Are beauty pageants a continuation of exploitation under the guise of empowerment?

Tendai Ruben Mbofana

The recent controversies surrounding Miss Universe 2025 in Thailand have reignited an intense debate over the relevance of beauty pageants in the 21st century.

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From the public humiliation of contestants to allegations of favoritism and behind-the-scenes manipulation, the spectacle has once again laid bare the tensions between the glamorous veneer of empowerment and the underlying structures of control, exploitation, and commodification.

What remains deeply troubling is that, despite their modernized narratives of “advocacy” and “social impact,” beauty pageants continue to measure women’s worth primarily through the lens of physical attractiveness, while claiming to promote empowerment.

At the heart of this contradiction is the persistent attachment of beauty to influence.

Contestants are expected to champion social causes, speak on global issues, and serve as role models, yet their legitimacy is evaluated alongside narrow, often Eurocentric standards of physical appearance.

This conditional form of empowerment is inherently inequitable.

Young girls watching these competitions are subtly taught that their potential to effect change, to be heard and respected, is contingent upon meeting externally defined ideals of beauty.

The message is clear: to make an impact, you must first conform to a set of visual criteria designed largely for public consumption, and for the gratification of others.

Contrast this with the freedom men have in pursuing influence, leadership, and advocacy.

A man can dedicate himself to social justice, public service, or activism without facing scrutiny over the contours of his face or the symmetry of his body.

His ideas, his convictions, and his dedication are the measures of his authority.

Women, on the other hand, must navigate a dual reality where competence alone is insufficient; they are constantly reminded that they must also be aesthetically pleasing.

The notion of “beauty with brains” is less a celebration of intellect and character than a clever rebranding of an exploitative structure.

It sanitizes the continued objectification of women under the guise of modern empowerment.

The spectacle of Miss Universe 2025, from public insults directed at contestants to the walkouts by those standing in solidarity, exemplifies the precarious position in which women are placed.

They are asked to embody confidence, grace, and advocacy, yet simultaneously subjected to humiliation, judgment, and hierarchical control by the very institutions that claim to uplift them.

The veneer of empowerment cannot erase the reality that power within these spaces is often concentrated in the hands of a few, decisions are influenced by appearance and marketability, and opportunities for influence are unevenly distributed.

Advocacy becomes a performance, visibility a commodity, and the individual behind the crown a curated product.

Furthermore, the insistence on connecting beauty with advocacy work reinforces a damaging cultural narrative.

It suggests that societal impact and social responsibility are privileges reserved for those who fit a particular aesthetic mold.

It implies that young women who do not conform to these standards are less capable of contributing meaningfully to society, diminishing their aspirations before they have even begun.

In a world where men can become social justice advocates, political leaders, or cultural influencers without their value being tied to physical appearance, such constraints on women are not only unfair but fundamentally discriminatory.

It is a subtle but pervasive reinforcement of patriarchal norms under the guise of progress.

Modern pageants may have eliminated certain overtly objectifying practices, introduced talent segments, and emphasized social causes, but these adjustments are largely cosmetic.

The core structure—judging women based on their appearance, with influence as an accessory—remains intact.

It is akin to offering a thief an award for a charitable donation: the act may seem benevolent on the surface, but it does not absolve the underlying exploitation.

Similarly, attaching advocacy and social impact to beauty does not transform an institution that fundamentally commodifies women into one that genuinely empowers them.

It merely creates the illusion of progress while preserving inequitable dynamics.

This paradox raises a critical question for society: should women’s capacity to lead, to inspire, and to effect change ever be contingent upon meeting standards of attractiveness that have little bearing on their intelligence, empathy, or skill?

The answer must be a resounding no.

True empowerment does not require women to conform to externally imposed ideals; it requires that women be granted agency, respect, and opportunity regardless of their appearance.

Until pageants can decouple influence from beauty, they will remain an exploitative exercise, dressed in the trappings of celebration and social contribution.

Miss Universe 2025 has merely highlighted what critics have long argued: the “empowerment” narrative is a veneer, carefully curated to sanitize a practice rooted in objectification and patriarchal oversight.

Controversies, humiliations, and manipulations within these competitions are not aberrations; they are symptomatic of an institution whose foundation remains largely unchanged.

In celebrating the pageant as a platform for advocacy, we risk perpetuating the idea that women’s value is inseparable from their appearance, rather than their ideas, actions, and courage.

The challenge is clear: society must scrutinize and confront these contradictions, questioning the continued relevance of an institution that elevates aesthetics over substance, and in doing so, subtly limits the very empowerment it claims to champion.

• Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +253782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/