As stupid as she may have sounded in her disastrous pageant interview, Upton comes across pretty funny and silly in these clips. She may not know much about maps or Iraq, but thanks to late night television, she now has a pretty good grasp of what her uterus looks like. Also, we've got to give her props for her brave attempt to draw an anatomically correct diagram of the reproductive system on live television.

Former Miss Teen South Carolina Learns Where Babies Come From [BuzzFeed]

Women came from all over the world to participate in Miss International Queen for the 2009 crown. Haruna Ai, 37, was named the winner, and thus the world's "most beautiful transsexual." Ali works as a Japanese television host, but she says her gender is continually under question in Japan. "I am very, very, very happy," she said. "I want contests like this to show everyone that they should love each other and live freely. The way of life in Japan is more traditional and transsexuals cannot live freely, but in Thailand they can do what they want."

Most of the participants have similar stories of discrimination. Maggie Gao, a contestant from China, says she won the Miss World Shenzhen title earlier this year, but once pageant officials learned she was born a man, she was stripped of her crown. For many of the women, this is a rare opportunity to, in the words of Camilia Dzelma, "show the world that I am not a freak." U.S. contestant Sunny Dee-Lite says she "can only hope for [an event like this] in the United States."

Even though the overall tone of the Sydney Morning Herald article is uplifting, there is something that irks me about the idea that the best way to empowerment and equality is equal objectification. These women talk about defying discrimination and living freely, something we certainly should celebrate. And yet, it's difficult not to wonder why this. Every goal stated on the Miss International Queen website is worthy (from donating to the world AIDS foundation to promote awareness of human rights issues), but does it have to be done through this forum? Can a beauty pageant - which judges and ranks women based almost entirely on their physical appearance and conformity to certain standards of feminine beauty - ever be truly positive?

Transsexual Miss World Contest Aims To Boost Awareness [Sydney Morning Herald]
Miss International Queen [Official Site]

Basically, it went like this: Cy came into the Gawker office with TLC publicist, whom I'll call Helen. Cy and I talked for about 50 minutes in a conference room, while Helen sat nearby. I ended up with much more footage than I could ever post, but whatever. I like to shoot a lot and trim from there. Yes, I had a lot of questions, but Cy had long answers. I had no problem with this, as it was an interesting conversation. I thought a lot of what he said was worth posting (as you can see in the video gallery below, which is organized by subject.)

When we finished, Helen said, "That was a hard-hitting interview." No it wasn't. It was about reality TV and beauty pageants. But OK. Whatever! I kind of just grinned. "I was not prepared for that," she said gravely, now looking at me as if I were a tornado that just passed through. "Oh yeah, well, I just think that given Jezebel's nature and the commenters' desire to dissect this sort of stuff, my line of questioning was appropriate." Keep in mind that I wasn't nearly as tough on Cy as many would have been. First of all, he's a nice guy that I believe is interested in the well-being of his clients. Secondly, most of those clients are teens so the whole, "This is child abuse!" reaction that you might have to other pageantsploitation fare like Toddlers and Tiaras does not really apply to King of the Crown. Finally, after prefacing the interview by saying that I wanted to talk not just about plot points, but actual issues, I felt that Cy was prepared for where I was going.

Helen disagreed. "I was not prepared for that, Cy was not prepared for that," she said, almost scolding. She explained that TLC had targeted Jezebel as an outlet for this coverage because of its snarky-but-uplifting nature. I had somehow betrayed her image of that. Still gravely she told me, "This was our hardest interview of the day." Well, glad to shake things up for you, I thought. I said, "Really?"

"I just wasn't prepared for that," she continued. "Is there any way I can see the interview before you post it?" I explained that I didn't know the official policy regarding such approval and she'd have to talk to Anna. "Well, how has it been with interviews in the past?" she asked. "We don't have third parties approving our content," I told her.

"I just wasn't prepared for that," she said again. As for Cy, I don't even know what he was doing at this point. He remained silent. Maybe it was his polite, Southern way. Maybe he didn't have an issue with talking frankly about the world he's ensconced in.

