By Staff
The Miss Niles-Brandywine pageant is something whose time has passed.
Let's let it rest in peace.
It's dying a very ugly death right now, based on the postings and rantings on our website. As background for those of you who don't know, Miss Niles-Brandywine of a couple of months ago gave up her crown – as did Miss Congeniality and the first runner-up – over an apparent scheduling conflict with the pageant committee chairperson.
It's turned into a nasty "he said, she said," and there are no winners.
Who will want to be involved with something so ugly?
Let the pageant die.
At one time, pageants were all the rage, but do we really want to return to that time?
The whole concept is unquestionably demeaning to women. Sure, there are scholarship dollars involved, but for what? Being able to win a popularity contest?
Proponents say the pageant encourages poise and public speaking. So does the debate team, just not in an evening gown.
Sure, some pageants have a Mr. Whatever contest, some feeble attempt at equality, though I'm hard-pressed to think of any reason any self-respecting man would have anything to do with it.
Let's face it: Times have changed.
Linda Schultz, pageant chair of the Miss Niles-Brandywine contest, openly admits to trying to get out of her leadership position for at least two years. However, she said no one else is willing to strap it on. She also said two or three members of the pageant's committee do the vast majority of the work. In any case, she says she's done.
The contestants have changed, too. The lives of high school-age girls aren't the same as they were just a few years ago. Things that are important to them aren't those that were important to other generations. These young ladies are very materialistic – not a criticism, simply the truth. They typically need to work to pay for their cell phones and cars and clothes – all things that are much more of a status symbol today than ever before. That means their schedules include less time for commitments like those apparently required of reigning Niles royalty.
These young ladies also no longer have the quality of innocence that generations before them had. Argue if you choose, but you know that's simply the truth, too. Many of them know things and are doing things that 20 years ago would have required us to leave town because we would be too embarrassed to stay here. Teen-agers today are exposed to so many things so early that force them to grow up far too soon. It's really very sad.
Why do we need a Miss Niles-Brandywine? We don't. Our community will be much better off if we never again have to experience the kind of public controversy the pageant has brought us this year.
Let's move on.