I have to say, I get an overwhelming feeling of dread whenever I see an advertisement for a new reality show. In my opinion, these television shows are trashy, over the top and do not earn the "reality" moniker in any shape or form (at least no reality I've ever experienced). However, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued when I saw the commercials for the TLC show "Miss America: Reality Check". Not only was it to be hosted by Michael Urie, who is hilarious on "Ugly Betty", but the commercials were funny and the show claimed to give the traditional Miss America pageant...well, a reality check. Considering how entertaining Urie is, and my belief that tall, tanned "barbie dolls" (as most pageant participants usually are) could do with a reality check (or at least a swift kick in the shapely knee), I decided to tune in.
The basic premise of this new look at Miss America is to reinvent the pageant and to "bridge the gap" between the contestants and the public. The first episode shows interviews with some members of the public expressing their opinion of Miss America and what they believe she represents. Most people used words like " manufactured", "robots", "fake", and "outdated". Armchair feminist that I am, I was thinking that this was going to be my kind of show.
In true reality show fashion, the 52 girls (representing each of the United States) were thrown together, and were given makeovers - on the inside as well as the outside. They were exposed to a fashion intervention by "What Not to Wear"s Stacey & Clinton, divided into teams, pushed into relay-like physical challenges, quizzed on United States history, and forced to flex their fashion muscle in a re-design and runway walking challenge. All of these challenges claimed to take the girls out of their beauty pageant comfort zones, re-train them, and to make them seem more human to the general public.
As TLC/Miss America press release states: "“We wanted to re-energize the Miss America brand in a way that made it more relatable to today's young women,” said Angela Shapiro-Mathes, president and general manager, TLC. “We worked closely with Sam Haskell and the Miss America Organization to give the pageant a new sensibility that was more reflective of our audience and that (resonates) with the viewers.”
For me overall, it was sort of like watching the love-child of Survivor, America's Next Top Model, The Apprentice, and Project Runway but in this reality show, no one was kicked off (which, let's face it, takes away half of the entertainment value). Instead, each week the judges (all of whom were supposed to be "celebrities" of sorts, and none of whom I had heard of) chose the girls who were Top 3 and the Bottom 3. It was clear that some of the girls immediately stood out and got the attention of the judges (Miss Alaska, anyone?) and some you just didn't even know were there (most of the other contestants). Possibly the part that most intrigued me was the fact that, at the end of the "reality check" series, the Miss America pageant aired as usual, but the new Miss America was chosen by the American people - for the first time in 87 years! Ah, the wonder of the Internet. The lucky girl turned out to be Miss Michigan, Kirsten Haglund (one of those ones, funnily enough, that I didn't even realize was there on "Reality Check").
Well, this certainly wasn't the most riveting television show I've ever seen, but I have to be honest and say that, despite this, I found the premise to be quite interesting and timely. In an age where we seem to be increasingly bombarded by manufactured role models and fake...well, everything, it is refreshing to see an effort being made to make particular role models more accessible, relatable, and real. With the hairspray, make-up and sequins stripped away, it was easy to see many of the girls had insecurities and past traumas to deal with, just like me. Beauty queens have feelings, too (and brains as well, apparently...well...most). And it seems I'm not alone in my opinion, considering 19 million viewers tuned into the final show on January 26th.
However, my high hopes for the final show were quickly brought down to earth, once I actually tuned in (briefly). There was the big hair and big gowns, the sequins and cake makeup, the swimsuits and the spray tans, the glued on smiles, and the rehearsed answers. Granted, I didn't watch the whole thing (Miss Washington's singing "talent" hurt my eardrums so much I had to switch the channel), but what I did see I was disappointed with. Did these girls learn nothing on "Reality Check"? What was the point of reinventing the image of Miss America and humanizing the contestants if they were just going to appear as lacquered barbies on the televised pageant anyway? I expected something more original, hip and new and wanted to see the fun, fashionable girls I saw on tv, being less than perfect. Evidently, those girls got lost on the way to pageant land.