"Well, look," I said, leveling again. "A lot of people think reality shows are just mindless trash, but I don't believe that. I think you can examine so-called 'low culture' from an intelligent perspective and talk about its underlying issues. I figured any of those issues were fair game. I wasn't out to make anyone look stupid. In fact, I trusted that Cy was up for an intelligent conversation. And it turns out that he was, anyway." She assured me that he was very eloquent.

"I really wasn't prepared for that," she said to me yet again. All I could do at this point was shrug. I carefully considered her product and ended up proving that its purveyor could handle questions that probed beyond pageant tips and stage-mom smack talk. I didn't see the problem. They left soon after this, somewhat awkwardly of course, although Helen did attempt to break the tension by asking me what my favorite reality shows were. America's Next Top Model because it's insane and Rock of Love because it's jubilantly trashy, were my answers. I don't think she could relate.

Under different circumstances, if someone suggested that the hours I spent researching and thinking about a subject somehow translated into me not doing my job properly, I would probably lash out and end up yelling. I'm a hothead and condescension is my least favorite social indignity. Here, though, I never lost my cool. All along, I knew I was justified (and if you watch any of the excerpts from the interview, you'll see how not a big deal the whole thing is). But more than that, I was secure that if you're raising red flags for a publicist, you're probably doing your job as a journalist.


This is merely an intro - Cy talks about his professional title and how he got into pageants.


Here, Cy talks about Kayleigh, one of his clients whom we watched struggle with her weight throughout the King of Crowns pilot.


Q: Have you ever turned a client away who seems to be negatively affected by pageants? We also talk about whether pageants have the potential to devastate a girl's self-image.


On the pilot, one contestant who's practicing the interview competition is asked, "How do you respond to people who say that pageants objectify women?" Here's Cy's own answer to that question.


Here we talk about Cy's notorious client, Caitlin Upton (aka Miss South Carolina Teen 2007 aka the "Such as" girl), who begins her road to pageant redemption on King of the Crown. The show also interestingly examines her anguish as the result of her YouTube ridicule.


Q: Besides self-confidence and the ability to interview, do you see other practical uses of pageantry?


Finally, Cy talks about being a gay man in the pageant world, and whether his career has afforded him acceptance he might not have otherwise found in the South.

Wheeler had to wait until her reign as Miss Virgina was over before she could shave her shoulder-length brown hair. It became clear to Wheeler relatively early on that she wouldn't be able to raise the amount required—she topped out at just over $30,000—but she says she wanted to shave regardless, to both show support for all the young children battling cancer and to challenge beauty ideals. "Society needs to take a second look at how we deem someone pretty," she said back in April. "Beauty is as beauty does."

To prove it, she had her mother shave her head bald on Monday in front of dozens of onlookers (and, apparently, her local news station). The former Penn State ice hockey player admits she cried a little the morning before, but she had resolved to take it all off. Although a fan has kindly donated a wig, she says she does not plan on wearing it, unless her new job as a reporter for Comcast SportsNet demands it. "If my hair is distracting as it grows out, I'm grateful for the opportunity to wear it," she said.

Miss Virginia Shaves Her Head To Fight Kid's Cancer [Strollerderby]
There She Is... And Hair, It Goes [Washington Post]

If you've seen Toddlers & Tiaras, you already know the deal: Makeup, fake tans, elaborate coifs.

According to Eleanor:

The programme itself follows three contestants, Madison, Sasha and Tyla. Each is desperate, (or rather, they are told they are desperate) to win the title.

Tyla, however, blew Madison right out of the water. Also nine, she is the youngest girl in Britain to wear contact lenses (glasses are, of course, ugly), she has highlights in her hair, and, aged seven, had plastic surgery.

Yes, apparently Tyla's ears stuck out, and had to be changed. In the clip below, you can witness the tone of the documentary, which certainly does its best to paint the contestants — and the mothers, for no fathers are pictured — in a negative light. There's more where this came from on YouTube.

As the little girls prepare for the pageant, there's no joy, no laugther, no "child"-like giddiness. Just tons of makeup. One contestant's mother says, "They remind me of little drag queens, really."

