Ms. Holocaust

Hi everybody!

I'm Sierra (iswim19) and it's a real honor to be writing here on Stardollz Vogue! Comment and critique and tell me what you think about my posts: don't be afraid to be blunt and up-front about what you think!

Let's go directly to the topic of discussion: Ms. Holocaust. In Israel, 14 women survivors of the Holocaust (an event surely everyone knows something about) were paraded for an unusual pageant: Ms. Holocaust. Are you serious? In a country with a large Jewish population with so many scars (hey, World War II wasn't so long ago, have some respect) is it in all wise to do something so unscrupulous and put these women up for show? It's fantastic these women have survived the horrors of the Nazi regime: it truly is, but putting them on stage for the benefit of a beauty pageant is downright gauche.

Judging aging women on physical appearance is absolutely disgusting. I have never, once in my life, ever looked at an aging woman (in her seventies or eighties, to be certain) and judged her by appearance. It simply isn't done. It's not right. "It sounds totally macabre to me," said Colette Avital, chairwoman of Israel's leading Holocaust survivors' umbrella group. "I am in favor of enriching lives, but a one-time pageant masquerading (survivors) with beautiful clothes is not what is going to make their lives more meaningful."

The come-out for the event, however, was absolutely massive. Nearly 300 women came out in support of the pageant and 14 finalists appeared last Thursday for judgement. From ages 74 to 97, the finalists clearly enjoyed themselves, walking along a red carpet, posing for photos, and in what would normally be the talent section, these women talked about their World War II experiences.

Hava Hershkovitz, a 79 year old banished from her home in Romania in 1941 and sent to a detention camp, won. However, critics are saying this was well intentioned but absolutely misguided. Gal Mor, editor of a popular Israeli blog, is quoted saying "Why should a decayed, competitive institution that emphasizes women's appearance be used as inspiration, instead of allowing them to tell their story without gimmicks?" he wrote. "This is one step short of `Survivor-Holocaust' or `Big Brother Auschwitz.' It leaves a bad taste. Holocaust survivors should be above all this."

What do you think? Comment!