RALLY’s Hot Take: Gender Equity is Hot, Bra Sizes are Not

By Lana Ramadan

It’s hard to imagine that an event requiring women to parade around on stage and be judged for their looks and body measurements would become the epicenter of a protest against gender inequity. But that’s exactly what happened when Miss Peru contestants listed off bone-chilling stats about violence against women in their country instead of providing information about their bra sizes.

Here’s why we love it: The Miss Peru contestants transformed a moment that might have reinforced the objectification of women (sharing their bra sizes entertainment’s sake, are you freaking kidding me?) into a moment of empowerment and sisterhood, challenging the norms that played a part in getting them on stage in the first place and that too often lead to more serious transgressions against women’s health and safety.

These pageant participants started a global conversation about violence against women and demonstrated the power of a well-orchestrated stunt. It was brilliant, and full of good stuff we should learn from.

Our RALLY Hot Take:

1. Unexpected messengers are powerful. Beauty queens usually make headlines for their gaffes, or, well, their beauty. Rarely do we hear about pageant contestants calling for a close examination of human rights violations that have long gone ignored. But last week the women of Miss Peru did just that, and part of the effectiveness of their message was just how unexpected it was coming from them. When building communications campaigns or events, it is critical to look for those voices that will surprise and disarm your audience into more clearly listening to the message you want them to hear.

2. Juxtaposition can flip the script. In hindsight, this protest feels like a no brainer: of course we should use a conversation about bra sizes to flip the narrative about women. Someone had the wherewithal to think ahead and see the pageant as a platform to address an unexpected issue before a captive audience. She may have thought to herself, “Pageant judges want us to focus on what society considers important about women. Instead, we should shine a light on something that is important to women — and should be important to everyone.”

3. Disruption wins. A coordinated, powerful and sticky message at the most unexpected of times from the most unexpected of messengers can spark a movement. Now more than ever, finding innovative ways to disrupt dominant narratives is essential in advancing a message. Think of the NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem or the little girl who demanded to know if her senator believed in science — these were people using their platform, stage, power (no matter how big or small) to usurp expectations and force a conversation.

We at RALLY salute the women of Miss Peru for bringing to the forefront a conversation that belongs to us all. You were brave, you were powerful and you reminded us that real beauty comes from unflinching courage and leadership.

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Lana Ramadan is an Account Associate at RALLY, an issue-driven communications firm that takes on sticky political and social problems and finds ways to push them forward.