“Staring at Their Chests..Demeaning Behaviour”: 7’2 Lakers Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bashes $100 Billion Industry for a Noble Cause

The Miss Universe competition has undergone many changes this year, and for the first time, the competition looks like it will be dominated by female judges. This time, the Roku Channel will partner with Miss Universe for a one-year period. For everyone who has been waiting for this, it will be broadcast live from New Orleans on January 14, 2023. People have been relatively divided on the upcoming changes, with few supporting them and few opposing them. This segment also features NBA Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sharing his thoughts.

In response to this news, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been critical of a show that demonstrates the beauty standard and the impact it is having on society. Moreover, he discussed the cosmetic industry and how much cosmetic surgery earns annually.

He also highlighted the $100 billion in revenue the cosmetics industry makes every year worldwide. Also, he talked about the amount of money Americans spend on cosmetic surgery, which comes to a total of $17 billion.

He noted that this is creating a beauty standard that is unattainable by most women due to its high cost of it. As well as this, he cited many aspects of beauty pageants that suggest a negative impact on women in society.

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This prompted him to mention that the show doesn’t judge people for their accomplishments, but for how well they match the criteria of an “ideal woman”. “The fact that we think it’s okay to do that on a national stage promotes that it’s okay to judge all women as objects. It’s staring at their chests under a different, sanitized name. The Miss Universe contest perpetuates this demeaning behavior.”

A recent announcement of changes prompted Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s reaction

To begin with, let’s recap all the changes you’ll see in this new show coming up very soon. There will be no appearance by veteran comedian Steve Harvey this time. The pageant had been under his hosting contract with Fox for five years except for 2021. As the show was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Miss Universe Organization CEO Amy Emmerich stated that a female is expected to host this year.  The new female host will be announced in a few weeks.

Why changes are being made

In a recent interview with Variety, Emmerich explained why all these changes were necessary.  “My goal was really to make sure we led with a female lens this next go-around.” She added that moving to the new location was different from starting everything from scratch.

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In regards to the changes this year, as well as the points made by Abdul-Jabbar, what are your thoughts? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.