THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 21, 1994 TAG: 9410210069
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER JOHNSON, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
THE YOUNG GIRL steps forward, hardly believing her name has been called. She cries tears of joy and disbelief, tears that luckily do not smudge her waterproof mascara.
Through the ecstasy and emotion, she becomes aware that someone is placing a shiny crown on her head - a crown that symbolizes that superficiality of our age. A crown that affirms this young lass's title of homecoming queen.
The crown is cheap, but it actually comes with a high price.
The cheesy little crown symbolizes the superiority of beauty, the eliteness of popularity and the worthlessness of people who lack those things. The crown creates competition and meaning out of nothing more than the desire to be prettier and more popular than somebody else.
So where does this leave the millions of girls who were not selected to be homecoming queen or princess?
It seems that these girls must face more of the insecurity and rejection that society throws at them every day. The mass media constantly tell us that we're not tall enough, skinny enough or pretty enough. If we don't have the right clothes, makeup or hair, we just don't matter.
The whole idea of homecoming queen embodies the superficial attitude of the society in which we live. It's not what's on the inside that makes up who we are, it's how other people perceive us, both physically and socially. So basically, the most popular and the most attractive girl wins, while everyone else is left in the dust, wondering what's wrong with them or why they weren't good enough.
Obviously, there are exceptions. Occasionally, someone is voted homecoming queen who is not the most gorgeous, but the most likable or outgoing.
But these cases are rare. Most often, the student body dutifully votes for the ``ideal'' homecoming queen, who is nothing more than a beauty pageant princess.
What is the purpose behind this royal appointment anyway? Does the queen have any special duties or responsibilities? Does she actually accomplish anything?
Surprise, surprise. The answer is no.
It seems to me that even being Miss America or a cheerleader is more justifiable. These people do something, unlike the homecoming queen, who stands on a football field beaming in innocent bliss.
The only thing the lucky lady accomplishes, is to promote an outdated practice and negative ideals (i.e. the worthy and acceptable are only those deemed attractive and popular or that competition should be based on something we cannot control, like appearance).
Except for the the idea of ``tradition,'' the entire idea of a homecoming queen is pointless. This is not to say that tradition is a bad thing, but traditions are not always good. Traditions should change with the times, reflecting the age in which they are practiced. For example, even the cattle-judging, big hair-condoning, sexist Miss America Pageant has improved in recent years. This year, a deaf woman was given the honor of wearing the shiny metal crown. In the past, she would have been considered handicapped and not eligible or worthy of such an esteemed position.
So to say that the entire purpose of a homecoming queen is to maintain tradition is only an easy way to justify this crazy circus of meaningless superficiality.
I can hear the cries of protest, ``She's just jealous she didn't get to wear the crown.''
Wrong. I resisted the urge to wallow in ultimate cheesiness. Yes, even I was nominated for this position, but I declined the offer.
In the upcoming weeks, girls across the United States will be awarded tacky crowns and lovely red roses and stand before cheering crowds as a symbol of eliteness and superficiality. Once again a meaningless tradition will be honored for no apparent purpose. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Jennifer Johnson is a senior at Manteo High by CNB