As if the world needs more reasons for silly controversies! There comes pole-dancing, skimpy-bikini wearer, sultry Miss USA to make matters worse. So what's the hype all about?
A 'Muslim' 24-year-old has won the title Miss USA for the first time in history. How exactly she is Muslim escapes me though, since she herself stated that they celebrate both Muslim and Christian faiths in her home . And that, of course, is a load of bull to anyone who knows anything about either religion. In her sad attempt for political correctness, she makes nobody happy.
Many Muslim women are offended that their 'representative' in America is a previous contender in a "Stripper 101" pole dancing competition — although she denies that any "stripping actually occurred." Rima says, in her own defense, that this was a contest intended to teach women how to be "sexy." How is that revolutionary to women of any ethnicity? This is simply modern day sex slavery.
I figure that the 2010 Miss USA fits perfectly the image of one of the male-fantasy figures out of Scheherazade's tales from A Thousand And One Nights. Dark, hot, and wearing next to nothing, she is no female empowerment icon; she is more along the lines of the figure on the right. So cliché!
This young woman apparently is also an aspiring actress who played a detective in a low-budget, commercial, cheesy — and raunchy! — misogynistic movie titled Throbbing Justice. To make matters worse, in her first scene she is called "sugar tits" by her co-star, as he was graciously letting her know that she is only good if they were making babies! So much for being a role model there.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Jordan Richardson
While I agree with your critique on pageants in general (even though it is a little over the top in its aggressive sexism towards male "fantasies), I don't agree with your dismissal as Rima Fakih in the religious sense. There are countless liberal Muslims (not moderate, but liberal) and many who take their particular faiths as significantly more progressive than our Western understandings would have them be. Saying she has "nothing to do with Islam" is simply inaccurate and offensive to Muslims who share her liberal/progressive beliefs.
If anything is offensive about her beliefs, I'd argue it's the notion that she considers herself an "American first."
I'm also not sure that this is "the modern day sex slavery," especially considering that sex slavery still exists in all of its forms and pageants are not "modern" forms of it when one considers the countless abuses laid on women, men and children worldwide that have nothing to do with voluntary pageants and everything to do with REAL sexual slavery.
2 - FEM4Eever
Well, sex slavery in the figurative sense --and putting human trafficking aside, which I agree is undeniably a greater evil-- portraying women in Bikinis (which are , by the way, almost identical to Belly-dancing costumes women were forced to wear while they were lining up for men to pick and choose from them back in the Sultan's time!)is degrading. The fact that these women/girls are willing participants is irrelevant. People 'participate' in all sorts of bad things-- just because they would like to be objects of male fantasies, that should not automatically turn them in role models.
Male fantasies are fine, as long as they stay in the bedroom/bathroom-- it is NOT OK that the whole culture, strike that actually every culture everywhere, should cater to these fantasies and revolve around these ideals. Women, and girls as young as 8, suffer needlessly trying to measure up to this impossible ideal of perfection.
But then again, this is really beyond pageants--it's everywhere!
As for her 'beliefs', the girl never stated that she has any. We shouldn't really put words in her mouth. She said that 'her family is Muslim', and that she 'comes from a Muslim background."
I am saying that she has nothing to do with Islam, because simply, she has NOT stated that she IS a Muslim-- Liberal or not. There is a notion, especially among Muslims, that if you are born Muslim you are Muslim.
I diagree; having parents that are Muslim or Catholic or Jewish does not necessarily transfer down lineages.
Religion is a personal choice. And to my knowledge, Rima Fakih has not presented us with any Liberal set of beliefs--which of course is her right.
But we should not look at her as an envoy of Liberal Islam either.
She is just a girl who wanted to be a beauty queen, and she did! That's about it!
3 - Silas Kain
Oh come on now. She was in a beauty pageant for goodness sakes! All this hype about her being "Muslim" or "Arab" is such nonsense. She's from Lebanon. That's Arab light. So she took part in a pole dancing promotion. All of her clothes remained on her body. The media has made much ado about nothing and we, the forever trusting recipients of media baloney, think that great strides have been made by her win. It's a beauty contest. It's a business which generates a profit for Donald Trump. No more. No less. If the new Miss USA can carve out a career from this win - God bless her! She seems to have a bright mind, striking looks and a sense of humor. Ah. That's the ticket. Where this entire argument falls short is the lack of humor.
4 - Cindy
The fact that these women/girls are willing participants is irrelevant. People 'participate' in all sorts of bad things-- just because they would like to be objects of male fantasies, that should not automatically turn them in role models.
Male fantasies are fine, as long as they stay in the bedroom/bathroom-- it is NOT OK that the whole culture, strike that actually every culture everywhere, should cater to these fantasies and revolve around these ideals. Women, and girls as young as 8, suffer needlessly trying to measure up to this impossible ideal of perfection.
Excellent point. This culture teaches men from a tender age men to objectify women and use them as sexual objects. It teaches men and women that women are supposed to use their bodies to accommodate male fantasies.
Therefore, I am not impressed with the suggestion that because something is a male fantasy it should be automatically validated. I think men would do well to examine some of the problems their enculturated fantasy lives cause for the entire planet.
