Miss Utah's Pageant Fail: Why the Simplest Answer is Often Best

Last week's Miss USA Pageant has received a great deal of media attention. Although the crown went to Miss Connecticut, it was Miss Utah, Marissa Powell, who has been under scrutiny. It's all because she messed up during the interview question portion of the event and gave an answer that didn't make a whole lot of sense. You can watch the video here.

Here's the question she was asked:

"A recent report shows that in 40 percent of American families with children, women are the primary earners, yet they continue to earn less than men. What does this say about society?"

Here's her answer:

"I think we can relate this back to education, and how we are continuing to try to strive to... figure out how to create jobs right now. That is the biggest problem and I think especially the men are, uh, seen as the leaders of this, so we need to try to figure out how to create education better so that we can solve this problem."

Most pageant contestants adopt the same strategy that many job seekers use to ace an interview. They practice general answers and then, during the interview, they adjust their rehearsed answers to fit the question. However, when Miss Utah was given a very complicated question that didn't have an easy answer, she simply froze and wasn't sure how to proceed. It could have happened to anyone.

Yes, women are becoming the breadwinners for their families because the majority of job shortages have been in primarily male-dominated fields like manufacturing. In spite of this, women still face discrimination in the workplace, sexual harassment, glass ceilings and struggles for equal access to health care. So, what does this say about society? It says that the American family is in crisis because they aren't able to earn enough money to reach their goals. It says that jobs are still an issue in our country. Most importantly, the question and the ensuing media coverage says that even when a woman is doing something as stereotypically feminine as competing in a beauty pageant, people will still spend time and money just to make fun of her for not answering a question correctly.

Basically, our society still has a lot of room for improvement.

The key takeaway from Miss Utah's gaffe is realizing that that often, it's important to relax and focus on simple ideas in interviews. Clarity is often your best friend. The number of syllables that you use is secondary to your ability to convey messages. Remember to take a deep breath, relax, and pay attention to the interviewer's question. Then answer it.

How would you have answered the question? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Image Source: People