Puerto Rican Pageant Honors Indigenous Beauty Over "Blue Eyes"

The competitors, from about 6-years-old to 16, had just paraded through a downpour to a small stage surrounded by mountains, where they displayed elaborate outfits handmade from wood, plants or, in one case, jingling shells. And the judges also sought a special kind of beauty: those who most resembled Puerto Rico's native Indian tribe, the Taíno, received higher marks.

"It's different," said Félix González, president of the National Indigenous Festival of Jayuya, of which the pageant is a part. "It's not white culture and blue eyes; it says that the part of our blood that comes from indigenous culture is just as important."

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Comments

[ZimboChick]

I love it. Everyone and anyone should embrace their heritage and not live according to a dictated standard. You know what happened to Jocelyn Wildenstein

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQS8mFXWjDY

[Crumpet]

Actually, us blue eyed folk are in the minority and that's another reason it is actually considered 'exotic' by so many people in the world. I personally love mine. All colorings of hair, skin, and eyes can produce beauty. It seems dumb though to give people higher marks for having drak hair and eyes as much as it is when the opposite happens. It's also not as though there still isn't an exclusionary standard of beauty being touted here. I doubt an ugly or chubby girl would stand a chance of winning no matter what her phenotype. So, if we insist on continuing these female beauty pageants at all, why not divide them up between different ethnicities to minimize the bias? I don't see why we need these at all, though. It still targets all women and disproportionately emphasizes physical beauty over other important attritubtes that make you a good person.

[liberalrebuttal]

Exotic ?

I guess it depends on who's doing the "considering". Many cultures believe that blue eyes represent evil, death , destruction , devilish motives , deception , war , hatred , ....... .

[Crumpet]

Yes, exotic. As in the dictionary definition:From another part of the world; foreign. It does not imply inherent goodness or evil. In some cultures dark features are associated with lower socioeconomic status which is as ignorant as saying blue eyes suggest evil, represent death, etc. (not saying that YOU personally think they are evil, just merely acknowledging how some people perceive things).There was no implied superiority in my statement so no need to read so much into it beyond what was actually stated.

[ebanks84]

It's about time beauty is not limited to blond hair and blue eyes because that has definitely played out. It's like looking at a Stepford wife on all the TV news shows. You see one, you've seen them all. There is beauty in all people and that beauty is in the eyes of the beholders. I love the fact that we are finally spreading our wings and opening our eyes to all the beauty that surrounds us, no matter what the color of the hair or eyes. It's the beauty from within that matters anyway.

[LMPE]

As a white male, I first should admit that I have mostly fantasized about blonde-haired white women. But I think that it's good that Puerto Rico is championing its indigenous heritage. In the grand scheme of things, I believe that women of any ethnicity can be attractive.

But like I said, I have a thing for light-skinned, yellow-haired females. I admit it. Grace Kelly, Tippi Hedren, Carroll Baker, Barbara Eden, Connie Hines, Dorothy Provine, Elke Sommer. That ilk.

[WilliamBentley2]

To each his own, but the only issue is that the right approach is not "I believe that women of any ethnicity can be attractive." It is that there are many attractive women of every ethnicity and racial phenotype (appearance). Period. Point blank. Your preference means relatively little.

Good for you, but the problem is that when someone tries to tell *everyone* that only women with blond hair and blue eyes are the most attractive it devalues people who aren't blond and blue-eyed. How many white women do we see who color their hair blond for this very purpose? It's ridiculous.

[liberalrebuttal]

Ann Coulter ?

LOL

[Uju]

Whatever. The day Puerto Ricans begin to honor their African heritage, which by the way, accounts for much more of those dark skinned and dark haired looks than their (at best) minimal, and almost eradicated indigenous ancestry, I'll be really impressed. Infinitely more African slaves contributed to the island's ethno-racial make-up than the unfortunate Taínos, who were mostly massacred, committed suicide, or worked to death by Europeans. The day Puerto Rico begins celebrating black beauty and black Puerto Ricans alive and well RIGHT NOW among them, instead of glorifying the Taíno escape hatch they all use to disavow themselves of their openly reviled African blood, I will start to take their celebrations of non-blue-eyedness seriously.

[WilliamBentley2]

Right on.

[queotic]

It's good to see more than just the "blonde hair/blue eyed" type of beauty being honored. I remember growing up and only seeing white men & women on TV as the standard of beauty - that has an effect on a child. It took me years before I could appreciate black beauty (and I'm black!).

[Oxonian2001]

I'm Asian and I completely agree. I think it's high time that the "indigenous features" of ALL races and ethnicities were privileged. For too long, the white standard has been held as the only standard--and in many ways, it still is: this is why it's tough for minorities to break into the world of modeling even they meet the height requirement. It's time for the rest of us to forget about bleaching our hair and skin, worrying that our noses aren't straight enough, that our eyes aren't big enough, that in short, that we're not "white enough."

[onecorgilover]

Right on, my Asian sistah! We've all been sold a bill of goods....beauty comes in all colors, shapes and sizes.

[LitDr2B]

I totally agree with both of your comments. The "white standard" has been out there for too long, and it's great to see increasing diversity in media images. As a caucasian, it gets old. And as a sub-point of that, the blonde hair standard even among caucasians is getting ridiculous. I'm tired of seeing fakey blonde hair and having that be held up as what women should aspire to, when brunettes and redheads are just as beautiful (but typically presented as "less desirable" in the mainstream media).

I remember watching a PBS special not too long ago about just this topic: how the constant bombardment of the white image is harmful to children. It was very heartbreaking and disturbing to see African American children gravitate toward white baby dolls, and label the black ones as "bad" and other negative terms.

[TruthAndTheory]

The Times article this story links to, is headlined "Tradition Counts More Than Beauty at a Pageant."

That makes it sound like traditional-looking girls are ugly.

Instead, the headline should have read "Native Features Weighed More Heavily at Beauty Pageant." Since that is, in fact, what they are now judging.

[Tamoomoo]

Beauty pageants for children are creeeeeeeeepy.

[PazPraSempre]

Latinos have always held the white standard of beauty -- light skin, blond hair and blue or green eyes have always been preferable, and are associated with economic and social status.
This pageant is to defy that and celebrate what has been relegated to the past.

[rowzeer]

You are absolutely right....there were Hispanics in the Southwest that claimed that they descended from the original conquistadors with pure Spanish blood. Funny how can you be of pure Spanish blood when no Spanish women came over with the conquistadors? My husband is Mexican and his family celebrates their indigenous roots even if some of them have obvious Spanish blood (green eyes). They have much pride in their pre-Columbian ancestors.

[rowzeer]

Olmec heads found in Mexico has obvious African features

[gevan]

Got something against blue eyes, do you?