When comedian and television host Joy Behar was named to the 2011 Miss America judging panel some Rush Limbaugh fans were appalled by her selection and her politics. To that I roll my eyes and say at least she doesn't have a record! Others questioned if she was appropriate for the position based on her cynicism. But during the pageant she spoke positively about her experience. She joked, certainly, but overall she seemed to be impressed by the young women she was judging.
"I have a renewed respect for Miss America... These girls are very smart, they're all educated, they're very articulate, they have talent. They know how to wear a dress and a bathing suit, I mean, they're toned. It's an incredible thing that they are able to do."
At the post-pageant press conference Behar said, "I came into this the unlikely judge; I think people were thinking I'd be hostile to it or something but I found it to be charming. I found it to be incredibly interesting... (minute 10, here).
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But then, after the crown went on one woman and the the stilettos came off 52 others, the truth seemed to come out and ABC just couldn't resist posting this headline: JOY BEHAR BLASTS MISS AMERICA PAGEANT
In short, during this Hot Topics session on The Veiw Elizabeth said she hates everything about the competition. (I didn't watch her season of Survivor, but I have to imagine she was probably also running around on national TV, in a swimsuit, for a COMPETITION!) Barbara seems to love everything about Miss America and I agree with other fans that they should ask her to judge next year. From this clip, I find it a little difficult to decipher if Joy dislikes the whole thing, or just swimsuit...?
According to Twitter, Joy was going to further talk about the Miss America swimsuit competition on her CNN show on January 24th. I held off on posting this topic, in hopes of finding a clip from that, but I can not. If you have a link or watched and know what she said, please leave a comment.
So the question remains... Did Joy enjoy her Miss America judging experience and was she a good judge?
Miss America 2011: Based on comments during and after the pageant, was Joy Behar a good judge?Market Research
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Here are my thoughts:
I actually think having a skeptical outsider is a good thing! Miss Whoever needs to be able to go out to all sorts of events and be liked by Joe Public. That's the point of having novice judges on the panel at the state and local level. Sure, pageant types know if the gown is an outdated knock-off and roll our eyes when we hear "Orange Colored Sky" for the millionth time, but it doesn't take a pageant enthusiast to know if a woman is personable or beautiful or talented. Furthermore, I don't think you have to love every aspect of your hobby. I know a lot of football fans who can't stand the new coaches reviews and automatic video reviews and bla, bla, bla, but they still enjoy the game! So who cares if Joy Behar doesn't like the swimsuit competition, she spoke highly of the interviews and talents.
There are plenty of strong feminist who follow the Miss America organization; they're contestants, former contestants and volunteers who could take or leave the swimsuit competition, but in general, they love Miss America. Swimsuit will always be a hot topic (pun intended!) Speaking out about it doesn't make Joy Behar a bad judge; if anything, pageant fans should thank her for keeping Miss America in the headlines a few extra days.
That's what this blogger thinks, how about you? Leave a comment! (Anonymous commenting is an option, but I approve or decline them before they're posted.)
I watched the Joy Behar Show when she was discussing the pageant with Kirsten Haglund. Joy definitely has a problem with the swimsuit competition in MAO. She also showed disgust with the producers of her show because they kept running clips of part of the 2011 MA ss comp. featuring Elyse Eady. She said she was angry they were showing the clips and she wasn't hiding her disgust.
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