I have chosen a community-based activity which is the very popular fiesta that is celebrated annually in

every parts here in the Philippines. For the specific event that I have to discuss from the line-up of
activities during fiestas, I chose beauty pageant. In my sitio specifically, we have a separate date for our
fiesta from the barangay. In our barangay, the fiesta is conducted every May 3 to honor the Holy Cross
while in my sitio, we celebrate our fiesta every May 21-22 to honor the Holy Cross as well. During our
fiesta, every house prepares various kinds of food and welcomes every visitor that would enter their
house. We also have a disco at night in our “basketbolan”. But a fiesta is not complete without a beauty
pageant. These kinds of contests has already become a staple in every celebration of fiesta not just in
our sitio or barangay but in the Philippines as a whole. When there is festivity, be sure to expect a
pageant as one of its highlights.

SIGNIFICANCE

First, let me discuss the significance of beauty pageants. In prestigious beauty contests like Miss World
and Miss Universe, every contestant has their own advocacy that they would want to pursue if they win
the contest. Since we cannot do such a big movement with very little resources, we cannot help but ask
what are the barangay beauty pageants for? Small pageants conducted in small barangays may not
become the catalysts to help solve world issues and promote large movements to save the earth but it
can be useful when it comes to honing the confidence and skill of its participants. When young women
participate in such events, they are exposed to the community and they can challenge themselves to
step out of their comfort zones. It is possible that when they join the pageant they can discover another
side of them that they never knew before. They might realize that they love the admiration of the
people and walking on stage. It will help them showcase their talents be it dancing, singing, acting or any
talent that they wish the people in her community would see. Barangay beauty pageants are conducted
mainly for entertainment and not for pursuing an advocacy to change the world for the better but
through this entertainment, it can change the way a person sees herself and can open many doors and
pathways for someone who is starting to move towards her dreams.

PURPOSE

I have divided the purpose of beauty pageants into two sections. Friat we have the community purpose
and second is the individual purpose. I will start with the community purpose.

COMMUNITY PURPOSE

It is obvious why the coordinators of the fiesta would decide to include beauty pageants in the line-up
of activities. It is because it is popular, the contestants are not hard to find, and its familiar both for the
coordinators and the audience. Beauty pageants are always one of the main attraction in every fiesta.
What is the purpose of conducting beauty pageants? It is to attract more people to visit the place and
generate more income. In places like barangay and in my case our sitio, we always conduct our beauty
pageants inside the venue where the disco happens. The whole place will be covered with tarpaulins or
any available piece of large cloth to block the vision of those that are planning to watch from the
outside. Therefore, whenever someone wishes to watch the contest, they would have to pay the
specified amount needed to enter the venue. There are other people, like me, who would specifically go
to the venue just to watch the pageant and then go home afterwards. Without beauty pageants, those
people that are not interested in joining the disco would have no reason to go at all whereas when there
is another source of entertainment for these kinds of people, it can convince them to go and watch the
pageant therefore generating additional income and attracting more people into the festivities.

INDIVIDUAL PURPOSE

For this section, individual purpose meant the personal reasons of its participants on why they decided
to join the contest. There are various reasons why a person would wish to join the pageant. These
reasons include financial matters, boost of self-confidence, and/or exposure and showcasing of one’s
talents. In this aspect, the purpose of beauty pageants is to help these people expose themselves to
their community. It is the medium in which aspiring young women who wish to become beauty queens
in the future can take their first step and start to acquaint themselves with the workings of beauty
pageants. It can also help them with their financial status since winners win cash prizes. Aside from
exposure and money, pageants can also help the participants improve themselves as people during and
in preparation for pageants. The participants will learn to take care of themselves , they will also develop
bonds with other people, boost their r confidence, improve their character and teach them about
sportsmanship and improve their communication skills.

POSSIBLE PARTICIPANTS

The possible participants in beauty pageants are dependent on what kind of contest it is. There is the
most common beauty pageants for women where girls aged 17 to 19 years old from the community or
neighboring sitios and barangays can participate. There are also gay beauty pageants where members of
the LGBT community can participate and the less popular beauty pageants for males where males in the
community can participate.