June, 1997 Hartford Courant
Honors |
Ana Rocha Defends Beauty Contests
By Tania Monteiro
Despite negative attention stemming from the tragic death of JonBenet Ramsey, beauty contests are more popular than ever. This might seem strange in an era of feminism, but a lot of young women use beauty contests to win college scholarships or start a career in modeling or acting.
Ana Rocha, a junior from Brazil, won first prize in the "Miss World Cup" competition. "I was very happy because it was the first time I participated in a beauty contest, so it was very special for me. I became very popular in the Brazilian community with my pictures in the newspapers," she said.
In 1995 Ana was invited to participate in the Miss Brazil of Connecticut contest, and earned second place honors. The following year, she tried again and won the first place prize of a trip to Florida to represent the state in the national contest, "Miss Brazil USA."
"What I like most is that I get to meet famous people like professional models and singers who appreciate what I do and make me feel good about myself," said Ana.
Some observers think that beauty contests exploit women, but others believe the contests do not present women as objects but rather reveal they're both beautiful and smart.
"I think that when I do TV promotions with a tiny bikini, most of the people see me as a courageous young lady because they know that it takes a lot of courage to do that in front of hundreds of people. On the other hand some people think that it's nasty and that I show too much, but I don't care what they say because I know they are not mature enough to accept or appreciate the work I do. Many people think that beauty contests are for beautiful girls with no brains. But the truth is, you not only have to be beautiful, but you also have to be intelligent, and I think that's the reason why they always ask you an unexpected question at the end of every contest," said Ana.
