How about a beauty contest for nuns?
Do you think nuns are all old, sour, carrying around rulers waiting to rap your knuckles for being naughty? An Italian priest wants to change nun stereotypes, so he’s organizing an online beauty pageant. For nuns. He thinks it will give them more visibility and a positive light.
And this priest, Rev. Antonio Rungi, apparently has a blog where he will run the contest “Miss Sister 2008” starting in September. He feels that nuns are excluded in ecclesiastical life and wants to make their contributions more visible.
He wants nuns to showcase their work, but they will have a profile with a photograph. It’s up to the nuns whether they will pose with the traditional veil. He says beauty is from God and shouldn’t be hidden.
I’m sure he’s trying to give nuns a more positive light. But a beauty pageant? I thought nuns were supposed to avoid objectification, which is what this contest sounds like. I do think I get his intent. Really. But I think he’s going about it the wrong way. However, he claims the idea was suggested by some nuns he works and prays with. So we’ll see what the reaction is once the site is up and running.
We’re certain it’ll be interesting.
Image: Newscom
4 Comments
Thanks for writing about this. You made a good assessment in that the intent is good but a beauty pageant is not necessarily the best way to highlight the contributions of Catholic nuns and what their life is like. I also wrote about this article on my blog A Nun’s Life — http://anunslife.org/2008/08/25/miss-sister-2008-beauty-contest-nuns/
Thanks for your comment, Sister Julie. It’ll be interesting to see how people react once it opens.
Found out yesterday that it was canceled! I’m happy about that and hope that Father Rungi isn’t too discouraged — his intent was good, he just needs a better, more respectful way to express it. http://anunslife.org/2008/08/26/nun-beauty-contest-canceled/
It’s too bad that he had so many negative responses. I don’t think people stop to contemplate his motives. Too bad. Maybe he’ll find another way to highlight the contributions of nuns.