Spring Break
Lack of poise, not answer, doomed pageant queen
Mr. Excellent
Paul Kimbrough
Carrie Prejean, Miss California USA, learned this week that if you find yourself starting to say, "No offense to anybody" in front of a big crowd of people, the next thing out of your mouth will make someone mad.
Prejean, the first runner-up at the Miss USA 2009 pageant, caused a stir earlier this week when she stumbled her way through a trap question from judge Perez Hilton.
The Miss USA Pageant is a competition known for celebrating answers like "I would change my feet. I hate having a size nine," for questions like "If you could change one part of your past, what would it be?"
Hilton broke the mold and asked an insightful, hot-button question that far surpassed the contestant's preparation.
"Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage," Hilton asked. "Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?"
Prejean has claimed her answer, which has been bashed by liberal bloggers like Hilton for its conservative tilt, lost her the crown. Hilton has confirmed that he would not have let her win the pageant following her answer. However, it was not what Prejean said that lost the crown, but how she said it.
"Well I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. Um, we live in a land that you can choose same- sex marriage or opposite marriage, and, you know what, in my country and in, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman," Prejean said to mostly cheers from the Las Vegas crowd. "No offense to anybody out there. But that's how I was raised, and that's how I think that it should be: between a man and a woman."
She was obviously caught defenseless. If a Miss USA contestant choked on her words that much while talking about how much she loves puppies, she would have lost. Beauty pageants judge based on style and poise. Prejean showed little of either in her answer.
Perhaps she should have known the judge she was talking to better and pandered to him. Perhaps she should have shown a little better understanding of states' rights. Perhaps she should be respected for sticking to her beliefs despite being given a loaded question.
Prejean's opinion is shared by a clear majority of Americans. Her home state of California recently overturned its law allowing same-sex marriages. In fact, only one state, Vermont, has passed a law through the legislature allowing same-sex marriages. A 2008 CBS News poll found that nationally only 33 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage. Even President Obama does not support gay marriage, as he opts for civil unions.
The Miss USA Pageant is hardly a progressive atmosphere either. In 2002, on-camera interview time was cut to make way for more bikini time. To be honest, no one really cares what these girls think. Prejean tried to follow the safest path and failed because she called marriage between a man and a woman "opposite marriage."
Paul Kimbrough is a senior majoring in biological engineering. He can be contacted at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 14
zorg
posted 4/24/09 @ 5:27 AM CST
No offense, but you're just some clown from Mississippi. What could you possibly know about deserving to win, then having some homosexual judge take it all away because you're a proud American, not because you lack "poise"?
When you attack our new figurehead as a sore loser, you attack all conservatives everywhere. (Continued…)
Jeff
posted 4/24/09 @ 8:26 AM CST
"To be honest, no one really cares what these girls think."
Mr. Kimbrough, you obviously do care, since you took the time an opinion piece. There is this thing called Free Speech that allows you to write an opinion piece. (Continued…)
C. Knight
posted 4/24/09 @ 11:17 AM CST
You're missing the point. The issue isn't whether it was her answer or her lack of poise that lost her the pageant. The issue is the fact that the answer was an issue. (Continued…)
L. da Vinci
posted 4/24/09 @ 1:32 PM CST
Paparazzo is the singular.
Chris
posted 4/25/09 @ 6:02 AM CST
Miss Ca has not once said, on stage or since that she believe gay people deserve any rights at all -- that is not the view of the majority of Americans. (Continued…)
Joseph
posted 4/25/09 @ 10:16 AM CST
Mr. Kimbrough, you are arguing from an illogical position. Nowhere have I seen outrage, wailing, or gnashing of teeth over Miss Prejean's "lack of poise. (Continued…)
Marriage is not Civil
posted 4/25/09 @ 9:37 PM CST
How about we just get rid of the tax benefits of marriage? Just deal with taxes at the individual level.
Insurance companies could start allowing you to sign up dependents as you see fit. (Continued…)
David Schweitzer
posted 4/26/09 @ 11:21 AM CST
Regardless of being wrong or right about her beliefs, Paul is right about one thing--you're judged on style and poise in those competitions.
Commend her for holding true to her beliefs regardless of what you think of them, instead of just spitting out some generic dribble, but the POINT of a popularity contest is to be popular, no matter how right or wrong it is. (Continued…)
frank burns
posted 4/27/09 @ 3:58 AM CST
Where is the honor of defending "How you were raised?" She didn't give any good reasons for or against, just the fact that "she was raised" that way. Well, suppose a person is raised with beliefs that are either wrong or should be revamped? Is it honor to stick to them? What about someone raised by radicals somewhere in the world, in some other religion, like one that hates the US? Where is the honor of sticking to "How I was raised" without objectively basing one's convictions on reason? Bad answer, Miss would-be America. (Continued…)
EC
posted 5/01/09 @ 1:27 PM CST
I think her answer was just stupid.
It doesn't matter what her personal belief on gay marriage is. The point is we don't "live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. (Continued…)
Post a Comment