Pulcheria Chung, 18 St Mary's Canossian College
To degrade means to have less respect for someone, thus lowering their moral and intellectual standards. Organisers of beauty contests proudly proclaim that they help promote world peace and the role of women in society.
Sadly, those are empty words. Beauty pageants are just commercial entertainment. If they are so important, why do the contestants always have to wear swimsuits? This is because the audience, including millions of TV viewers, enjoy seeing beautiful women in sexy clothes.
Moreover, such contests help to reinforce the idea that looks are the most important quality. There may be a lot of talented women among the participants, but the pageants do not have a chance to reflect their true abilities. Their performance during the interviews rarely counts as hosts usually ask dumb questions.
It is the women with sex appeal who have the best chance of winning the crown. This devalues women's intellect and integrity. Although beauty pageant winners do some charity work, their main intention is to enter the entertainment field. I don't believe they help to drive home the message that ability outweighs appearance.
Oliver Kwan, 17 Delia School of Canada