She is intelligence and humility. She is fair and honest. She is Miss United States. These are not the lyrics to the song that plays after a contestant wins the coveted crown. In reality these are not the lyrics of any song. But why not? Aren't these all the attributes that most people want? While these characteristics are obviously things that everyone tries to perfect throughout their lives, that is not the focus of the Miss America pageant. The current texts are; “She is beauty and grace. She is queen of 50 states. She is elegance and taste. She is Miss United States” (Miss Congeniality). It is shocking to see the digression in humanity's morals and values ​​over the past decade. As cliché as it may sound, the media is the center of everything. The way women are portrayed, by our televisions, radio, pornography and even art, has pushed beauty to the top of the list of controversial and widely debated topics around the world. “Every time we walk down the street, watch TV, open a magazine or enter an art gallery, we are faced with images of femininity” (Watson and Martin). Not even beauty pageants help the cause. Miss America has become a job for women who represent their country by the look of their face, rather than their ideas and vocal abilities. We have become a nation focused on beauty and appearance and this annual television program has followed in the wake of this trend. America's needless celebration of beauty in the world of pageantry is digging a hole for the country and has been the contributing factor to the downward spiral we are experiencing. currently in. The system of this contest needs to change tremendously for it to become a profitable contest in the future. Beauty contests in...... middle of paper ......d. Network. May 8, 2012. http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2011/01/14/why-arent-we-protesting-miss-america.Shappert, Rhonda. "The pageant expert | What are the advantages of beauty pageants?" The entertainment expert | Rhonda Shapert's blog. Np, nd Web. May 8, 2012. http://thepageantexpert.com/post/What-Are-The-Benefits-Of-Beauty-Pageants.aspx.Watson, Elwood, and Darcy Martin. “The Miss America Pageant: Pluralism, Femininity, and Cinderella All in One.” Journal of Popular Culture 34.1 (2000): 105-126. Literary reference center. Network. May 8, 2012. Warnock, Susan Marie. "Writing Examples - Susan Warnock's E-Portfolio." www.personal.psu.edu. NP and Web. 24 May 2012. .Lupo, Naomi. The beauty myth: How images of beauty are used against women. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2002. Print.