It seems the idea behind reinventing Miss America was a good one in theory, but in practice it didn't really translate. I know deep down that all of the girls competing to be Miss America are smart, talented, caring, and open-minded. I know that they have goals in life, heartbreaks, bad hair days, and stressful episodes just like me. I know that there is more to them than just dazzling smiles and high heels. However, as Michael Urie says in the commercials advertising the show, "your sequins are burning my retinas!", and the metaphorical sequins on these girls burned my retinas so much I found it hard to see past them to the important things. As it says on another commercial for the show, "before there were singing idols, top models, or dancing stars there was a competition to be the best at everything" - I mean, do you know anyone (or want to) that wants to be the best at everything?? It takes more than a reality show to relate to someone, especially when you only know them as "Miss Florida" or "Miss New York" instead of as Kylie or Elisabeth, and the only girls you seem to see on the screen anyway are the ones with the biggest mouths and not the most integrity or intelligence.
Perhaps Miss America isn't quite ready for the kind of full-scale reality check it really needs.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
A New Year's Quiz: 2007 in Review
1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before? Took a trip by myself...took the train from London to Paris in June and traveled around the city all alone (only got lost once!). I was quite proud of myself lol.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? God, no, I never keep those. My big one for this year is to save money and considering my track record on that front, I don't anticipate keeping it (though I will try hard). I would also like to lose some weight and exercise more, but I foresee an outcome similar to the one predicted above.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nope...though like 3 or 4 of my friends got engaged (including my best friend). So, I may answer this question 'yes' by next year.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes, unfortunately. My mom's bf passed away very suddenly on May 31st. They were together 10 years. It was quite a shock and tainted the subsequent months of the year with stress and depression in our house. But we're getting through it.
5. What countries did you visit? St. Lucia, England, France (Paris), Netherlands (Amsterdam)Great year for travel for me, thank my lucky stars.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? I would like to have more confidence and less stress.
7. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? May 31st for the reason mentioned in #4.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Besides school, probably (finally!) quitting my job at Shoppers Drug Mart. It's not really an achievement per se, but I had wanted to do it for a long time and never thought I would. I worked there for 6 years so it was kind of sad to leave, but also liberating at the same time.
9. What was your biggest failure? Probably in not taking care of myself properly, in terms of diet and exercise. I ate a lot of crap and didn't work out enough. Not laziness, just no motivation, I guess.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Just small colds and flu-y things (including one while in Europe...figures), a couple cavities and a root canal (do those count as injuries?)....nothing major. I actually managed to avoid the Norwalk flu that inflicted both my mom and sister, and the Mumps outbreak (even though I didn't even get vaccinated). I guess my immune system must have been top notch this year, though that doesn't make sense considering my answer to #9 (?).
11. What was the best thing you bought? I bought lots of clothing that could fit into this category. In true 'me' fashion I didn't really buy anything practical or useful. Though our family (not just me) bought a new kitty in March and she's been awesome....and my ticket to the Aerosmith concert in PEI in August was probably the best $75 I've spent in a long time.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My mom's...she took Phil's death really hard, but at the same time dealt with it in an amazingly calm manner. There was so much ugliness surrounding the event that anyone would have cracked under the pressure but she soldiered on and lived her life despite it.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The behaviour of a certain person's family members who were out to get everything they could and make people's live miserable in the process.
14. Where did most of your money go? OMG definitely to way too many items of clothing.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? My trips to Europe and St. Lucia, the Aerosmith concert/road trip to PEI.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007? Probably Umbrella by Rihanna, just because it seemed like I heard it every two seconds on the radio or downtown and everyone on the Europe trip was constantly singing it.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or Sadder? Sort of both - there's just been a lot of changes this year and it's been hard to take them all in....and it's been a lonely time the last few months. But I've had some good experiences this year too, and I feel like the next year is a real turning point in my life.
Richer or Poorer? Well richer since October, in that I've been making more money at my new job, but poorer in that I've spent a lot of it lol.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? I wish I had flirted and put myself out there more with potential dates...I've had some opportunities that I missed out on I think because I was a chicken shit lol.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? I wish I had relaxed more and given myself more of a break (I have a hard time doing that).
20. How will you be spending Christmas? Spent it with family...mom, sister, and grandmother, just relaxing, going to movies and plays, shopping. Also, I spent a lot of time with friends I hadn't seen in a while catching up and laughing. I spent a large proportion of my time eating also lol.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007? Alas no....not to be a downer but I can't seem to find love. I like the freedom and fun of being single but sometimes it gets old and when all of your close friends are either engaged or in long term relationships it's a constant reminder that you're not. Who knows what will happen this year though....
