The Beauty Contest: Are People Complaining for the Wrong Reasons?

by epk

I also do not mean to offend the authors and I believe they are very good authors. They wrote something I disagreed with, and I wasn't going to let this past me by without saying something.

Also, both authors and I mention C&Ping, or Copy and Pasting. That is where a picture is taken from the Neopets Site, edited, and put into the contest. Just for some clarification. First, I'm going to directly quote the articles I'm going against, since it's much easier and much more effective then rephrasing them. (And since people who agree with the articles will flame me if I 'C&P' right from the articles, I'll type them instead)

"Beauty or Advertising Contest?"

Is it the Beauty or Advertising Contest?...A copy and paste picture could win first overall!...it's all about advertising now.

That is a bit of a stretched claim. Looking at current beauty contest standings at time of writing, the leading copy and paste is an Usul with 394 votes in 24th place! The average amount of votes for the top three right now (again, time of writing) is about 3,880 votes. That Usul only has 10% of the votes they do. The author claims that 'few people care about the art.' I wonder how that propelled the current leaders, which are by the way, excellent pictures,

Back when I got on Neopets, you rarely saw a copy and paste picture.

Again, this provokes some curiosity. Back when I got on Neopets, the Beauty Contest didn't run weekly like it does now. And when it suddenly started running again, guess what? Almost all pictures were copy and pastes! My guild leader at the time owned one of the winners, Delert. And not soon thereafter, I won species with a few copy and pastes with my Koi, splashgold. (I have won without C&Ping also) As the Neopian Art Community has grown, the percentage of copy and pastes in the contest, and also the percentage winning it, has shrunk.

The Beauty Contest isn't what it's meant to be anymore...rename it "The Advertising Contest"...or BAN any kind of copy and paste pictures.

What was the Beauty Contest supposed to be? The closest definition I could find was in the FAQ, "The purpose of the contest is for everyone to enjoy how you see your pets and give you a chance to dress and/or adorn them." And a large amount of leading Beauty Contestants don't even dress or adorn their pets! The C&P's may be following Beauty Contest ideals better then our...ahem...'naked' entries. If we even decide to maybe call it the "Advertising Contest," why not consider the "Forgot-Clothes Contest" as well? (And we all know epk had trouble coming up for a name for that one.)

I think the author is trying to say that the Beauty Contest was an Art Contest. Well, here's my analogy. Are comics in The Neopian Times art competitions as well? You do get a trophy for them. But that would offend most comic-authors. It's the jokes that make the most out of their comics. In the Beauty Contest, it's the politics that make a large chunk of their entries. If you want to have your art viewed simply as art, we have a thing called the Art Gallery. Ring any bells? Comics, the Beauty Contest, and Pet Spotlights, are all art combined with another element.

A little note for all copy and pasters: WHY exactly are you doing this?... You people are so pathetic... maybe I'll come and steal your hands.

Suddenly, my head-chopping in Issue 75 seems a little harsh.

"Winning Beauty Contest in Style"

Allow me to shudder and gag. There are so many errors and ugliness in this Beauty Contest business that I rarely, if ever, enter it.

Errors? What errors? Cheaters are almost always caught, and I don't see how else there can be an error. Ugliness though, does exist in the contest. And can you really say why the contest is so biased towards undeserving people when you say it yourself: You rarely enter it.

First of all, it's not the ugly pictures that bother me, it's the ugly cut-and-pastes. I personally think a C&P of a Gelert is much better then a Gelert stick figure.

If you need a picture, maybe some artist will be generous enough to give you one.

This is one of my few pet peeves about the Beauty Contest. People complain that C&P'ers don't put any effort into their work, while people who ask for art don't put an ounce of effort other then uploading the image and writing the speech!

The Beauty Contest board should be abolished.

And we can have all of our "Please vote for my Pet!" posts pop-up in our IMs, Neomail, other Chat Rooms, etc! At least it keeps the contestants quiet. And seriously, who's going to vote for your Neopet when they have no clue your pet even exists?

People like me tend to look down on people who use their big guilds to win the Beauty Contest... If you artwork was really good, you wouldn't need a gigantic guild to back you up.

Remember, if nobody knows your pet exists, how will they vote for it? Let me put it this way: The Beauty Contest is like running for president. If the best candidate doesn't advertise, nobody is going to vote for him. But if another candidate, perhaps the worst, advertises, he'll still get more votes then the best. If you don't like advertising, then don't enter in the Beauty Contest!

Again, I respect both authors' opinions, but they don't match my own and I have no reason to remain silent.

Now, this is not a straightforward rebuttal. There were plenty of spots I agreed with the authors on, such as Art Thieves. And copy and pastes aren't always the most artistic option. But if you do C&P, I will say right away that there is no reason to stop. Different artists have different mediums! Some of the earliest submissions in the Art Gallery were C&P's! And remember, the Beauty Contest is art and politics. Lack of one can cover up for the other.

Some people do argue the Beauty Contest is a popularity contest. I agree that popularity is a key factor, but you don't need to vote for the most popular! Again, it is politics, and it isn't easy. But take this analogy into account. If a friend and a total stranger were dangling off a cliff, and you could only save one, whom would you pick? Or it a key public figure were dangling off a cliff with a total stranger, who would you pick? It depends on the public figure. Your not going to vote for a Neopet who's owner is known for hacking, stealing, and scamming, right?

Take care everyone, I hope you enjoyed this article and maybe changed your views on the Beauty Contest in a 180. Feel free to neomail me Bye in seven different languages until next time! (And vote for my Neopet in the Beauty Contest...just kidding!)

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