Good riddance, Miss Australia Quest
By Michele Wickham
The announcement last week that the final Miss Australia will be crowned in 2000 marks the close of one of the most recognised "close" competitions, which has been running in Australia since 1954.
Although the organisers said that Miss Australia has simply come to the end of its place in Australian society, it would be a mistake to assume that this represents a decline in the objectification of women's bodies by the media, by society or by women themselves.
At an increasingly younger age, women are exposed to their body as it "should" be and the means of "fixing" it. There is growing acceptance of cosmetic surgery, diet fads and "beauty" competitions. The objectification of women's bodies is rampant in magazines, films and social discourse generally.
Postmodern feminists validate this oppression through their support for cosmetic surgery as a "choice" and therefore an empowering experience for women.
But it is extremely disempowering to encourage women to deform their body to fit into socially accepted stereotypes.
Moreover, to pretend that women really have an objective "choice" about cosmetic surgery is extremely naive when social perceptions of what a woman should look like impact on them at every level.
In the same week that the Miss Australia Quest has announced its closure, the NSW government has launched a major project and information kit in all high schools aimed at young women concerning body image issues.
At one level, younger women will be educated about feeling comfortable with their bodies and that healthy bodies, not socially desirable bodies, are what they should aspire to.
But although the package will address the role the media play in creating and perpetrating false images, the effectiveness of the campaign must be doubted.
Women are oppressed and objectified by the "beauty myth" to serve the interests of capitalists and governments alike.
Although the recently launched program may instil some awareness in younger women, by itself it can not counter the ideological barrage women are constantly subjected to.