Here She Comes, Miss America

My sister and I made, by my calculation, about five brief phone calls to each other over the course of two hours last night. Why? Because we were watching the Miss American Pageant Live on TLC "together." We had both watched the Miss America Reality Check show over the past four weeks, so we knew the contestants and were pleased with the progress they'd made in becoming less "pageanty" and more "it girl" (their word, not mine). Gone was the big hair, the permafix smile, the robotic walk, and well, most of the sparkles. Here was the woman with an opinion, spunk, and genuine emotion.

So suffice it to say I was really looking forward to the pageant. So what happened -- HUGE disappointment. The hair and makeup was better, and a lot of them opened up and showed more of the personality. But not only did so many of them end up in wickedly ugly dresses -- a lime green dress with lilac chiffon on top? -- but the pageant itself was horrible. The host, Mark Steines of ET, had to have been drunk or sick or just plan unprepared to be that bad. His commentary had more "ums" and "uhs" than my high school students' presentations, and at one point he called a contestant by the wrong state! The stage set was horrific, the girls didn't always seem to know where to go, and occasionally the television feed picked up comments of show organizers.

I've not watched the Miss America pageant every year, but I do think it's fun to watch with other girls. When I was living in California (who got robbed last night! -- sorry Miss Michigan) with my parents a few years ago, I watched the show with a girlfriend, and we even wore a crown and earrings. While I think pageants in general can be absurd, I do think that girls today need more real role models that are in the public eye. While mothers and teachers and Sunday school ladies are obviously going to be role models, too, little girls naturally look to the women who are famous for a compass of how to be noticed. When all the have are Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Jamie Lynn Spears, what example is being set? What these girls need is someone who is intelligent, well-spoken, talented, poised, healthy, and outspoken about an issue that matters.

Oh, and world peace.

Do I get the crown?