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Show UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OPINION fPAGE 10 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2001 LE1TERS Pageant letter not true TO THE EDITOR: I feel like the previously written "letter to the editor.· degrading the pageant system was misinformed . I have run in a number of pageants. Let me tell you, it is a different experience than it appears to be, from the outside looking in . The reason that I continue doing pageants is for the personal growing experience , the opportunity to perform, to make new friends , and to improv e myself as a person . I can honestly tell you that running in a pageant takes a lot of courage , hard work , and dedication . Miss SUU must be intelligent. She must be able to speak in front of all different types of audiences and stand as a role model for the students and community. It is not at all about the girl with the best body.the tannest skin.the most shiny hair, or the mbst outer beauty. Being that those things do not realistically make for an appropriate role model , it is impractical to think that that is what the judges are looking for. I also bel ieve that the pageant system would not continue to exist under such shallow meaning . Preparing for interview and talent competition are the two most essential parts of preparing for the pageant . Talent is 40 percent of the tota l score and interv iew 30 percent. In preparing for the interview each gir1 must learn how to intelligently present her ideas, know where she stands on controversial and political issues , and have prepared a service project that she can carry out with the school and community. Interview is the main determining factor of who will place as Miss SUU . Because , a young women can improve talent and modeling abilities in preparing for Miss Utah . But , no one can give a young women intelligence or the ability to communicate with and reach people. Runoing for Miss SUU this year has been a wonderful experience for me. I was able to make many good friends. Every single person who ran was intelligent and talented. If anything, I have come out of this experience with more selfconfidence and a realization of the potential l have within myself. I believe the pageant system exists for the betterment of young women . To help young women realize their worth and potential , learn to reach out to others, and to strive for excellence . It gives each young women the opportunity to reach out of her comfort zone and more fully discover who she is. The system also exists to provide scholarsh ip opportunities. I support the pageant system. Young women would not continue to run in pageants if it were not a fulfilling experience. G iven that much of the experience depends on personal attitude , I chose to make the most of the experience . And because of that decision , there were many benefits of friendships and a wonderful growing experiences that I am very grateful for. I would encourage any young women to enter a pageant. Elisha Adamson Congra·t s to S,nith's authenticity TO THE EDITOR: I went to the Miss SUU Pageant . I saw many ta!ented and beautiful women, but I also saw many women who had been in .many pageants and were clearly the product of pageant chasing. I want to give a huge congratulations to Miranda Smith. It took guts for her to get up there and show her true self among so many girls· who are up there to show years of pageant work. She wore an authentic costume for her talent . I was impressed. She didn't walk like a pageant girl, and that is also impressive. I think the best insight into her personality was when she winked at her escort during the evening Editor Kamilynn Savage 586- 7750 Associate Editors Jess,ca Blonquost 586-7750 Photo Editor Janelle Reochert 586-7750 Copy Editor Amberly Robinson 586-1992 Focua Editor S ~ Ch~ds 586-199.2 Arts Edltor Ashley Adams 865-8443 Sport1 Editor Jason Erickson 865-8443 Camery Lybber1 586-n 59 Almanac Editor Jody Johnson 865-8226 Webmasler Russell Vv\!Jiams 586-7750 Ad Manager Cami Pe:ir.,ns 586-7758 Advis&r Larry Baker 586-7751 Writing Coach Paul Husselbee 865-8556 SENIOR STAFF WRITERS AND REPOR~RS' DESK 586-7757, SB6-54ll8 The u ~ JoumaJ is published ..,.,., - Y llfl<1 niur..tay o1 11e ..,_m,c year by and ro, ihe .,,_,. body c, $ou1hem Utah Ut"llver!Mty II (Kffl.,es advisement from trie urNvennty aamm1sU"atJon and from the """'"'sil)t' • """11nUnQr,o,, ~ The -mw, ancl op,nioil$ e,preosed ,n lhe Jooma/ are ,nose cl .ndrvtdual ~ and do not necossarily rellecl the \lleW5 of ihe insUtUIIOn. tacuhy, slafl or student body ,n general Thi unS9*I oailOnal dnc:Oy ,s lhe op,n,on ol lhe .Journal u a single enor; Lett•• lo lhe t<lrtor mull be lyped ond IOdude lhe name and p/lone number. Only lhe name WII- be pnnte<I Names wil no1 be wJlMelcl under any corcumSlanC41s llfld the editor ,...,....s eat,ng pnVlleges letter• must be sut,m,tted by 5 P m Thursdays !Of onc:luolon fn Monday editions. and by 5 p m Mondays !Of Tl>.Jrsday edillOnS Griw-.ncu: Any indi"1dual Wl1h a gne,,anco _.,.1 lhe Jo,.m,-1 should dlfecl such 1><oclem fir51 to the edil<>< If ....- - . IJl<NlnCII · - l1'en bl ojrede(j lo lhe advilOf Unlveniry Jourul: Offlcell ,n suu Technology Building 01 1, Mail al SUU, City, Utah 1>1no FAX (435) 586-5487. E-mail addfes1. )OUmlll@SW.eOI.I u,;....,.,,., c_, ~ J"RlNTEO ON RECVCLEO P,v>ER PLEASE RECYCLE THIS COPY Josh Eisley_ ACCESS Le_tter implied false · stereotypes 'Access ' is a recurring column through which students, faculty or staff may comment on issues or concern to our readership . "To submit 'Access, ' contact associate editor Jessica 8/onquist, by phone at 586-7750, or by e-mail at joumal@suu.edu. Today 's column is by Shelly Brown, a junior English education major from Riverton, Utah. SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY • ((DAR (ITY . UTAH DIRECTING STAFF ANO OESK PHONE NUMBERS: wear. Her answer to the on-stage question showed us all that she was comfortable on stage and in public. So , Miranda. thank you for being yourself. If the pageant was about sincerity and being comfortable with yourself, you would have won . As a former pageant contestant and a contestant in this year 's Miss SUU pageant , I resent the implications made in the letter against pageants. I feel that the writer of the letter believes all beauty pageant contestants to be shallow, self-serving and ignorant. I have in my life met only three girls who truly fit that stereotype. I have danced for 13 years, not just the "past couple of months.· I don't plan on making a career of it, but I enjoy it and it is a very valid form of . exercise. I have worked on my platform for two years, not just one hour. It took me more than one hour to write the essay I used as my entry to Miss SUU . Last year I helped my sorority raise more than $1 ,200 for the Susan G . Komen Breast Cancer foundation . This spring, on my own, I am forming a committee of people from southern Utah to help implement programs funded by the Susan G . Kamen foundation. I have a 3.2 GPA, am the president of Zeta Tau Alpha national sorority here at SUU , have served as a senior staff writer for this very newspaper, participate in Sigma Tau Delta English Honor society and in my free time I hang out with my friends and work part-time as a professional artist. I don't diet, I do exercise occasionally and yes, I like walking around on stage in a swimsuit. I too have a little sister - she loves clothes, boys and makeup. She is also a two-year member of the women 's varsity basketball team for one of the largest high schools in the state of Utah. It is from her that I learned that the best person is exactly who I am. If I choose to let Maybelline and the Gap help me e that person, it does not make me less talented, less intelligent or less able to be the leader I know I can be. I will probably never make it to Miss Utah or Miss America, and th'at doesn't matter. What does matter is that I can walk down the street and not compare myself to every woman I . see? I can open a copy of Mademoiselle and not hate myself because I don't look like Cindy Crawford. I can rest assured that even if who I am isn't good enough for everyone, it is good enough for the one person who matters: ME. That said, who really cares if I participate in pageants? 1 |