African beauty pageants, distinctly african? empowerment?

Beauty is already well defined in Africa. "Black is beautiful". Africans are beautiful
African beauty is empowered by virtue. Beauty pageants in Africa are fine socially and also good for post conflict societies. But moral standards and African traditions about the sanctity of women must go along with this new social development.
Above all, beauty must accompany knowledge, and good conduct; which reflects a better African society. Therefore, there is no beauty without virtue.
Beauty or no beauty no one can judge why God has given us all different looks.

Anyway there are so many crucial things to attend to rather than this stupid thing which has poisoned millions of African girls who are roaming about in streets thinking their looks are everything. What is important is how Africans bring up their daughters and maintain their culture. This will empower them to be real African beauties. There is no such thing as African beauty at these pageants. Traditionally the chubby ones were the beautiful ones but these days, Hollywood has redefined beauty and our cherished thick ladies are suddenly not beautiful.
In fact, such definitions as mere excuses! And talking of beauty pageants; theirs is just an aping of Western ideologies of beauty with nothing African other than their faces; which again are not purely African having undergone such harsh and heavy makeup!
A distinctly African look would be a dark colour without make up!

It's amazing how we all have two eyes, a mouth, and a nose, but yet we all look so different. If there is one person selected as the winner of a beauty pageant, does that mean the other contenders are still beautiful? Not beautiful enough? Or are they the opposite of beautiful? What happens when the winner changes physically in the long run? It might be just to entertain the dreamers and a complete waste of time! What constitutes beauty? Is there a prototype human face by which we determine whether one is beautiful or ugly?

But true beauty is the dignity and integrity of any woman who believes in values of love and respect. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I'm not sure that pageants serve any real purpose other than bringing to the fore front the fact that women will always be used and viewed as an ornament to be dressed up and showed off.
A woman's beauty is not just how she looks but also about what kind of person she is. Yes, she may look beautiful, but is she really beautiful?

Beauty pageants are in full swing in countries like Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Burundi and Malawi. Among the prizes are a trip to Europe or the West and charitable work.
In Cameroon for example, beauty pageants help younger women to avoid getting AIDS. Their examples are widely imitated. Their attitudes, behaviours and how they have ended up being pageants are encouraging to younger women who want to stay healthy, fit and ‘beautiful’ ‘what ever that means’
If stringent guidelines are set up to identify beauty then African women are really near beauty in mind and body.

Others will ask questions like; are such pageants and competitions needed? Do they do more than sexualising the image of women? Can such shows fulfil a mixture of beauty and brains? Or are they just another form of exploitation?
OR, what is so useful about women so ignorantly contributing to condescending stereotypes about them?

In Africa because of their announced beauty they become targets of prostitution with false promises and lousy financial encouragement for men to quench their physical needs.
On the other hand in the rich countries it is still easy to exploit women with the promise of having a future good life, as an actress or model. Honestly, beauty really never empowers, it is always used as a starting point for men to use women and sometimes for the frustration of the women herself.
The idea that beautiful women do not need to sacrifice themselves to have a good education is a good example of my opinion. Even though we see beautiful women sacrificing themselves more than ever to get a good education, and to become self independent, but they can still become the target for any men who have power or money.

Some will say, beauty is more than slim ladies parading before an audience, and it is more than mere facial makeup that is not real.And those beauty pageants reduce the dignity of womanhood by freely displaying nudity that causes adolescent men to masturbate, they break families by making some men feel dissatisfied with their wife's beauty.
That it is an antiquated exploitation of women. That if women are to progress their intellect must be appreciated more than their beauty. Women of African descent in particular are not valued for their unique beauty or brains. Or that it does not truly celebrate the wonderful diversity of women.

It's a subject not limited to women - more and more beauty services are now available to men. Looking good is becoming more and more important in some places, but how is male beauty defined?
Male beauty is hard to define. It is based on one's general physique. Masculine in looks, and body, charismatic personality and also money is a vital factor.
It feels exploitative at times when women only seem to want you for one reason only - because of your exterior looks!
In this respect, beauty being so fleeting and shallow can often be a burden rather a tool of empowerment.

Frankly, I think the African concept of beauty is quite different from that of the European.
Ask yourself how many pageants are held to pick out a man for his brain, as well as looking good? Most male shows are to do with muscle. They do not have to say anything intelligent, so then,
Why do women have to keep proving to the world that there is more to them than just their bodies?
It's a good thing to recognize beautiful women in society. At the end of God's creation, he said, everything is beautiful.

It is maybe not a means of exploitation; it's a beautiful way of encouraging young ladies to keep fit, healthy and fresh all the time.
Honouring these young girls in such a glamorous way will surely give them a sense of belonging and a high self-esteem. It is a way out, more advantages, boldness, commercial opportunities, work opportunities and so on.

It will EMPOWER them not EXPLOIT. But that is an opinion.

BUT can we have a show of natural beauty or beauties? NO makeup ALLOWED?
If we can, then the difference between the exploitation of women and the fact that they always have to prove their intelligence in front of men will be laid to rest.

Africa today, should be parading people (not only men or women) who are talented and skilful in areas like science and technology, agriculture, education, and environmental preservation, rather than beauty ‘what ever that is’ to encourage sustainable development.

Defining beauty in Africa today has no doubt drastically changed courtesy of the Western philosophy of 'slim is beautiful'.

People are tempted in today's society to marry partners against their own consciences because in doing so they follow the demands society.

Those who try to look like people in magazines from the West are deemed beautiful. The skinny, fair skinned with processed hair will always win over the natural looking dark and or mid toned person.
Africans are looking away from our beautiful people and seeking approval from the West.

With men, clearly the one that exudes the most sexuality wins. With men, colour is not always a factor but the one with the most sexual prowess that the eye can see! In this case for men skin colour is not always a factor.
Male beauty seems to have many more facets and is less subject to the same level of exposure or pressure like what is done to the female contestants
The way beauty is defined in Africa is different from that of Europe. The African criteria are what Africans consider beautiful, not the Western idea of what African beauty is.
Tall, slim and with practically no curves, is not the African idea of beauty.
Most pageants choose winners based on Western standards of beauty - slim and often lighter complexioned than the average African.

Continent wide, curves are a major part of looking beautiful!
The African definition of beauty is definitely from the inside; it's usually a woman's attitude, knowledge and physical attributes. A woman could be on a scale of 10, a 6 in looks but if in character she is a 9 then she automatically becomes the beauty of the area.
However the phrase "distinctly African" comes across as very restrictive and if it's the flat nosed, shining forehead and big hips then yes it is the African "stereotype".
Care needs to be taken in the evolution of pageants to keep our criteria for beauty the African way (the full package).
Women want to be objectified more and more just for their bodies and I can only hope and pray that it is just a secret way of luring men to achieve their sexual desires. Then, I will give them thumbs up, but if they define it as beauty, an African distinction, then it cannot be.
In soothe, Africans define beauty as the lady who is morally upright, healthy, and with the continental shape of a guitar, loving, whose attitude is prone to understanding, support and care. They see beauty as the radiation of ones character, not necessarily by facial look. Hence when one is beautiful, it means one is decent and has good character.