Oxy Moron, Contributor

In a world of diversity, racial and otherwise, people are still being judged based on their looks. And we thought we had come a long way since slavery, segregation in the United States, xenophobia in the United Kingdom, and apartheid in South Africa. How naïve we are!

The greatest example of this naivety is beauty contests, which I, Oxy Moron, believe must be abolished. They are outdated, discriminative and full of bovine excrement. Why would modern 'liberated' women put themselves onstage to be virtually ripped apart, face by face, limb by limb, by people who call themselves judges? Why would they want to be humiliated by being told they are not good enough, or beautiful enough?

In a world where people are always going to be different, who defines beauty? And who gave anybody the right to determine who is beautiful and who is not? The Creator of us all? Or am I going to be told that these 'judges' were inspired by The Creator?

I, Oxy Moron, believe women should not be flaunting themselves onstage seeking others to validate them. Yes, if they think they are beautiful, go ahead and feel beautiful, and be nice to people around them. But why a certification of their beauty? And to what end?

And do they know that these contests are businesses; that beauty contestants are pooled together for public viewing so that somebody can make some money? And do they realise that some of them, because of how they look, and what the 'judges' are looking for, had no chance of winning from day one, but that they are only making up numbers? Mere fillers they are!

Devastated

And when they do not win, they go yapping all over the place crying foul, discrimination, partiality, pay-off, etc. Some are so devastated because they were not judged the fairest of them all; they go home and fall into deep depression because some demigods called judges did not certify them to be the most beautiful ever.

Then right here, on our little island, where the embers of discrimination are still hot and glowing, we have found ourselves in the midst of these beauty contests, and invariably there is disagreement over the winners and this year is no different, so far. Recently, it finally dawned on Miss Public why so many black-skinned Jamaican women are now bleaching their arms and legs to match their pale faces. They want to be beauty queens!

In a land of mostly black people, Miss Public being one herself, she has observed that wigs, extensions, hairpieces, blonde and all, are selling faster than patty, coco bread, and bagged juice. The wearers are ashamed of their short negro hair, she surmised. They want to be referred to as having 'pretty' hair and 'high' colour.

And I, Oxy Moron, am wondering what Miss Public is talking about, because I thought my black colour was high and my jet black, curly hair was pretty. What is wrong with these women? Miss Public and I, Oxy Moron, are beside ourselves.

She doesn't want anybody to judge her; nobody is so worthy. She will not be bleaching and pasting all sorts of synthetic fibres on her head in this hot Jamaican weather. And she will not be covering the abundance of melanin on her face with brown 'face-paint'.

Miss Public is of the view that beauty contests are legal manifestations of discrimination and must be scrapped. And I, Oxy Moron, stand resolute beside her as we go to Parliament to have them outlawed in Jamaica. Let the organisers of Miss World and Miss Universe continue with their pageants; we want none of them here on this rock!

oyxdmoron@gmail.com