Ma. Fides D.

Puno
11933860/ 3rd year student
GELITPH Y36

Social Realities of Beauty Pageant Candidate and A Bumbay

In the Philippines, there is no doubt that beauty pageants are indeed part of our culture.
However, beauty pageants put more emphasis on the appearance of the woman or child rather
than their intelligence which signifies that they must look perfect. The poem entitled, Litel Mis
Pilipings by Jim Pascual Augustin, raises the terrible reality of child beauty pageants.
Participants in the Little Miss Philippines are trained to act like their adult counterparts given
that they must sway their hips with their hands on their waists like a model while smiling. Their
actions are intended to captivate the judges and audience but, this leads to the sexualization of
these young females. Based on the poem, I believe it was the judges or hosts who asked the
following questions: “Kailan ka rereglahin?”, “May kapatid ka bang maganda?” and “anong oras
pwedeng pikapin?” These statements were inappropriate for these children because it shows
how they lack respect for women, even the young ones. Child pageantries are unhealthy for
children because not only they are sexualized but they are conditioned to believe that they
have look beautiful which can take a toll on their mental health
While the latter puts gender social issues to the light, the next poem entitled, “ Bumbay”
by Isabela Banzon, speaks about the social issue on race. The poem expresses how we see
Indians negatively just because of their appearance. Parents warn their children to stay away
from them due to the fear of being kidnapped. Apart from that, it also expresses how we view
them as people known for their loan trap. These misconceptions about the Indians are being
passed on to next generation and hence the cycle of discrimination persists. Based on the
poems, these social issues are still persistent in our society. Children are exposed to the media
and entertainment industry instead of giving them the opportunity of enjoying their childhood.
Meanwhile, foreigners like Indians are discriminated against in the country which can affect
their daily lives. Moreover, there is a need to provide a safe and comfortable environment for
them to live and thus, we must continue to educate ourselves and others so that we can learn
more about equality and their rights.