I read that the contest is no longer suppose to be about outward appearance

It is suppose to no longer be about appearance as I understand. Of course beauty and appearance arent always quite the same thing

The important piece in recognizing a woman's sexuality is realizing that there is a woman involved. Most of sex entertainment is marketed to men. Mostly women are the ones that have been used for prostitution and sex trafficking. Women historically in our country could be legally beaten or raped by their husband. Women are more likely to this day to be killed by an intimate partner and raped by someone they know than strangers. Women have suffered being labeled as frigid or whore. Women have been told too many times their value lies in their appearance. We are talking about how this organization awards more scholarships that any other organization to women reinforced the idea the value of women lies in their appearance. We are not talking about sex is bad or sexuality is bad or attractive is bad. We are simply talking about that women are human beings.

@thinkwithme I agree with all you just said but it doesn't answer a single question I asked. You have choices in life, you don't have to be a victim, look to the future, the me too movement brings all women together, this is a good thing. In the meantime men and women still need to interact.

@clarkatticus Pointing out facts isn't being a victim, it is having a brain. I just answered with what I was thinking about quickly, because I had a yoga class. I will look at your questions again.

"As for the swimsuit competition I ask this: should they be judged at all?" Swimsuits should be judged on how well they suit the purpose for lying about in the pool, serious swimming, etc..

"What if they want to be (as they obviously do)?" I think what you are asking is what if women want to be judged in a swimsuit contest based on their understanding of the rewards involved. Certainly, quite a bit of money and notoriety has been given to be called Miss America. The reward of going all over the country and serving as a picture of the ideal woman. Of course, the ideal women isn't really a picture. All of the history and current statistics and societal occurrences that I referred to in my previous answer are part of the reason why I think it is good that we get away from looking at women as body parts and seeing them as whole people. I appreciate Miss America's decision and can see clearly the good in what they decided. That's all I have to say in response to that right now.

"Is beauty or attractiveness a bad thing?" No. I think there are countless perceptions of beauty. I think we all enjoy mutual attraction, also for countless reasons.

"How, if a woman wants a man attracted to her, does she project herself toward him?" Catapults are not safe.

"Is sexuality a bad thing if it requires a woman to project her physical attributes by wearing provocative attire?" Sexuality does not require a certain garment.

"Is it wrong for a guy to project his desire?" How is he projecting what desire and under what circumstances? Catapults are still not safe.

"How does a woman balance her need to be sexually attractive and still be respected for her other attributes in a manner that you judge to be acceptable?" I can only speak for me and as I am responding to you. I do not have a need to discuss my sexual desires at the moment. I will tell you that they are not in conflict with my self respect.

Your last question is "My last question, if a woman wishes to be accepted mainly on her sexuality is this ok?" To clarify, you are asking me if a theoretical women mainly wants to be accepted as 1. having a sexual character 2. having sexual body parts 3. and having sex and if that is ok. Is that correct? Sexuality intertwines with our thoughts and emotions, perceptions and experiences. We are a complete package.

@thinkwithme still not answered, I'm sure your catapult quip brought gales of laughter to all those around you. Here's what I'm getting at; women are not necessarily being objectified when they voluntarily wear provocative clothing, especially when they want to attract a certain kind of man. For instance, Sofia Vergara is at best an average actress yet she is the highest paid woman on TV. Despite being attracted to her I also respect her journey to stardom. My issue with your observations is you put your perceptions as a moral high ground when maybe other women don't want to be boxed into your view. Certainly men don't want to be.

@clarkatticus I don't recall ever setting any type of restriction on clothing or giving any disrespect to women based on the clothing they choose to wear or not wear. Show me where you believe that I said that. Also, I would be careful in regards to your interpretations of provocative clothing. Just because you feel provoked by the clothing, doesn't mean that the purpose of wearing them was to provoke you. My suggestion would be to look again at what I was discussing when I made the original post and consider where the seriousness in thisdiscussion lies. If you have a question, I think it is good to try to stick with one at a time so exactly what you are asking can be made clear and we can understand each other better. You seem to be drawing quite a few assumptions without making reference to the heart of what I was posting about.

Even if they recognize it as sexist, questioning the norms isn't always encouraged. When I started taking classes in college, women's studies, sociology, human sexuality, it was a tremendous relief. To hear other people's perspectives, discussing what I felt but had never been able to put into words, to actually be encouraged to discuss these issues, that is a privilege that will hopefully becomes a right for all of us.

Maybe ask a Geometry teacher, they know a lot about objects and drawing lines.

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