5 - Silas Kain
Well, Cindy, playing Devil's Advocate here how about this? Most heterosexual males are mindless when presented with an "aesthetically pleasing" female body. Perhaps these women who participate in the pageant process are just using their wiles to get what they want.
I completely agree with you that most men are taught at a tender young age to objectify women. The difference these days is that more women are becoming culturally aware and have enough smarts to turn that objectification around to their own benefit. I don't think that Trump's ownership of the pageant has that much to do with accommodating male fantasies as it does with raking in the cash. As long as the consuming public pays, Donald will provide.
The new Miss USA strikes me as being quite savvy. She also strikes me as a woman who knows what she wants and has charted out a course to reach her objectives. If that includes taking advantage of the innate stupidity of misogynist men, so be it. I hope she rakes in the cash.
6 - Cindy
I don't think that ownership of the pageant has that much to do with accommodating male fantasies as it does with raking in the cash.
Okay, I will respond to your devilry with how I have come to see the problem. (takes a deep breath)
The pageant displays women who model their bodies after the current male ideal--whatever the market says that is. These male desires--for women as objects--are not natural, (yet it is important that this is presumed, so they can be defended as 'natural' and therefore irreproachable, except by a few feminazi, bitches like me*), but created by the culture and often (as this same theme of objectification and entitlement to women's bodies that runs through the world of pornography, which takes it to new heights and combines it with abuse, domination, racism, and degradation) at the expense of the male's alienation from the experience of intimate sexuality.**
The pageant, like all similar displays of women as objects, reinforces for girls, the cultural imperative to look a certain way (or be worthless). It teaches girls that this is something that is desirable and even necessary for women to do--model their bodies after male ideals of female body-image.
Men are as much victims of indoctrination as women in this dynamic relationship. Because, really, it's markets that dictate what men should want women to look like as it is the market that sells women to men as objects as they approach sexuality when they are so young and vulnerable--hello 'dirty sluts'--goodbye innocent budding male intimacy and tenderness toward women. (and unfortunately, it sells men as objects to gay men as well) Queer men and queer women both move along gender lines with heterosexual men and women on this point.
The women on the stage/runway were influenced as girls by past women, and they are in turn reinforcing what it is to be women to the next upcoming generation who are, now as young girls, watching them and learning. Women answering this injury by joining the domination game and alienating their feminine strengths is not doing the culture any good. I don't find it encouraging when women decide to willingly become objects and commodities. I would prefer to nurture and support healthy impulses in my 'fellow' girls and women and my fellow boys and men. Joining the orgy of objectification by now using sadly indoctrinated men for fun and profit or revenge is not something that strikes me as at all psychologically healthy or worthy of pursuit.
* ;-)
** Hope you got that, that was quite a sentence.
7 - Rieka Arrakika
Miss Universe only for political reasons only
8 - Silas Kain
...goodbye innocent budding male intimacy and tenderness toward women. (and unfortunately, it sells men as objects to gay men as well) Queer men and queer women both move along gender lines with heterosexual men and women on this point.
I never quite looked at it that way Cindy but you are SPOT ON. Objectification does run rampant in Queerville and it runs on a parallel dynamic to Straightwood. Now that made me wonder something else. Up until the mid 20th Century, marriage was a pretty respected institution. Have our technological advances coupled with the raising of our social "consciousness" caused us to not recognize the value of a relationship? So maybe the best way to facilitate that brand of mutual respect is to actually put some teeth into those who have entered into a contract of marriage.
Seems to me if we had a society that would not accept the rapid, pain free methods of divorce as the norm we would not have as serious an objectification problem. Does that make sense?
9 - Anthony Drew
A Muslim Miss USA is a historical news. I never heard of any Muslim who dares to be a world celebrity. Hats Off
10 - Ruvy
Miss Universe only for political reasons only....
Gotto agree. The big rich American Jew-boy kissing Arab butt while he rakes in the cash. How typical of the Rahm Emmanuel types in America....
11 - FEM4Eever
@Cindy eloquently expressed, and elaborated upon. Spot on!
BTW, your blog is great--I love it. I am glad I had the chance to come across it.
@Silas I see the demise of the family/marriage system as a direct result of the distorted male-female dynamics of our modern society.
@Anthony Muslim world celebrities-hmmm,, let's see. If you are only refering to modern day -- since at some point in time (round the 8th-13th centuries) all 'famous' people were Muslim...
we can name a few :
Prof. Ahmed Zewail
Muhamed Yunus
Zeinedine Zidane
Omar Sharif
Walid IbnTalal
Mohamed EL Fayed (just sold Harold's)
Marat Safin
Cat Stevens
You can find many more on Google. Many Muslims are Nobel Laureates by the way--more histotical than a measly pageant, in my opinion.
12 - Mark
I dunno. The sight of that woman's shoulders in the picture has me in a complete moral flap.
Where's the fatwa?
(For appropriate swim attire visit Acme Burka, LLC)
---
One dawg's 'healthy behavior' is another's 'road to perdition'...decisions, decisions.
