Friday, December 14, 2007

Women's Issue - Miss Landmine 2008




First off, i would like to thank the blogger webround for drawing my attention to this.


I got the link and delved into the website.


Inspiring, disturbing, heart breaking, thought provoking....


This is a different kind of pageant. No long limbed nubile beauties with layers and layers of makeup here. Each of the contestants is beautiful and missing a leg. While the ladies are vying for the title, the winner will also get a prosthetic leg from an orthopedic clinic.


What struck me about this is that the founder is Norweigian and male. The motto for the contest is "Everyone has the right to be beautiful" and that is something i truly believe. So Morten Traavik traveled to Angola after the civil war ended and after seeing the landmine victims smiling and laughing everyday, the idea for the contest was born.
The website is interesting in the sense that while it profiles the women, in a world where perfection is the quest for most, the images are disturbing. I will admit that my first reaction was pity. I just felt so sorry for these "poor" women with missing limbs. Then i realised that the contest and profiling these young women is not to inspire pity but to show strength, determination and the truth about our world.
Of course, this concept has gotten a lot of criticism - people calling the women freaks and even some people asking if these women are being exploited but the most important thing is that it is getting attention.
What do you think?

8 comments:

Fo said...

she truly is a beauty no doubt!!

Afrobabe said...

God this is so goose bump inducing...we have so much to thank God for every day yet we dont seem to know it.

webround said...

one might argue and say - "at least the prize is relevant - a prosthetic leg"

another pov would be - "do these ladies have to do this to get a shot at living a normal life i.e. getting a prosthetic leg?"

as you said uzo, bottom line is that, it is drawing attention.

maybe this will result in someone creating a concept that will get the donation of prosthetic legs to these people, something in the likes of this

Ayomipo Matthew Edinger said...

there will always be somebody who will misunderstand what somebody else does...so just go with your inspiration. i think this is laudable.

Mimi said...

wow!!! talk about beauty!!

SET said...

AWESOME, THIS IS ENSPIRING, ONE CAN DO ANYTHING THEY PUT THEIR HEART TO AND BELIEVING THAT IS IT IS.

laspapi said...

Who cares about people who infer exploitation? I think its a great thing. Women without legs are freaks? It could happen to anyone.

omohemi Benson said...

I think it is a fantastic idea,
but should not to be limited to beauty contest alone but to show other sides of them, telling their stories to inspire other, because from this postI have been inspired and also wondering why we never tell our own stories and "others' do it for us.

One more thing Happy new year love.