Miss Warwick competition ignites controversy

Two Facebook groups set up for a competition to find ‘Miss Warwick 2010’ have provoked fierce debate amongst the student body. The groups were created earlier this month by two different groups of Warwick students.

Some of the debate has stemmed from confusion over which ‘Miss Warwick’ event was actually going to take place – the two groups were set up independently of one another and, according to a source inside the Union, had difficulty reaching a compromise. The organisers have now agreed to collaborate, as the two events are apparently merging into one. The event is set to take place in Week 8 at an unspecified location.

One group’s page describes its intentions as being ‘to highlight and empower the brightest and boldest females at Warwick University’, and entails auditions followed by a fashion show and crowning ceremony. The group was overwhelmed by negative comments from students, many of whom accused it of being anti-feminist and discriminatory. The controversy echoes that which has surrounded similar events at London universities in recent years. The other group, which stressed that the process was ‘not a beauty pageant’, has now merged with the first, sparking further outrage in the online discussions.

Writing on the first group’s wall, finalist Marie Sophie Pettersson said “the idea that women’s boldness and intellect is highlighted via auditions and a fashion show is an incredibly demeaning and sexist perspective”. Numerous members of the group commented on the absence of an equivalent competition for male students, levelling accusations of sexism at the organisers. Pettersson suggests that attempts to define a “Mr/Miss/Undefined Warwick should focus on their level of intellectual abstraction, academic critique and willingness to take action and engage in causes that matter to them”, rather than their physical appearance.

Both pages now have links to the event’s website and a ticket vendor, and claim the proceeds will be donated to victims of the Haiti earthquake. This is in contrast to the claims of a third group (now deleted and replaced with the current groups) that it intended to support the Make A Wish Foundation. Doubts were raised over the veracity of the links between the event and the charity, which was apparently told it would be a charity fashion show. The claim that the charity would provide a representative to sit on the judging panel has also been removed from the new groups.

Andrew Bradley, SU President and former member of Warwick Anti-Sexism Society (WASS), said he could “understand why people were annoyed” and described the Union as “a safe space where people shouldn’t be judged on appearances”. Sami Wannell, the Welfare Officer, said the Union would “take a dim view on anything promoting the objectification of women”. One History and Sociology student emphasised her opinion that “this is a university, not a cattle market”.

Two of the organisers of the larger Facebook group, Supriya Randev and Anastasia Solovieva, told the Boar ‘it is supposed to be a light hearted event to raise money for a lovely charity’ and claim that ‘no publicity is bad publicity, so whether people love it or hate it, at least we have created a buzz and interest!’ The event’s publicity has continued to emphasise the importance of personality in deciding the winner, to which Susan du Toit, a second year student, responded “I didn’t get into Warwick to be represented by someone who is happy to be judged by her looks, which is what it comes down to, regardless of what the organisers say”.

Natasha De Paeztron, treasurer of WASS, suggested that an open nomination system for people to suggest women with “great talent, achievements and character” would “have been better at giving the public female role models than the pagent-esque product that Miss Warwick University seemed to be”.

Whilst one History student claimed “not to have a problem with it taking place” and suggested that “there are much more important women’s issues to consider such as the gender pay gap’” the mood of the comments on the Facebook group was summed up by George Maddocks, a classics student, who told us “It doesn’t make sense to have the prettiest girl represent Warwick. If anything, Warwick should be represented by the smartest student”.