Should Christians Participate in Pageants?
If you are reading this you have probably asked this question or have an opinion about this topic. This question has sparked a lot of debate among conservative and liberal Christians.
For many years, my mother thought I should give modeling a try as with some of my friends. However, I was torn about being a Christian and modeling (including pageantry).
In my opinion, pageantry is pageantry. However, in recent times, religious pageantry has become commonplace. This means that this question is in two facets:
- Should a Christian be involved in ‘secular’ pageants?
- Should a Christian be involved in ‘religious’ pageants?
The first record of a pageant was in the Bible (Esther 2:2-4). In that era, the pageant was conducted to find the next queen of Persia with Esther as a contestant.
In recent times, pageants particularly beauty pageants are contests that are organized to determine who is the most beautiful woman.
Conservative Christians have argued that it is unbiblical for Christians to participate in a contest that encourages self-exaltation/comparisons with the world as the judge of ‘beauty standards’. On the other hand, modern Christians have said if Christians don’t participate in beauty contexts because it is a competition, then why should Christians participate in other sports? Citing that both religious and non-religious pageantry has encouraged confidence, self-esteem and community involvement.
My decision not to model or involve in pageantry at a point in my life was based on whether it was a good representation of Christian living. I had the following concerns:
Dressing
It is not rare for most pageantry competitions to have a swimsuit display for the audience. Thankfully in recent times, there have been one-piece suits that provide more coverage. With religious pageantry eliminating the need for swimsuit display. As Christian women, I strongly believe that we should wear clothing that is inclined towards godliness and modesty (1 Timothy 2:1-10). As a society, we may never agree on what is modest as we can argue that decades ago in a few African countries women lived topless. Nowadays, it has become more challenging for Christian women to dress modestly. However, let your relationship with the HolySpirit and your discretion determine what you can and cannot wear (Proverbs 11:22).
Beauty Standards
In most pageants, beauty is based on the ‘face’, however biblically beauty is based on the inner self (1 Peter 3:2-5). More recently pageants have decided to go beyond beauty and focus on the intellectual strengths of its participants. Similarly, religious pageants have focused on asking biblical questions and having a different requirement for participation such as being a part of a church and identifying as a Christian.
In a podcast interview by Kristeen Black, Chelsea Belanger (CB) was asked about cultural identity theory and pageantry’s (religious and secular). Her response gives us a lot to chew:
CB: So I’m working on Christian Smith’s cultural identity theory, where religious subcultures balance the demand for cultural distinction and social engagements. So, in other words, looking at this negotiating mainstream values and religious values. So, with respect to this work, looking at Miss Christian America, it’s a beauty pageant. Women are competing in this pageant, very similar to mainstream secular pageants. But what makes it uniquely different is the structure but also the requirements for this pageant, as well. In terms of the structure, there is no swimsuit portion in the Miss Christian America, but rather a sportswear competition. So that’s kind of deviating from the mainstream. Whereas the mainstream pageant like Miss USA has a swimsuit portion of the competition. And with respect to the pageant requirements, for Miss Christian America we see that contestants in this pageant must be active in ministry. They also have to have reference letters from one pastor and a media ministry leader as well. Which makes them stand out significantly from the mainstream pageant. So we see with respect to the subcultural identity theory how religion is being practiced in these pageants that may exhibit mainstream characteristics.
Value-system and why
Many pageantries did not resonate with my value system and I didn’t have a strong reason why I wanted to participate. Many Christians that I know and admire who are into pageantry have a strong reason why. My friend Deborah, wanted to redefine beauty. Angela ‘Stikks’ Adam is the founder of Christian Models Association and she helps Christian women start a career in modeling without compromising.
Chelsea Belanger a researcher wanted to explore why Christian women choose to contest in pageantries, according to CB: “Is it to make friends? Is it to gain self-confidence? Is it to get scholarship money? Or is it just to win a crown? And there are so many ways that that can be reinforced. So I want to explore reasons why women choose to compete. . . but as a researcher that’s fascinated by religion, I want to also look at, maybe, how religion is displayed. So I’m not really focussing on a particular pageant. But I really want to interview former titleholders but also former beauty pageant contestants, as well. And just explore and investigate why they chose to compete. And then, were there any ways in which they used their religion through that experience? Whether it was praying right before going on stage, or carrying a cross, or wearing a cross while they competed? I really want to explore that.”
Your motives matter! Check your heart condition. If participating in a pageant is to validate you, God already calls you beauty. He is all the validation you need.
Conclusion
As you have realized, this article isn’t to determine whether beauty pageants are ungodly or sinful. However, I believe our decision to participate in pageantries should be based on whether they pass the litmus test of scriptures – are these pageants moral? and how involved should a Christian woman be?
In my opinion, there are pageants that are not in opposition to our religious beliefs as Christians or morality concerns (particularly religious pageants) – as such it is our decision to use our discretion to determine if we want to participate or our level of involvement. Most importantly be sure that you have a strong reason why you choose to participate and decide to be a beacon of light.
I want to know your thoughts! Leave a comment and help others who may be struggling to answer this question.
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