The "Man of the Year" in the beauty pageant
As a rising star of the Chinese track and field team, Wu Yanni has always attracted much attention. With her sweet appearance, hot body, and outstanding athletic talent, she is undoubtedly a "heartthrob" on the field. Her recent performance in a Diamond League match has once again propelled her to the forefront.
This competition is the women's 100m hurdles final of the 2024 World Athletics Diamond League Xiamen Station. Although Wu Yanni ended up at the bottom of the place with a time of 13.04 seconds, her outfit became the center of attention. With heavy makeup, piercing the corners of her eyes, and wearing a backless bodycon dress, she looks more like an athlete and more like a beauty pageant.
Wu Yanni's dress immediately sparked heated discussions on the Internet. Some netizens bluntly said that her behavior was "embarrassing" and "eye-catching", thinking that her purpose was not to compete, but to be an "Internet celebrity". Other netizens believe that as a female athlete, she has the right to dress up beautifully, which is her way of showing her personal style and confidence.
In the face of doubts, Wu Yanni admitted that she was dressed up out of "respect for the audience". "No matter how good or bad my grades are, I always dress up beautifully, and that's the respect I have for the audience," she said. This explanation only intensified the controversy, and more netizens questioned her reasoning as untenable.
Wu Yanni's response is undoubtedly a kind of maintenance and explanation for herself. As a professional athlete, she certainly hopes to earn everyone's respect through her excellent results. But she's also eager to show off the lines of women. This ambivalence may be the root of her repeated controversies.
The "flying kiss" storm in the beauty pageant
In addition to the controversy caused by Wu Yanni's "beauty pageant dress", another recent incident has also put the beauty pageant field into the center of the storm.
This happened during the semifinals of the Miss Universe 2024 beauty pageant. At that time, when a contestant was walking the steps, he suddenly flew a fragrant kiss at the camera, which was directly commented by the on-site commentator as a "flying kiss".
This behavior immediately sparked heated discussions on the Internet. Some netizens believe that the contestant's action is very indecent and unprofessional, which seriously destroys the positive atmosphere of the beauty pageant. Some netizens also believe that the kiss is just a harmless small action, and there is no need to exaggerate too much.
Faced with questions from public opinion, the player then responded on social media. She said she was just acting on a whim and didn't have any other intentions, and apologized to everyone. This explanation did not quell the controversy.
This is not the last time there was a "flying kiss" in the beauty pageant. As early as a few years ago, at a beauty pageant, a contestant made a similar action in front of the camera, which caused widespread criticism.
Beauty pageants have always been seen as a stage to showcase women's intelligence, talent and charm, and the words and deeds of the contestants will be given special attention and scrutiny. Although the act of "flying kiss" seems harmless, it will inevitably give people an indecent and unprofessional impression in the formal competition environment.
A problem that needs to be faced urgently in the beauty pageant
In addition to the controversy caused by makeup and indecent movements, the beauty pageant itself also has some problems that need to be addressed.
The judging criteria of beauty pageants have been questioned. Many people believe that the existing judging criteria are too one-sided, focusing too much on the appearance of the players and ignoring the inner qualities. In order to win, some contestants do not hesitate to "package" themselves through plastic surgery, dieting, etc., which is undoubtedly contrary to the original intention of the beauty pageant.
There is a clear tendency towards commercialization of beauty pageants. In order to attract attention, earn ratings and advertising fees, some event organizers deliberately exaggerate the "contradictions" and "war of words" between players, and even arrange some "bridges" to create topics. This is undoubtedly sacrificing the professionalism and positive energy of the event.
Some of the inappropriate behaviors of the players on the field are also worth pondering. In addition to makeup and kisses, some contestants deliberately posed exaggerated or made provocative gestures on stage, which made people question whether they still remember who they are beauty pageants.
Some beauty pageants are too demanding on the contestants. For example, stipulating that players must be single, height and weight must be within a certain range, etc., these regulations are undoubtedly discriminatory and contrary to the inclusive and pluralistic values of modern society.
In the face of these problems, it is necessary for us to rethink the direction of development of beauty pageants. Beauty pageants should be a stage to showcase women's wisdom, talent and positive energy, rather than a pure "physical show". Both the organizers and the players should cherish this stage and work together to create a professional and positive atmosphere for the event.