22. How many one-night stands? Uh none, thanks. I'm not that kind of girl.
23. What was your favorite TV program? I discovered HGTV and am now hooked on real estate shows like Location Location Location and House Hunters.
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I don't hate anyone but let's just say that my opinion of some ppl has changed and I learned some things about ppl that I don't necessarily like.
25. What was the best book you read? Probably Notes on a Small Island by Bill Bryson. It's about his travels through England and I read it before I traveled to England so it provided a good education. It was just hilarious, too, regardless and I'm going to read his other books now I enjoyed that one so much.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery? I went to see Gordie Sampson with Shaye in PEI in the summer and I LOVE him now! I went to see him with Symphony NS too. I'd always known of him but never really listened to him, and now that I have gotten to know his songs and seen him live, he's awesome!
27. What did you want and get? Well I wanted to generally have some interesting experiences and I got some of those, and as cheesy as it sounds I wanted to spend more time with friends and family and that worked out well also, thankfully.
28. What did you want and not get? See #21 - I seemed to have bad luck in love this year and it's frustrating. To quote Freddy Mercury, "can anybody find me somebody to love?!"
29. What was your favorite film(s) of this year? I really liked the Bourne Ultimatum and Superbad was frigin hilarious.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I just went to dinner with some friends and then came back to my place and hung out. My bday is right around exam time and 2 weeks before Xmas so it's hard to do anything much due to lack of time and money on the part of most people. I turned 23 (ugh).
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I would have liked to have taken another trip somewhere....maybe to NYC or down south again.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? I've always loved clothes but I really started taking more chances and being more creative with my outfits. I've tried to have fun with fashion and not care what other people were wearing or what they thought of my clothes. I dressed to be comfortable but also on trend and unique.
33. What kept you sane? Hanging out with my friends, my Art workshop I did with a friend of mine, occasional trips.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? There's not many of these I fancy overly much since I'm a bit disenfranchised with our society's obsession with celebrity, but I do find it entertaining sometimes. There wasn't really anyone in particular that I fancied though...
35. What political issue stirred you the most? I don't generally follow politics either b/c it makes me angry lol. Can't think of anything in particular.
36. Who did you miss? I missed my family when I was away and I missed my friends that moved away in September.
37. Who was the best new person you met? Probably my new boss Yvonne or Katalyn from Ohio at the UK PR Seminar :)
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Talk about things and nobody cares
Wearing other things that nobody wears
Ya callin' my name, but I gotta make it clear
Can't say where I'm gonna be in a year
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
That no matter how bad things get there is always someone worse off than you. Also, you need to force yourself outside your comfort zone, take chances and put yourself out there in all situations or you won't move forward.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? God, no, I never keep those. My big one for this year is to save money and considering my track record on that front, I don't anticipate keeping it (though I will try hard). I would also like to lose some weight and exercise more, but I foresee an outcome similar to the one predicted above.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nope...though like 3 or 4 of my friends got engaged (including my best friend). So, I may answer this question 'yes' by next year.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes, unfortunately. My mom's bf passed away very suddenly on May 31st. They were together 10 years. It was quite a shock and tainted the subsequent months of the year with stress and depression in our house. But we're getting through it.
5. What countries did you visit? St. Lucia, England, France (Paris), Netherlands (Amsterdam)Great year for travel for me, thank my lucky stars.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? I would like to have more confidence and less stress.
7. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? May 31st for the reason mentioned in #4.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Besides school, probably (finally!) quitting my job at Shoppers Drug Mart. It's not really an achievement per se, but I had wanted to do it for a long time and never thought I would. I worked there for 6 years so it was kind of sad to leave, but also liberating at the same time.
9. What was your biggest failure? Probably in not taking care of myself properly, in terms of diet and exercise. I ate a lot of crap and didn't work out enough. Not laziness, just no motivation, I guess.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Just small colds and flu-y things (including one while in Europe...figures), a couple cavities and a root canal (do those count as injuries?)....nothing major. I actually managed to avoid the Norwalk flu that inflicted both my mom and sister, and the Mumps outbreak (even though I didn't even get vaccinated). I guess my immune system must have been top notch this year, though that doesn't make sense considering my answer to #9 (?).
