They wore the latest colors of lipstick and matching eyeliner. Some had fake hair and even fake teeth. They pranced on stage in sequined gowns and rhinestone-studded jeans.
That’s the way Hilary Levey ’02 describes a scene at one of the beauty pageants she studies. "You have to wonder if that kind of thing is right," Levey commented. "I’m interested in understanding why people behave that way; so instead of just passing judgement, I decided to study it objectively. With the death of JonBenet Ramsey, there’s been a barrage of interest in beauty pageants but no sociological studies."
Levey applied for a grant from the Harvard College Research Program, which allows undergraduate students to design and carry out their own research rather than assisting a professor. She received $850 and, after being refused access to a couple of the events, headed off to pageants in Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire where girls, and some boys, between ages 2 and 6 competed against each other. Academia was pleased enough with the result to give her a spot on the podium at the national convention of the American Sociological Association in August.
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