Perhaps it's a sign?

I'm sure by now, everyone has read about and forgotten about the latest beauty queen scandal involving Miss New Jersey.

The short version - from what I've picked up from media reports - is that someone anonymously started sending her letters/packages threatening to expose "unflattering" photos of her if she didn't resign. (This smacks of the scandal involving Miss North Carolina a couple years back, no?)

Miss New Jersey went public with the letters/threats. She released the photos herself and did damage control by doing the talk show circuit. These photos didn't have any nudity - but they weren't exactly the type of photo any one's mother would put on her mantle either. They all seemed to capture spontaneous, youthful high-jinx. And, the people who were behind the threats are a group who claims to be interested in "rescuing" Miss America -- or recapturing the wholesome innocence of the Miss America of generations past.

The advances in personal technology mean that more and more youth will have spontaneous photos taken during moments of silliness. Most teens and young adults have cameras on their persons all the time. And, unlike cameras of my teen years, the photos can be viewed instantly and immediately transmitted to friends and posted on the internet. Also, teens have more independence now than in generations past. And, like it or not, embracing and expressing one's sexuality is more of a norm now than in years past. This means that it will be more and more difficult to find young women who participate in beauty pageants who have never had an "unflattering" photo taken or had a youthful indiscretion preserved for the media to republish and comment upon.

But, rather than bemoan the passing of the idealized "norms" of generations past, maybe this is evidence that the days of crowning beauty winners and rewarding young women for superficial accomplishments over their more substantial characteristics has past? Maybe it is inevitable that we leave off holding up young women as role models for their looks or ability to walk in heels as women make strides in leadership in politics and business?