In addition to this new documentary, there's a new book from PowerHouse called High Glitz, featuring portraits of child pageant contestants. The photographs debuted earlier this year at a gallery in The Netherlands.

While the pageant culture is looked upon with a mix of fascination and disdain, blogger Eleanor (who is a "is a 17-year-old feminist from Edinburgh") is also worried. She writes:

It broke my heart to think of these children (none of whom won) as they left the venue. At an age where my biggest body hang up was wondering when my next tooth would come out, what would these girls now think of themselves? That they were ugly? Or indeed, that it mattered? That they were worthless, because their only ‘talent' had been beauty, and they had failed at it? Which would grow up to suffer from eating disorders, (which are affecting younger and younger children), or to believe that fake tans and plastered-on smiles are more important than intelligence, wit, compassion and love?

Well, we can only hope that these baby beauty queens will turn out okay — and that just like other American stuff which washes up on on distant shores — McDonald's; Coca-Cola; Madonna — pageants won't be taken too seriously by too many.

Baby Beauty Queens [The F Word]
Baby Beauty Queens [YouTube]
High Glitz [PowerHouse books]

She wasn't the only pageant girl the episode focused on, but she completely overshadowed the other girls, due to her haughty, holier-than-thou demeanor and overbearing, demanding relationship with her mother.

The thing is, her mother feeds into Tootie's inflated sense of ego: Her mother calls herself "Tootie's assistant." She "fetches" things for Tootie, does her toes and spray tans. (Madison, on the other hand, is a down-to-earth girl who is happy to play soccer with her dad while wearing jeans. Madison and Tootie are different, even though they are the same kid.)

When Tootie is in "Tootie mode," you had best not call her Madison. Also, she is completely cheesy. Not only did was her "Indian" dance offensive to Native Americans, it was offensive to dancers.

Tootie's mom is basically an enabler; she actually thinks that her bratty little snot of a daughter has a "good attitude." The crazy thing is, Tootie is a little manipulator. She's playing a game.

When asked about her competition — the other girls — Tootie replied, "I don't know. I don't care about 'em." But then smirked. She thinks she is slick.

But actually, in the end, though Tootie won Supreme Queen, she didn't win any of the other big prizes — not Beauty Queen, nor one of the three puppies the pageant was giving away. She's been told she's gorgeous and amazing, so she doesn't seem to know what to think or do when she doesn't succeed. The interviewer asked, "Were you happy when your name was called?" Because, you know, at least she won something. But her face was a twisted mask of confusion and she could only say, "I dunno." And then: "No." Followed by: "Don't put that on TV."

Part of the problem might be that at home, Tootie's picture is on the same level as that of Jesus Christ.

Earlier: Toddlers & Tiaras: A "Diva Moment" Is Actually A Tantrum

All the contestants were participating in a pageant in Texas where the biggest prize was $1000 cash. That kind of money is nothing to sneeze at, but when you spend $2000 on one dress, does it make a dent?

The most upsetting contestants were six-year-old twins BreAnne and AshLynn Sterling. Well, they weren't as upsetting as their clearly undermining mom.

She soooo played favorites with BreAnne, who she thinks is the "prettiest" of her five daughters and "looks most like Mommy." Later in the show, BreAnne was being a total brat, not listening, being arrogant and rude, but her mother still wanted her to be in the pageant. Dad Barry finally carried her — screaming and crying — from the venue. The one you've got to worry about is poor AshLynn, the "big nose" twin, who is clearly going to become an emotional wreck if she doesn't channel the feeling that she's second banana — which her own mother reinforces.

Eden Wood is four years old and an only child. Luckily, her mom has "best friends" for her: Hand puppets. Question: What's the difference between a "diva moment" and a tired 4-year-old? What's the difference between a "diva moment" and a temper tantrum?

Behold: Cavin, the 2-week-old pageant contestant. His brother Cameron was like, "He wants to win really really really badly. But he doesn't know that." Also: "His head was kinda titled."

Eden Wood performed in a Vegas showgirl outfit. Her mom performed in a blue button-down shirt. Eden's coach thought "it was precious."

