A magazine from the Cuban Ministry of Culture (MINCULT) criticized the Mister Cuba contest, which was held last Sunday at the Fábrica de Arte Cubano.
MagazineThe Bearded Caiman shared an editorial in which it describes the supposed negative effects that these types of events can have on society and on the "degradation" of Cuban culture.
The author of the text isBrayan Castillo Freire, a Cuban living in Paris who worries that after "decades of fighting for equality, social justice and the promotion of deeper values," Cubans are being seduced by events that "emphasize the superficiality and objectification of people".
"These pageants promote a narrow view of beauty and can undermine the progress made in building a more equitable society," she said.
Brayan uses quotes from academics and assures that these competitions establish an "idealized image of beauty" that moves away from diversity, generate social pressure on people and contribute to the exclusion of those who do not fit that standard.
"Beauty pageants encourage the objectification of bodies, treating people as mere display objects. Participants are judged primarily by their physical appearance, leaving aside other qualities (...). This objectification erodes dignity and promotes superficial assessment of people," he added.
According to him, beauty contests help the degradation of Cuban culture, which is based on deeper values that transcend physical appearance.
"By promoting and glorifying superficiality, we are running the risk of losing our unique and authentic cultural identity," he stressed.
Finally, the Cuban from France asks to question the impact of Mister Cuba on society, and to look for alternatives that promote an inclusive vision of beauty and that value people as a whole.
For him, beauty pageants are like cigarettes: they cannot be completely eliminated since everyone has the right to enjoy them, but they must have a warning about the negative impact they can have on people's self-esteem.
"In this way, we will achieve greater awareness about the harmful effects of these contests and encourage a change towards a more conscious and balanced society," he concluded.
The man from SantiagoDamián Cobas Masso, 26, won the title of Mr. Cuba 2023 on Sunday.
With his notable muscles and 1.88 meters in height, he managed to convince the judges and surpass the rest of the contestants, in a competition where he shone both in his swimsuit and formal suit presentation.
Two days later, the organizing committee of Mister Cuba Official announced in a statement that theyoung musician and model gave up his title, claiming that he would not be able to participate in the program of activities planned in August for personal reasons.
The organization indicated that it accepted the "resignation of the elected Head who, for personal reasons, will not be able to fulfill his representative duties."
In addition, he noted that in his place now "Mr. Alejandro Carrión, who will participate in the Mister Earth Contest, takes over the Mr. Cuba 2023 Title between August 12 and 19 of this year."
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