Beauty contests and religion

Ever given thought to what religion has to say about beauty contests? Some DO in fact welcome the whole idea of beautiful girls’ cat walking on a red carpet showing off their beauty to the public. Others however, think they are a little too much and therefore frown upon them. They feel there is no need for a girl to go the extra mile just to be noticed. Different people have different views about these beauty contests; to some. It is simply showing the public the beauty God gave her.According to Pastor Killy Geoffrey of Kigali English Church- Kibagabaga, everyone is beautifully and wonderfully made in the image of God as stated in Psalms 139:14. There is therefore no reason for comparison since this is what beauty contests do. Beauty contests demoralize girls who do not make it; this is because just like any other competition there are specifications needed for one to qualify for the title. One needs to be of a particular size, shape, height and many others. This therefore makes girls struggle with who they and make themselves what people want them to be. Beauty contests would therefore be great if anyone was given the chance to compete whether short, tall, fat, small or even wrinkled face - that would surely be great.Reverend Samuel Mugisha Mugiraneza, senior pastor, St Etienne Cathedral Kigali says, ‘’Man looks at the outside but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16: 7). It is one‘s character that matters and what they are going to do when they are off that red carpet and all the cat walking is done. It is not about the cameras, the photos but rather the results of her beauty.’’Fans screaming and shouting out a particular name does not necessarily mean a beauty queen has reached the peak of her dream but rather her acts after the stage and the results of her being beautiful will determine that.‘’Beauty with a purpose is what it should be. Is she touching and blessing the lives of orphans, the poor and vulnerable in society, so we can know that her beauty is purposefully to others? When one wins they are given tokens of appreciation which they should also share with the needy people. Beauty contests give beauty queens a chance to shape their character since they are in the spot light. They have to watch what they say and do. Therefore, beauty contests are okay as long as one uses their beauty for the glorification of God’s name’’, emphasises Reverend Samuel Mugisha Mugiraneza. ‘’We are created by God and are perfect master pieces of the creator’s hands and are made in his image, so why not show our beauty as long as we keep the decency and uphold our spiritual and cultural norms by using our beauty for God’s divine purpose while helping those in need,’’ says Ingabire Brenda, a Christian from Healing Centre Church Remera. At the end of the day, one should remember that their bodies are the Lord’s temple and that they should use them to give glory to God’s holy name. They should have beauty with a purpose at the back of their minds because this cuts across all religious denominations.