After her performance, Eden announced, "I rocked that stage." Cavin the 2-week-old was 4th runner up in the boys division; and his mom said: "It does make me feel a little better that I can make beautiful babies." Cavin's brother Cameron won Most Handsome and King.

Eden won trophies for Most Beautiful, Best Dressed, Outfit of Choice (the Vegas ensemble) and Queen. Meaning, she won the $1000. Eden's dresses cost between $2100 and $3600 and Eden's mom has spent — sorry, invested — between $65,000 and $75,000 on pageants. So: Congrats.

"Ever had plastic surgery to become beautiful? Are you proud of your body? Would you like to put yourself to the test?" asks the pageant's website. The competition, which has already attracted 100 entrants, is open to women 18-30 - although there is an older "dame" category, too - as long as they've had "a surgical procedure done under general or local anesthesia."

The pageant, according to its founders (via Reuters), seeks to, ahem, destigmatize cosmetic enhancement which, despite its increasing affordability and popularity, still gets a bad rap. Says its press director, "Unfortunately, people in Hungary are still rather negative about ladies who have had (cosmetic) surgery and there are also a lot of stereotypes going about...We are not seeking to promote extremely large breasts and the like." She adds, "The whole thing is about harmony, that's what the contest seeks to emphasize...Let's not forget that there are ladies who have had new perspectives open up for them thanks to plastic surgery, who could get rid of their complexes with an operation and can now have a more complete life."

Well, uh, sure. Whatever floats your boat. And I guess as long as we're promoting unnatural standards of beauty, there's a lot to be said for admitting they're...artificial. Maybe it makes more sense than the nudge-wink wholesomeness of the typical American varietal. Is it less offensive to find someone's taste wanting than her genetics? And if these women are indeed facing discrimination - I'll admit, something I'd never really considered - then I guess anything that encourages choosing your choices is good?

But, of course, more pageants aren't exactly the way most of us see aesthetic relativism triumphing; objectifying other kinds of figures has never really been the thinking woman's preferred alternative. And what amounts to the promotion of plastic surgery (obviously a lucrative source of money and tourism) - and heralding it as a road to "a more complete life" - isn't really how we see women feeling more confident about their "complexes." It's not like they're making us comfortable with a new aesthetic, after all.

But maybe there's something to be said for cutting the crap and going back to the original goal of pageants: arbitrary physical standards. We ran across a 1959 document that shows how the Miss Universe "winner was picked" and it had precious little to do with world peace. Legs "too irregular?" Shoulders "too square?" Sorry, Charley.





In a way, it seems important to be reminded that this is what pageants were - and are. Especially since they show no sign of going away. Indeed, today's Telegraph tells us that the scourge of the baby pageant has hit Great Britain, with attendant stage moms, pancake makeup and dubious invocations of God, (whom many parents seem to think takes a strong personal interest in the direction of local children's beauty contests) and quotes like this: "It was a long day. Scarlett had an asthma attack the day after – we think it was inhaling others' hairspray. I don't regret it, though; it was a learning experience and she had a lovely time." While these moms are not yet up to American levels of shamelessness - we have, after all, had generations to hone our skills, things like this - "Chloe (8) is used to make-up – she usually does her eyes, her cheeks and lipstick. She's a little young, but I don't mind if she wears it now and then, to go out to parties" - make us think they're going to catch up just fine. In a few years, these girls too can make the choice between the route of "scholarships/self-esteem and self-confidence" or the more frank future heralded by Miss Plastic.

Miss Plastic Hungary Contest Seeking "New" Faces [Reuters]
1950s Beauty Pageant Judging Guidelines [Sociological Images]
Baby Beauty Queens: Mini Miss UK, The UK's First US Style Child Beauty Pageant [Telegraph]

The Miss Teen Queen UK "pageant" is a competition that promises to give 13-16 year old girls their ticket into the "world of modeling." The website is disgusting: the young women are posed in sexy, provocative pictures, with most of the girls giving "come hither" stares and showing off their bodies in the type of poses one expects to see on a Barely Legal! porn site. It is, for lack of a better description, a bit of a perv's paradise: many of the underage girls are bent slightly forward, showing off their cleavage, and their real names, interests, age, and yes, even their bra sizes, are posted below their photographs.

