What's Miss USA about anyway?

Monday April 20, 2009, Miss North Carolina was crowned Miss USA in Las Vegas, Nevada. Interestingly, she isn't the big news. Miss California, first runner-up, is. And it's the opinion of many that Miss California would have been the winner had it not been for the answer to one question.

Perez Hilton, one of the pageant judges, asked Miss California, Carrie Prejean, if she believed all states should follow the example of Vermont in legalizing same-sex marriages. Miss California answered honestly, stating that she believed marriage should be between a man and a woman. She stressed that she meant no offense to anyone, but that this was her belief and the way she was raised. In the end the crown went to Miss North Carolina. Even Donald Trump, owner of the Miss USA competition, acknowledged that her answer probably brought her score down and caused her to lose the pageant.

This proved to me what I have always believed to be true about pageants. The winners of these competitions are judged on 2 things: 1 - their outward beauty, and 2 - their ability not to think for themselves. Miss Kristen Dalton, the new Miss USA, stated that the questions being asked of the contestants "showed America that Miss USA is relevant. It shows that we are not only beautiful but intelligent women." I beg to differ. The questions asked proved that Miss USA is expected to give a "politically correct" answer, one that pleases everyone and doesn't promote controversy. That was exactly what Perez Hilton said in an interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show: "I want [a Miss USA] who is going to be politically saavy, and that means saying things that will make everyone feel welcome." (Apparently this doesn't apply to Perez Hilton, who lambasted Miss California and called her vulgar names.) There's just one problem: You CAN'T PLEASE EVERYONE! No matter what answer is given, it's always going to ruffle someone's feathers. In this case, Perez Hilton's feathers went into a frenzy because, as an openly gay man, he felt that she answered the question contrary to what was expected of her. He wanted something more like what Miss North Carolina later stated: "I think that all couples...should be able to be recognized legally. They should be able to enter into a union. Whether or not it should be defined as marriage, I'll leave that up to the politicians." In other words, everyone should do as they please, after all it isn't her decision. A very non-specific answer that doesn't compromise her in any way. Miss California couldn't give this kind of answer. She spoke from the heart, and it cost her the earthly crown she'd worked so hard for.

As Christians, there is a much more valuable crown we strive for. "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Rev. 2:10b). Thankfully Miss California didn't have to give her life for this pageant, nor did she lose the most precious of crowns for standing up for what she believes in.

Every experience in our lives is a learning experience, and I hope Miss California will use this experience wisely. Several websites and forums have run polls which show the public appreciates her honest answer, whether they agree with her or not. Maybe it's time the pageant officials realize this too.