''Exhibiting women's bodies for commercial purposes is the height of oppression''

One morning in 2015 I browsed my news feed and it was awash with sad comments about Emily Kachote who had been crowned Miss Zimbabwe earlier on. The remarks in lifestyle and entertainment news articles were sad and unfortunate. Some mischievous and misguided Zimbabweans thought she was ''not beautiful and classy enough''.

My reaction to the stories was obvious. I frowned and cursed. Which I rarely do unless I am extremely irritated. I frowned even more at how a once unknown girl was now media fodder. Emily had come into the limelight through a pageant. Miss Zimbabwe.

Now, I don't intend to cause offence or to degrade other peoples businesses but honestly, I am not a fan of beauty pageants.

I think beauty pageants, by nature and design, are a sneaky and shambolic way of parading unrelistic standardised women's bodies and judging them. They are simplistic and stereotypical in their 'empowerment' of women.

Just the idea that beauty pageants perpetuate certain stereotypes about the ideally 'beautiful' woman based on certain (and I prepeat unrealistic) looks is unpalatable.

My friend, a media analyst said, ''...with media and public gullibility for female stereotypes, these pageants make a killing''

In short, they parade their version of beautiful women's near naked bodies for profit. I have always asked, what is the purpose that beauty pageants are expected to serve?

Except for the highly priced event tickets and numerous allegations of exploitation, both sexual and commercial, and draconian conditions imposed on the models.

One good example is that contestants in a one of the Zimbabwean pageants were barred from having boyfriends. Which by nature is shocking and disgraceful to bar someone from enjoying their fundamental right to freedom and love. In my strong opinion, love is not a luxury or a privilege, it is a right. And by imposing such unfair and drastic conditions on models, beauty pageants, are not dis-empowering and torturous for girls, they are also unnecessary.

Prominent scholar Takura Zhangazha agreed in harsh words, on my Facebook wall, and I strongly endorse his comment, which I later tweeted,

''Exhibiting women's bodies for commercial purposes is the height of oppression'' by@TakuraZhangazha. — Edinah Masanga (@EdinahMasanga)May 10, 2015

I am therefore hoping to see beauty pageants transition into meaningful and decent empowerment initiatives for girls and not lowly, stereotypical showcasing of naked women's bodies.