There are also several photographs of 14 and 15 year-old girls laying down with their legs in the air. Claude Knights of the children's charity Kidscape calls it "a shop window for paedophiles," and he's not far off. It's horrible, and I feel like I need to clean my computer eight million times to get the creepiness off of my screen. (The picture posted above is of an 18-year-old contestant—I didn't want to post the pictures of the underage girls.)

Naturally, it's the mothers of these young women who are singled out and blamed for "allowing this to happen." Beverley Pierce, whose daughter, Tamara, is a finalist in the competition, thinks the pictures aren't a big deal, and that there's nothing wrong with her daughter posing in sexy pictures in order to advance her modeling career. "'A pageant like Miss Teen Queen is perfect because it means Thalia can carry on modelling without worrying about whether or not she's a size 6. Girls of all shapes and sizes can enter, and the last thing I want is for her to start worrying she needs to lose weight," Beverley says, "Perverts could just as easily have been looking at Thalia in any of the other modelling shoots she's done over the years." Oh! Well!! Then whatthefuckever, right? If perverts are already checking out your kid, what's another damn pageant to add to the mix?

Lina Perrini, director of the pageant, stands by her organization and says there's nothing wrong with the pictures on the site: "As for whether or not I'm encouraging girls to grow up too quickly, well, unfortunately girls of 13 are thinking about their looks and figures regardless of whether they enter this competition. At their age, I was reading Bunty and playing with my toys. But I know from research we've done that in the UK today, girls of that age are already drinking alcohol and reading OK! magazine." So that makes it okay to post kiddie-porn esque pictures of them in the name of "modeling"? Are you fucking serious? Maybe instead of saying, "Well, screw it, they're already drinking alcohol, let's have them pose with their legs in the air," maybe you should start a pageant that encourages young women to have respect for their bodies and provide them with a positive alternative to OK Magazine and getting wasted after school. God forbid we ever encourage young girls to do anything else but shut up and look sexy.

'I do not encourage overt sexualisation," Perrini says, noting that she won't allow contestants under 16 to wear bikinis. But one look at her website says otherwise: the site, and the pageant, are filled with pictures that scream "inappropriate" and "over-sexualized." Whoever wins the pageant supposedly gets a modeling contract, makeup, and free clothes. But in reality, with a pageant like this, there are no winners, unless you count the people who are currently making money by broadcasting pictures that probably never should have been taken in the first place.

[Miss Teen Queen UK]
What ARE Their Mothers Thinking? [DailyMail]

Russin wastes no time and gets right to dishing dirt on her former competition:

I learned valuable information from eavesdropping in conversations among the over 100 contestants, things like the secret to losing weight in a weekend flush is Mexican laxatives you must buy online or across the border. If you spit out a pizza slice in a trash can after each bite you won't gain weight. Who cares if it looks really gross to onlookers? You're saving 500 calories! I also learned how restrooms smell after a load of girls vomit after catering…

Russin claims that her fellow contestants were ignorant, divas, rude to hotel maids, and alleges that half the women had implants, nose jobs and Botox. She also notes that when asked, "Who is the most influential Texan in history?" a contestant during the Miss Texas USA preliminaries answered, "Matthew McConaughey. He has funny movies and teaches us a lot about fitness." This answer earned her a spot in the Top 15. (While Russin calls many of the contestants "brainless," she manages to spell Farrah Fawcett's name wrong.)

The truth is, none of the allegations — including the report that booze and boyfriends were present in contestants' hotel rooms — are really that surprising. What is shocking is that Krystle Russin, a woman with the wits about her to write "I wonder when pageantry will stay where it belongs: the last century" entered the Miss Texas USA pageant to begin with. Why, as a writer and bright young woman, did she participate in a "beauty" "contest" for which the only requirement is that you can afford the entry fee? Her answer? "To put another notch in my belt… It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Miss Texas USA: What Really Happens at Pageants [Huffington Post]

In the first photo, a woman who appears to be Prejean wears pink panties and looks over her shoulder while holding her breasts. Pop Crunch reports that Alicia Jacobs, a Miss USA pageant judge who criticized Prejean's views on gay marriage after the pageant, has seen all six photos and says the others are more revealing. She thinks the photos may have been taken after Prejean's breast augmentation, which the Miss California USA organization paid for.

