Besides, hand bells and Gregorian chants could bring something new and exciting to the talent competition. Lower the entry age to 13. The greatest drawback with this idea is that dressing room fights could get pretty nasty. Of course some of us may hope that the dropping of entry standards means the beginning of the end for Miss America, even if it is the classiest of all the big hair events. Instead she became a lovely and talented musician.
Beauty pageants hold a mirror up to average women into which few feel comfortable looking.
It is a mirror that expects more of us physically that it does spiritually or intellectually. On average, more women are kind and smart than will ever be Barbie-doll beautiful. Thanks to the wisdom of MAO, there now may be a second satisfaction for the plain women of the world as they watch Miss American walk down the runway. Not only will we know 50 percent of the contestants are bound across the midsection with duct tape, but have some reason to believe our innermost suspicions - that 50 percent of them have probably been led down some other sort of lane once before. Judith McGinnis' column appears in this space on Thursdays.