13 - Cindy
Mark,
I'm sure I don't quite get what you mean, again.
But, all choices are equally valid and healthy? It's all in how you look at it? Then, I suppose capitalism is a fine system. Plenty of people like it. One man's 'healthy system' is another's 'road to perdition'...
Of course, I am being facetious. There are healthy and unhealthy 'choices'. If they coerced sexuality can be called a 'choice'. And those choices have an impact on the human culture. There are also gray areas. They need to be discussed, imo, not dismissed as personal preference.
I'm not really sure what bare shoulders in relation to morality has to do with anything. The moral issue is objectification, which can be examined for it's counterpart--dehumanization.
14 - Cindy
FEM,
Thanks. :-)
I have that same photo on facebook that you have on your 'Girl Vs President' post. I got it from the news article it was displayed with at the time. That is the first I saw anyone else with it. It's great!!!
15 - Cindy
Silas,
I have a few things to think about first, but I really want to reply to your last post. If you don't see a response this morning, just check back.
16 - Mark
Cindy, gotta go exploit myself. I hope to respond before tomorrow.
17 - Cindy
Have fun...say hi to Bindy. :-)
18 - Silas Kain
The big rich American Jew-boy kissing Arab butt while he rakes in the cash. How typical of the Rahm Emmanuel types in America....
Trump is Jewish? I don't think so.
FEM4ever sparked a recollection in me with her list of Arab (Muslim) celebrities. I remember a debate in Granny's house when I was a little boy concerning Funny Girl. Granny and her bridge club were talking about the Streisand movie and one of Granny's Jewish friends said she would never see that movie because Streisand's love interest was being played by an "Arab". I think that was my first real experience in seeing the Jewish/Arab dynamic. And, I remember, that it really bothered me. Why? because a great deal of Granny's friends were Syrian and Lebanese. I remember asking Granny why so-and-so would hate Arabs? It just didn't make sense. Granny's reply? "Oh, she's just mad because Jewish slaves built the pyramids." That probably confused me more but I let it go and continued doing whatever it is a little boy does to cause mischief. Moral of the story? Education begins at home.
P.S. Cindy, looking forward to your skillfully crafted response.
19 - Baronius
What is it about beauty pageant contestants that I find so unattractive? I looked at a picture of this girl, and it reminded me of Carrie Prejean. Big nose, disproportionate mouth, and kind of boring from the neck down. I mean, in an average room of 20 women, she'd probably be the best-looking one, but she isn't close to my idea of the perfect form, and I don't think she's close to the "average" person's idea of the perfect form.
I'm not saying that women should starve themselve to achieve the perfect look, or feel bad if they don't have that look. But it's mighty peculiar to me that beauty pageants have honed in on a specific look that isn't that great. The pageant system must reinforce that specific expectation.
Silas, your comment #8 is practically Bible-thumping. Good for you!
20 - Dr Dreadful
Silas,
Granny did know that the pyramids were built long before the Jews migrated to Egypt, right?
21 - Dr Dreadful
Trump is Jewish? I don't think so.
No, he isn't.
Somebody tapped Ruvy's metaphorical knee and got the usual reaction.
22 - Silas Kain
Thank you, Baronius. I'm slowly being convinced that the lack of respect for the marriage contract may very well play a major role in the disintegration of "family values". Instead of shutting gays out, we should have welcomed them into the fold and forged stronger statutes which solidify marriage contracts. Like it or not, marriage isn't about love. It's referred to as a "contract". Perhaps marriage licenses should only be issued when a couple registers with a prenuptial agreement in hand. The reason why I get so ticked off at the Far Right is because those that scream about family values the loudest usually get caught having affairs or divorcing (Newt Gingrich and Mark Souder come to mind).
There is only one victim in any divorce with children - the offspring. Husbands and wives go on to other relationships while their spawn gets tugged in multiple directions. In this litigious society I am astounded that children of the divorced haven't filed lawsuits against their respective parents for malpractice or dereliction of parental duties.
23 - Silas Kain
Granny did know that the pyramids were built long before the Jews migrated to Egypt, right?
Probably not. In those days we were taught at catechism class that the Jews built the pyramids and were slaves to the Pharaoh. That was the whole point of the Exodus according to our dogma teachers.
24 - roger nowosielski
I'd rather know where a person is coming from than to be blind sided by a racist who manipulates the system under the guise of "patriotism" or doing "God's work".
Kind of late to be worrying about family values, Silas, while Rome is burning. We're closer and closer to being at each other's throat with each passing day, and you worry about the structure of the family.
Perhaps I'm wrong, but I don't find this type of discussion as being terribly relevant given our economic and political climate. We're facing a moral crisis, Silas, a crisis affecting the entire nation. It's beyond "family values."
25 - Glenn Contrarian
Silas -
Probably not. In those days we were taught at catechism class that the Jews built the pyramids and were slaves to the Pharaoh. That was the whole point of the Exodus according to our dogma teachers.
Yeah. AFTER most of the pyramids were built, the Hebrews got tired and took their toys and left the sandbox.