Recently in Pageant Category

Former Miss South Carolina Teen USA Caitlin Upton may not know about many things -- like wars, or, uh, maps -- BUT, thanks to Jimmy Kimmel, she does at least now know about... how babies are made. The talk show host sent her on a mission to learn about the facts of life -- and it ended, naturally, with Nadya Suleman aka Octomom. Check out the clip here and here. 

Carrie Prejean continues to be all over the news these days. As if it wasn't enough to get stripped of her crown, or become enmeshed in various scandals over a) gay marriage b) the money she borrowed for breast implants c) her topless picture experiment or d) the  alleged defamation of her character that was someone else's (California's?) fault (...?), now Carrie Prejean is making headlines by talking about how the scandalous topless pictures that she took are a product of, um, our culture. She writes:


"Unfortunately, pornography has become mainstreamed -- it rushes at us through big screens, portable screens; soft-core porn is on mainstream TV cable stations, hard-core porn is just a mouse click away on the internet, and the envelope of what seems acceptable seems to get pushed farther and farther as more and more people are exposed to this material.

The result is that girls grow up in a culture where it is hard to have an innocent, healthy, normal view of themselves, how they should behave, how they should act, and how they should dress."

 "Our bodies are temples of the Lord. We should earn respect and admiration for our hearts, not for showing skin to look sexy ... I have since learned that your outer beauty can only get you so far in life."

It is possible that Carrie Prejean has learned a lesson throughout her various troubled experiences with the press. But, given the great lengths to which she has gone in order to keep her google search numbers high, I am presuming it is a different message than, say, that which mentors and nuns might have hoped for.

This Saturday in Thailand, 37-year-old Japanese television host Haruna Ai was crowned "Miss International Queen 2009 in Thailand, the fifth annual beauty pageant aimed at promoting the tolerance of transsexuals and transvestites. Haruna beat out 17 other contestants to win $10,000 in the competition's final round, which was held at the Tiffany's Show (billed as the world's largest transsexual cabaret) last Saturday. Apparently, the event is quite a big deal in Thailand -- a culture highly tolerant of transsexual culture -- and millions tuned in. Did anyone catch it? What did you think?

This Carrie Prejean drama just will not end: Apparently, the Miss California pageant is counter-suing the shamed former title-holder (who is suing THEM because she believes that she was dethroned due to her position on gay marriage) because she hasn't paid back the money they loaned her. For a... breast augmentation. Um. Okay. First a breast implants-related injury at Miss Plastic, now this?? I sort of think that if Miss California USA is going to practice such ridiculous policies, they should just deal with the consequences. Also? It does not take a genius to know that "oral agreements" carry basically zero weight. Make a real contract next time you give a 21-year-old 5 grand for fake boobs and expect her to pay you back! Just saying. 

This weekend, at the Miss Plastic competition (a beauty pageant in which all contestants have had breast implants and facelifts), 23-year-old woman fell off the stage because she was too top-heavy. Apparently, she had not yet grown accustomed to her newly enlarged breasts, and also because her hair extensions got in her eyes. Um. Actually, I guess that those are two understandable hurdles, and for that reason I feel bad for the girl. She tore a ligament! And, um, talk about humiliating. BUT, more importantly, what was a 23-year-old woman doing getting a facelift?! This Miss Plastic thing totally confounds me. Women in their 20s getting breast implants is not, I guess, so unusual these days. (Although personally, I would not in a million years put my own body through the medical risk. But then again, as you may have noticed, I'm a fan of a sort of gamine androgyny when it comes to fashion -- so my board-flat figure suits my sartorial preferences.) But getting facelifts?! What a sad, and scary concept. Sad because, you know, feminism, etc. Scary, because:


Think about the future, ladies!!

Looks like Miss California USA will doing away with the famed swimsuit UNIFORM this year -- but the ever-controversial portion of the evening will  remain. So instead of having all of the competitors wear the same suit, Miss Cali 2010 contenders will be able to choose from a variety of designs from one yet-to-be-named designer. (Too bad Sherri Hill doesn't make bathing attire!) Even weirder, there will be TWO winners of the pageant this year. Normally I would find that surprising, but judging from what happened with Ms. Carrie Prejean last year... I guess a backup can't hurt? What do you guys think? Leave your comments below!