11. What was the best thing you bought? I bought lots of clothing that could fit into this category. In true 'me' fashion I didn't really buy anything practical or useful. Though our family (not just me) bought a new kitty in March and she's been awesome....and my ticket to the Aerosmith concert in PEI in August was probably the best $75 I've spent in a long time.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My mom's...she took Phil's death really hard, but at the same time dealt with it in an amazingly calm manner. There was so much ugliness surrounding the event that anyone would have cracked under the pressure but she soldiered on and lived her life despite it.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The behaviour of a certain person's family members who were out to get everything they could and make people's live miserable in the process.
14. Where did most of your money go? OMG definitely to way too many items of clothing.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? My trips to Europe and St. Lucia, the Aerosmith concert/road trip to PEI.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007? Probably Umbrella by Rihanna, just because it seemed like I heard it every two seconds on the radio or downtown and everyone on the Europe trip was constantly singing it.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or Sadder? Sort of both - there's just been a lot of changes this year and it's been hard to take them all in....and it's been a lonely time the last few months. But I've had some good experiences this year too, and I feel like the next year is a real turning point in my life.
Richer or Poorer? Well richer since October, in that I've been making more money at my new job, but poorer in that I've spent a lot of it lol.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? I wish I had flirted and put myself out there more with potential dates...I've had some opportunities that I missed out on I think because I was a chicken shit lol.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? I wish I had relaxed more and given myself more of a break (I have a hard time doing that).
20. How will you be spending Christmas? Spent it with family...mom, sister, and grandmother, just relaxing, going to movies and plays, shopping. Also, I spent a lot of time with friends I hadn't seen in a while catching up and laughing. I spent a large proportion of my time eating also lol.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007? Alas no....not to be a downer but I can't seem to find love. I like the freedom and fun of being single but sometimes it gets old and when all of your close friends are either engaged or in long term relationships it's a constant reminder that you're not. Who knows what will happen this year though....
22. How many one-night stands? Uh none, thanks. I'm not that kind of girl.
23. What was your favorite TV program? I discovered HGTV and am now hooked on real estate shows like Location Location Location and House Hunters.
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I don't hate anyone but let's just say that my opinion of some ppl has changed and I learned some things about ppl that I don't necessarily like.
25. What was the best book you read? Probably Notes on a Small Island by Bill Bryson. It's about his travels through England and I read it before I traveled to England so it provided a good education. It was just hilarious, too, regardless and I'm going to read his other books now I enjoyed that one so much.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery? I went to see Gordie Sampson with Shaye in PEI in the summer and I LOVE him now! I went to see him with Symphony NS too. I'd always known of him but never really listened to him, and now that I have gotten to know his songs and seen him live, he's awesome!
27. What did you want and get? Well I wanted to generally have some interesting experiences and I got some of those, and as cheesy as it sounds I wanted to spend more time with friends and family and that worked out well also, thankfully.
28. What did you want and not get? See #21 - I seemed to have bad luck in love this year and it's frustrating. To quote Freddy Mercury, "can anybody find me somebody to love?!"
29. What was your favorite film(s) of this year? I really liked the Bourne Ultimatum and Superbad was frigin hilarious.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I just went to dinner with some friends and then came back to my place and hung out. My bday is right around exam time and 2 weeks before Xmas so it's hard to do anything much due to lack of time and money on the part of most people. I turned 23 (ugh).
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I would have liked to have taken another trip somewhere....maybe to NYC or down south again.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? I've always loved clothes but I really started taking more chances and being more creative with my outfits. I've tried to have fun with fashion and not care what other people were wearing or what they thought of my clothes. I dressed to be comfortable but also on trend and unique.
33. What kept you sane? Hanging out with my friends, my Art workshop I did with a friend of mine, occasional trips.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? There's not many of these I fancy overly much since I'm a bit disenfranchised with our society's obsession with celebrity, but I do find it entertaining sometimes. There wasn't really anyone in particular that I fancied though...
35. What political issue stirred you the most? I don't generally follow politics either b/c it makes me angry lol. Can't think of anything in particular.
36. Who did you miss? I missed my family when I was away and I missed my friends that moved away in September.
37. Who was the best new person you met? Probably my new boss Yvonne or Katalyn from Ohio at the UK PR Seminar :)
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Talk about things and nobody cares
Wearing other things that nobody wears
Ya callin' my name, but I gotta make it clear
Can't say where I'm gonna be in a year
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
That no matter how bad things get there is always someone worse off than you. Also, you need to force yourself outside your comfort zone, take chances and put yourself out there in all situations or you won't move forward.
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