Because Objectifying Women Never Gets Old

by Stephanie Ernst · 2009-07-27 15:01:00 UTC
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Out of Dubai comes a pair of sisters taking an unfortunate page from PETA's book:

Sisters Janice Shaw and Sarita Barnett are looking for the city's first Ambassador with a Voice for Animals (AVA) and are hoping 100-150 women, aged 17-30, will join in the event, which culminates in a pageant and gala dinner at the Grand Hyatt hotel on October 23.

The competition seeks to discover a woman with a genuine passion for animals and their welfare. The winner of Miss AVA 2009 will spend time helping out at K9 Friends and Feline Friends. She will also be expected to educate the public and spread awareness about how a pet needs to be looked after. . . .

The competition will include a one-on-one interview with each woman on her passion for animals and the pageant will feature all the contestants parading first in T-shirts and shorts and then an evening dress.

Maybe I'd take the competition's goal of "discover[ing] a woman with a genuine passion for animals and their welfare" seriously if every woman interested in the role weren't required to "parade" around in an evening dress and, presumably, be judged on how conventionally attractive she is. So no woman over 30 and no woman uncomfortable being publicly displayed and judged on her physical appearance could possibly be the best candidate to speak and act for the animals of Dubai?

It's not just the United States or Dubai or any other city or nation where this crap is still a problem. And it's not just PETA or men or blatant sexists who perpetuate this crap. And god, am I getting tired of it. Excuse me while I go scream my frustration into a pillow.

Stephanie Ernst wrote the original Animal Rights blog at Change.org until December 2009. She can now be found at Animal Rights & AntiOppression.
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