In 2020, the traditional Miss Germany pageant has changed: Now it is no longer only the attractiveness of the candidates that decides their placement, but other criteria are also included since then: the women should be a role model and an identification figure for women, whereas the personality should be the focus.

At first glance, this seems very progressive. But on closer inspection, it quickly becomes clear that this format not only does not represent progress, but is actually harmful. Well, it depends how progress is defined or even more important, who is asked.

Here are the reasons:

Does it matter that in gymnastics personality doesn’t matter?

By changing the format in this very beauty contest and not in others, reveals that it was assumed that the woman as a whole was evaluated. Will gymnastics competitions for women now be changed to include personality? The International Gymnastics Federation reduces women to their gymnastics ability, how dare they! Will points for personality now also be awarded in swimming, weightlifting and biathlon competitions?

No, of course not, because everyone knows that only one aspect, one ability, one characteristic of a woman is measured here. Why is the Miss Germany pageant being chosen to be the “victim” that is replaced by personality aspects? Not because beauty as such no longer exists. The format change affects only the beauty pageant because it was assumed that attractiveness was the only criteria to evaluates a woman and therefore exactly this contest must be replaced. By acting out this move, at least this mindset is revealed.

How is personality evaluated?

Let’s see what the criteria are. On the official website it says:

We support women to go their own way and pursue their dreams, goals and visions. It is important not to shy away from new experiences and adventures. There is no right or wrong, because every step helps to gain new and important experiences (…) Through the Miss Germany community, the vision of each individual contestant gets a hearing and the attention it deserves (…) That’s why you as Miss Germany are a real role model for others and inspire with your personality and your vision. You confidently stand behind your decisions and encourage others to make life-changing decisions (…) It is important to us that Miss Germany makes her decisions with conscientiousness and prudence. Even though they may not always be right, they are competent and well thought-out steps.

If there really is no right and wrong, why is there a contest in the first place? Here, it is decided quite clearly that having a goal or vision is an essential property of a good woman. Some dreams are even better than others. May the jury think the finalists deserve to be heard, ultimately the jury decides which life story should be told and sold as a role model.

What exactly a “modern” woman actually is, the jury claims to be able to evaluate. Making “life-changing decisions” alone as a criterion is more than questionable. There are very distinct prescriptions after that women have to strive for. The sentence “They may not always be right, but they are competent and well thought-out steps” actually means “we presume to be able to judge and have covered ourselves in case any shitstorm comes”.

External beauty is known to be subjective, but yet there is often an amazing consensus on the judgment of whether a woman or a man is beautiful, aesthetic. Now what about personality? There are again basic pillars, but they tend to be limited to rather agreeing on what an unlovely personality is like. If you want to let individual women compete against each other, precise criteria or assumptions are unavoidable. And exactly these evaluated criteria will be conveyed as a role model for all women.

Women must now be able to do and be everything

The winner should be a woman who is not only attractive, but whose personality must be laudable and a role model. So, it is not only prescribed, as (allegedly) in the past, that a woman has to be beautiful, but now it is also prescribed how a woman must be as a whole. So the pressure of beauty has now extended to the pressure of personality. Now, we evaluate everything! Does the attractiveness still matter? Officially no, but it does. The attractiveness should be “hidden” behind a “natural looking”. Apart from the intentional unintentional casual appearance, a woman is virtually forced to have a vision, have to knit a story out of her life that will impress people.

It should not be given the impression that I do not find the undertakings, attitudes and life stories in themselves praiseworthy. These may still be so noble and “modern”, but please stop already to think that women don’t know or can’t work out for themselves what a good person is. It perpetuates once again the idea that women need to be judged.

And guess what, women are human beings, stop forcing them to see themselves as only one of thousands aspects of the self: the woman. The woman-aspect of a female human being is being under permanent subtle indoctrinations of different ways, nowadays.

We can just hope that all the gymnastics competitions (both female and male) don’t get changed to a contest with athletes standing in the gym telling stories about their visions.