Beauty pageant rules need to be fair

I have no trouble with a transgendered woman being allowed to enter the Miss Universe Canada competition. Vancouver-born Jenna Talackova should be able to compete without limitations as long she follows the rules and the rules are fair.

What I’m wondering about, though, is why boob jobs, tummy tucks and botox are considered fair in beauty pageants. Would there be anything so wrong in staging a pageant in which entrants were required to be all natural, right down to the roots of their hair?

Body building competitions (and most other sports, for that matter), don’t allow the use of steroids, because they give one competitor an advantage over another (not to mention, of course, that they’re dangerous).

Having different sets of rules for competition isn’t unusual. There are different events for men and for women. Different tournaments for athletes who are paid and those who aren’t.

Different sets of rules aren’t bad per se, just so long as they aren’t based on isms or phobias. The issue with Talackova is one of fairness more than sameness.