different genders, fad diets, effects of intense exercise, and so on. So let's dive into the case in detail so that you don't fall short of words during your discussion and can confidently create an opinion of your own.

THE DARK SIDE OF BEAUTY PAGEANTS 

While there is a lot of glamour and fame angle attached with the beauty pageants, Netherlands have successfully recognized the back story of this industry and identified a lot of toxic things going on which others might miss out on.

➤ Major Focus on Physical Appearance: Dozens of nations world-wide get together multiple times a year to conduct contests for young women, majorly focused on their physical appearance and are judged for such minute details that can pose a threat for the candidate in the long term.

➤ Peculiar Criteria for Participation: They identified that ironic to the image of beauty pageants that we see on screen, their is a grim reality hidden behind it. The very criteria for participating in these contests are so harsh by expecting a woman to be of a specific age, marital status, height, weight, and even inches.

➤ Attention to Physical Details: Even if a woman satisfies these conditions, they have to face public criticism for the slightest of physical disparities from the unconventional beauty standards.

➤ Unsustainable Grooming Techniques: The participants are almost tortured in the name of training/grooming by constraining into strict diets and exercise routines that aren't sustainable and then fed to the audience as a puppet to be judged and scrutinized minutely.

➤ Self-harm in the Zest to Win: Even the slightest variance from the conventional beauty standards can leave them feeling intensely ugly and put them in a vicious cycle of harming oneself to satisfy the set standards.

➤ Health Issues During & After Training: As per research, 26% of beauty pageant candidates suffer from eating disorders and 48.5% of them suffer from weight issues and body dysmorphia.

Other countries such as Argentina, Nepal, & Israel have also identified the same issues with the beauty pageant industry and have put a stop to it believing they create a very toxic environment for the women of their nation and also promote things that hamper the mental health of the consumers in the long run.

With all this in mind, Netherlands transformed its beauty pageants to a platform called 'No Longer of This Time' with the vision of promoting mental health wherein the participants can share their life stories and challenges on a large public platform that could genuinely result in empowering lives and sharing the emotional burden.

BRIGHT SIDE OF BEAUTY PAGEANTS 

While this was the thought pattern of the Netherlands, various other countries continue to conduct these beauty pageants for various reasons and don't find anything wrong with it.

➤ Promotion of a Disciplined Lifestyle: They believe that beauty pageants are a great way to promote a fit and disciplined lifestyle where the candidates motivate the audience to take care of their body and build a confident personality with a smart mind.

➤ Great Career Opportunity: It acts as a platform to celebrate 'beauty with brains' through the multiple rounds of selection and give the participants a chance to create a great career out of it at a very young age.

➤ Experience Diversity: International beauty pageants like Miss Universe and Miss World are a great way to experience diversity & inclusivity, as candidates from all over the world share a huge platform together.

➤ Attracts International Attention: It ultimately helps the participating nations showcase their talent and attract international attention and boost tourism.

➤ Economic Growth: Being a 5 billion dollar industry, the beauty pageants promote economic growth of nations world-wide. The sponsorships made for these contests amount to another 300 billion dollars.

➤ Portrayal of Inclusivity: Beauty pageants have evolved over the years and become much more inclusive by introducing new categories of contests such as Miss Plus Size International and Miss Trans Global to welcome participants from all age, race, body type, and gender identities.

➤ Platform to Address Societal Issues: Modern day beauty pageants have also become a great platform to address social issues and take corrective action towards improvement through their influence.

FRAME YOUR OPINION 

Now that you are well acquainted with both the sides of the beauty pageant industry, you are free to construct an opinion of your own using all the facts stated above. Always remember that in group discussions for MBA admission, you should always support your opinions with facts and figures. Stating clear facts and statistical data can improve your chances of clearing the group discussion round for MBA as it makes a lasting impact on the panel. Make sure to use these points and ace your group discussion round for your MBA admission.