Prejean, 21, originally said the photos were taken of her when she was 17 (which would make them child pornography) according to the clip from The Today Show below:

In a statement released this morning, Prejean didn't emphasize that she was a minor when the pictures were taken, but said, according to E!:

I am a Christian, and I am a model. Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos. Recently, photos taken of me as a teenager have been released surreptitiously to a tabloid Web site that openly mocks me for my Christian faith. I am not perfect, and I will never claim to be. But these attacks on me and others who speak in defense of traditional marriage are intolerant and offensive.

The text posted along with the photo on TheDirty.com does describe Prejean as a "self-proclaimed bible thumper," and concludes:

So much for being a good role model for the state of California Carrie. Looks like your Dirty photo shoot makes you a sinner too.

Though the site makes jokes about Prejean's religion, it seems the intent was to attack the hypocrisy of her presenting herself as the poster girl for squeaky-clean traditional values, rather than mocking her belief in God. If Prejean were any other Christian Miss USA runner up, it's unlikely the photos would have generated much national interest or focused as much on her religion. But, if photos of another state pageant winner came to light, that woman's most likely response would be to apologize and relinquish her crown in disgrace. Though Prejean's attempt to frame herself as the victim of religious persecution is somewhat ridiculous, the pictures were obviously released to discredit Prejean by revealing that she's an ignorant slut because she's posed for a half-dozen semi-nude photos! (Uh, like many young women her age?)

Prejean has already proven through her words that she's a poor spokeswoman for the anti-gay marriage movement. Posing for vaguely racy photos doesn't mean Prejean couldn't have an intelligent or articulate point about gay marriage, but not knowing much of anything about the policies she's advocating does. Christian conservative groups like the National Organization for Marriage have already shown they are willing to tolerate her ignorance on the issues, but it remains to be seen whether they will accept a spokeswoman who doesn't fit their view of how a "moral" woman should behave.

Exclusive: Miss California Carrie Prejean Exposed [TheDirty.com]
Miss California Nude Picture - Carrie Prejean Naked Photo Scandal [PopCrunch]
Miss California Denounces Racy Photo Leak [E!]

Earlier: Who Needs A Scholarship When You Can Get Sponsored Breasts?
Miss California Opens Mouth, Exhales Inanity
Celebrity Missives About Miss California Make Us Wish For World Peace

Stephanie Naumoska, 19, was one of 32 women competing in the pageant on Wednesday. Naumoska is 5'11 and weighs 108 pounds, which means her BMI is 15, reports Reuters. The Australian Medical Association is calling for the contest to impose a minimum BMI cut-off of 20. But pageant director Deborah Miller claims Naumoska has a "Macedonian body type," which accounts for her thinness. "They have long, lithe bodies and small bones. It is their body type, just like Asian girls tend to be small," Miller said. Nutritionist Susie Burrell insists that there is no such thing as a "Macedonian body type," saying, 'There is no evidence published anywhere to back up that assertion."

Naumoska was eliminated from the competition last night after appearing in a red string bikini in the swimsuit competition. She said she's very hurt and upset by the controversy, according to The Daily Mail. She said:

'I think that it's horrible... they don't know me, and they don't know what I eat every morning or for lunch or dinner,' she told Australia's Channel Nine.

'They probably think that I don't eat anything, but I do.

'I also think that it's very unfair just to all the other girls out there who have the same body as myself.'

The newly crowned Miss Universe Australia, Rachael Finch, is defending Naumoska, reports News.com.au. "It has been a little overwhelming but I've been saying that Steph is an amazingly nice girl who happens to have a thin figure," she said. "Some girls are just naturally thin and Stephanie is exactly that."

