The Dreaded Q & A.....

       

        The Q and A portion in any beauty pageant is usually the most awaited. Fanatics are curious about two things: what questions will be thrown and how the contestants will respond to them. We have witnessed many a beauty contest wherein the lady with the most intellectual answer bringing home the title (not in the case though in last year's Miss Universe). And we have also witnessed many a contestant wilting under the stage lights, and not able to answer a judge’s question properly. My question is, what matters the most and what is above over the other in any beauty pageant, beauty or brains?

         Since a beauty contest is primarily about beauty, then my initial answer will have to be “beauty”. For so many years however, the trend is for a contestant's beauty to be buoyed up or kept afloat by something in between her ears. This is where the dreaded and much anticipated Q and A portion takes center stage, and where it can either make or break a contestant, in major major way. Admit it or not, we become disappointed when our favorite contestant fails to deploy her neurons and connect the dots during the Q and A, and blowing away her chances in the process. But this is a beauty contest and not a quiz bee, right?

       A contestant who is not able to utter a sensible and coherent answer should not be immediately dismissed as being unintelligent. How unfair can we get? Her answer during that one moment in her life in front of a colossal crowd should not be used to gauge her level of cerebral activity for the rest of her life. It just so happened that she was not able to produce a good answer during that time, period. A student who flunked one exam is not necessarily slow on the uptake, right? Who are we to judge anyway? 

        A beauty contest will never be complete without the Q and A segment. Positively speaking, it gives the ladies the opportunity to show to the world that they are thinking beings too, and not just walking mannequins. So ladies, prepare for it physically and intellectually. Do not just improve on your vital statistics, but improve on your intelligence quotient as well. The Q and A is usually the deciding factor in any pageant. Either you sink, or swim your way to victory.

- Tristan