My question is: why in 2021 are we still holding beauty pageants? Not that I don’t want darker skinned women to be considered beautiful, as they are, but because this notion of parading oneself out to be judged on their thigh gap is damaging to all women, especially the young get ones who watch.

Women are not cattle, nor should our bodies be put on display as a condition for worthiness and success. Stopping pageants doesn’t eliminate prejudice against dark skinned women, but it does remove the public competitive example, which only wounds women with darker skin every time someone like them is not the ‘winner’.