Those who said YES had this to say:
• Yes in a negative way. They have given power to the women to wear sexy dress. If one is to judge by her intelligence and looks also, I don’t understand why the extra exposure of flesh because looks means, I guess, only the face or does it include all the exposed part? Being a Christian state, this is not good to look at. Of course it will be boring for the guys ‘cause many like good physical. Shame on those guys.
• By celebrating the beauty of womanhood and giving them a platform to foray into different ventures.
• I am from Ireland (I was introduced about Nagas by Naga mate in England), and from what I have seen of Naga women they are very beautiful women but at the same time if it was not for these beauty pageants, these beauties would be unknown to the rest of the world. Therefore I think beauty pageants are empowering Naga women. Moreover, the media can play a vital role in letting know about Naga cultures and people..... – Jacob Gill, UK
• Definitely empowers to face the challenges in life, give confidence, strength and value.
• Yes, and it’s really good because it encourages then to dress good and take care of themselves... and hopefully inspire lots of women to take care of presenting themselves to this fast moving world where trends change so fast. But of course most important is to take care skin deep. And age gracefully.
Those who said NO had this to say:
• The beauty pageants are but just a fleeting moments of personal glory for the winners with no lasting impression whatsoever to Naga women as a whole.
• As far as women empowerment is concerned beauty pageants are the least incentive. Due credit should instead be given to the Naga women entrepreneurs, bureaucrats, social workers, etc. Beauty after all is just skin deep.
• Beauty Pageants in Nagaland are just another means by which cash flows. Beauty pageants do not empower women, as they only further the idea that women should conform to certain social and physical standards in order to be considered beautiful and acceptable in society. Empowering? More like demeaning.
• How many Naga beauty queens have lived up to the expectation? How many of them have excelled in the field? Where is the infrastructure to continue their business/profession? In fact, they are empowered during the pageant, after that nobody knows where they are gone!
• Beauty pageants are not empowering Naga women at all. Rather they disgrace womenfolk by exposing their bodies to receive title. It’s a shame.
• The pageants are almost always just a gala event that ends the same night. The pageants should also have activities that involve the girls in issue related social works. That will give some prestige to the pageant and at the same time give meaning and some sense of purpose to the participants.
• No, 1000 times. No just business of the society itself.
• They are just going for the trend and glamour associated with the contest.
• Women empowerment should start from the grassroots level. Self reliance is important. Beauty pageant is only an exposure in our state.
• Wastage of money n time.
• It’s against the Bible.
• How can we consider it as women empowerment by walking down the ramp by exposing themselves with sly smiles on their faces!
• Nagaland is a land of Christianity. The Bible forbid to do so.
• Not at all. They are selling out the brand and its a commercial idea of dishing out the lady(ies).
• This is not Naga tradition.
• Beauty pageants have nothing to do for empowering Naga women instead they degrade our women – they become a commodity.
• The pageants aim on fund raising and attract cheap publicity only. More so, they never work as desired by the crown.
• They are not fit.
• Beauty lies in the head & heart.
• They think only for themselves – beauty and makeup.
Maybe
• If being rewarded and recognized for being beautiful empowers our Naga women to do the greater good, then beauty pageants can be a powerful forum and a launching pad.
