September 22, 2014

Watch John Oliver Explain Just How Mind-Bogglingly Ridiculous Beauty Pageants Are


Beauty pageants are a pretty insane and demeaning thing for us to still be doing as a society in 2014. I mean, yes, Miss Congeniality was an OK film, but the sequel was awful. Also, the whole thing—beauty pageants, not the Miss Congeniality franchise—sort of stinks of sexism and mores best left to rot in the ’50s.

Here’s John Oliver taking the Miss America pageant (and its somehow more mockable competitor Miss USA) to task.

Also read: “Are Disney Princesses Evil?“

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A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

With just 4 days left, we need a huge surge in reader support to get to our $400,000 year-end goal. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters. All gifts are 3X matched and tax-deductible.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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