Finch added that she is writing a book for girls who want to build a career in modeling that will emphasize healthy eating. She will compete in the Miss Universe world finals in August.

Miss Universe Australia In "Skinny" Controversy [Reuters]
'Malnourished' Miss Universe Finalist Who Is Just 'Skin And Bones' [The Daily Mail]
New Miss Universe Australia Stands Up For Skinny Stephanie [News.com.au]

The artist Andrew Logan created the first Alternative Miss World pageant in London in 1972, at the height of the original's smiling, bikini'd popularity. To Logan, the event was a celebration of the burgeoning gay and artistic counterculture; homosexuality and cross-dressing had only been made legal seven years previously. Writes Michele Hanson, a be-mopped and wedding-gowned contestant in that first pageant,

The official Miss World may, over the years, have had strict rules about age, gender, shape, size, outfit and behaviour - unmarried mothers, drinkers and former nude models tend not to have been wanted. Logan's Alternative has no such restrictions. Gay men have been contestants, and so have straight men dressed as women, and women dressed as men, or anyone dressed as anything, often with an additional cabaret of naked, painted, fairly voluptuous dancing women - The Binney Sisters. Any gender, with any background, of any age, or any species can win. A robot and a 75-year-old Russian woman have done so.

In the years since, the AMW has grown in scale and popularity, from a lark to an organized, expensive annual event. In fact, so threatening did the creators of the original Miss World find the upstart that several years in they brought an injunction against Logan - thrown out by a judge, thanks in part to defense lawyer Tony Blair. Themes run the gamut from "Wild" to "Universe" - this year's is "Elements" - and contestants, while not held to conventional pageant standards, take the challenges and competition seriously.

Not surprisingly, many are nostalgic for the event's early days, when whimsy reigned and it was made up of outsiders, misfits and friends. But perhaps the pageant's prominence is a good thing: it's disheartening to know that nearly forty years on, standards have not only not changed, but, if anything have calcified. (Get an eyeful the barely-there Jessica Simpson-designed bikinis this year's Miss Universe hopefuls will be almost wearing!) And lord knows dubious iterations like kiddie pageants have only taken off in that time. Says one contestant, Piers Atkinson (Miss Noma O'Void 1998),

"What on earth has happened to feminism? We're meant to be more liberated, but everyone's more generic. Everyone looks the same - like pole dancers. Blonde hair, big tits. It's a great look, if that's what you like, but not for everybody. I prefer style, poise, dignity and imagination."

If that involves rubber gloves, a shower cap and a lobster costume? So much the better.

Not Your Average Beauty Pageant [Guardian]
Alternative Miss World [Official Site]

While the kids were pleased to be receiving attention, and excited to be on TV, Curry missed out on a chance to ask the parents several important questions. Are they teaching their kids that appearance is everything? Are their children learning that it's right to judge people based on looks? Do they worry about their kids learning to be "on"? And why are their children's lives so jam packed with activities? Instead of letting the kids or the parents talk, Curry took up most of the time allotted trying to muddle through her question. This is, verbatim, the question Ms. Curry asked: "You know, some people wonder if — you know, there are child psychologists — I have to ask you this question — you're all ready for this question, because you know you've heard it before — that there are child psychologists who say that it amounts to, you know, the sexualization of our children, that it's exploitation of children at a very young age. So I guess the question for you is: Do you feel any concern about having your children see and overemphasis on beauty, feeling this judgment, that they are being judged on how they look, in a way that might maybe skew inappropriately how they may think of themselves or their own self esteem?" The mother who attempted to answer the question, Phyllis Jones, did an okay job. But when speaking of her daughter wearing makeup, Jones used the word "we" and not "she," as in "we don't wear makeup to school." Does the daughter have her own personality? Clip above.

Earlier: It's Official: The Today Show Is Making Me Crazy
Sarah Haskins Worries That Ann Curry's Life Is In Danger
Mothers Who Enter Their Daughters In Beauty Pageants Are A Special Breed
Pageant Parents: Living Vicariously Through Children Makes You Look Insane
Tyra: Pageant Mom Insults Young Feminist's Love Of A Good Book