I really love this post. I think the thing that gets me is that at its core, no matter what good things the contestants do (& so many of them do wonderful things!), this is still a *beauty* pageant, not a lots-of-good-things pageant. An "ugly" or "fat" (in quotations because those words are so subjective & societal) woman who did all the same things Rabinowitz & her competitors do could never win this pageant & use that tiara & its national platform to make people listen to her very worthy messages because, no matter her other achievements, her looks do not meet pageant standards.
I really love this post. I think the thing that gets me is that at its core, no matter what good things the contestants do (& so many of them do wonderful things!), this is still a *beauty* pageant, not a lots-of-good-things pageant. An "ugly" or "fat" (in quotations because those words are so subjective & societal) woman who did all the same things Rabinowitz & her competitors do could never win this pageant & use that tiara & its national platform to make people listen to her very worthy messages because, no matter her other achievements, her looks do not meet pageant standards.