How embarrassing. Citizens of countless Worlds
throughout the Galaxy were on the edge of their seats watching the ‘Miss
Universe’ contest when, inexplicably, the wrong winner was announced!
Shall we just stop for a moment and consider this?
The host made a mistake. We all make mistakes but
this guy, whoever he is, has been pilloried on the Internet for his.
His mistake was watched by thousands of people at
the venue and millions on TV.
Worse; his mistake sent a young girl from a state of
total joy into the depths of despair. One moment she was on top of the starry
expanse and the next plunged into a black pit.
Yes, she became second from a stellar host of young
ladies, which, as we all know, is a remarkable and praiseworthy achievement.
But it is not winning. Nobody will remember the runner up, will they? Of
course, in this case they very well might.
On the other hand the sun shone brightly on the
young lady who was nominated into second place when she was suddenly elevated
to the crown that now had to be removed from one head and placed on the her own.
How did they both feel? One was exquisitely joyful
at being, unexpectedly, crowned as the most beautiful woman in the known
Universe and the other had her very soul jarred into grief at being pushed
aside.
Who was right? Who deserved to win and who did not?
Opinions will vary based, not least, upon the nationality of the winner and
runner up.
Possibly you may feel that your particular favourite
should have done much better if not actually to have received the ultimate
accolade.
What of the host? The ‘Master of Ceremonies’?
I must complement him on his courage under fire. On
being corrected he must, surely, have felt that the floor of the Galaxy would
open up and transport him away from this eldritch place where his dreams of
stardom lay shattered around his feet.
He put on a brave face that he really cannot have
felt and went out there to remove the ultimate prize from one young girl and
have it placed on the ‘First Runner Up’, as I believe they call her.
I have great respect for all three of those people
in that situation. The ex-winner showed grace with aplomb and the new winner
was humble in victory (as we were taught). The MC proceeded with professional
courtesy.
But what of the rest? Those massed ranks of girls
who were left behind? Those who were discarded as inferior to the final five –
or three, whatever the number might be? Are they to be vilified as failures?
Are they no longer to be described as “the beautiful Miss…” by her friends and
peers from wherever she appeared from in the first place?
The problem with this is that they are, one and all,
described as ‘attractive’.
This is a potential trap.
Indeed, many young ladies may be regarded as
physically attractive—it is that physicality that causes us to be attracted to
someone in the first place. But it is just that. Physical.
How many times have you had a Christmas present,
given the current season of festivities, that is beautifully wrapped and,
therefore, enticing, only to find that it contains nothing of any great
interest to the recipient?
How much nicer is it to get something that is not
necessarily wrapped so gaily and find that, inside, it contained everything you
could possibly want?
Attractiveness is something that comes from within.
Beauty is just the wrapping, it is also transitory, very often.
There is no denying that the two girls at the centre
of the storm were beautiful—as were all the other girls in this pageant but
were they attractive?
Sex is undeniably a wonderful thing but I ask
myself, ‘What to do with the other twenty three hours, fifty-eight minutes and thirty
seven seconds of each day?’
You need someone you can talk to; someone smart,
intelligent; someone with a sense of humour who enjoys similar things to you.
My wife (BOM*) is a star at cooking while I, on the
other hand, thoroughly enjoy eating. What a great team we make.
I like to think that there is more to a beauty pageant
contestant than well-applied makeup; that, behind that mask of cream and rouge,
there beats a brain worthy of the name.
Maybe it is a fantasy but there is no harm in it.
Incidentally there is a young lady called Chele
Sellman (progenitor of the ‘BFF Crew’—a series of educational and entertaining
books for children) who said of this competition, “I believe this ‘Miss
Universe’ is fixed. I have been watching for several years and every time the
winner is from Earth!”
You see? Smart and intelligent with a sense of
humour. They abound.
*BOM = Beloved Of Mine
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