An Argentinian town bans beauty contests

Beauty contestants

Beauty contest is one event that attracts poms and pageantry world over, there have been commendation and condemnation of the event, many countries are rising up and trying to make changes in the way it is being organised

However, a town in Argentine, the city of Chivilcoy became the first to ban beauty contests calling them sexist and discriminatory. They say the practice is damaging to women as it forces them to live up to a 'stereotypical' ideal of beauty which can lead to them developing eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia.

The ruling has caused heated debate in the country where beauty pageants are a common element in regional festivals where a 'queen' is chosen to represent the town for a year.

This decision was supported by the mayor of Chivilcoy and several NGOs, and passed by the local council. Outlining the reasons for its decision the councillors said such contests 'reinforce the idea that women must be valued and rewarded exclusively by their physical appearance, based on stereotypes'.

They added that they are 'a discriminatory and sexist practice', and an 'act of symbolic and institutional violence against women and children.'

Also, the French government banned beauty contests for girls under the age of 16 on grounds that participants are subjected to hyper-sexualisation.