Let me see if I can explain this better. If pageants were fashion (and, let’s be honest, they really aren’t because you would never see Oscar de la Renta on a national pageant stage, EVER), Miss America would kick off spring fashion week, Miss USA summer and Miss Universe fall. From these “shows,” thousands of contestants across the country get inspiration, or flat out copy, the designs worn by the finalists or winner.
This is most clearly illustrated by what pageant enthusiasts refer to as the notorious “Shandi Dress.”
Worn by Miss USA 2004, Shandi Finnessey on the eve of her crowning, this dress has been duplicated, altered and bastardized in every color combination under the sun for the past 6 years. Never has a dress been more over done, and wearing it will pretty much screw you in any competition as a result. But even with that being the most overdone dress in pageant history, it still happens every year. It’s a safe bet to say that after a girl is crowned Miss America or Miss USA, you will see the dress almost immediately in local pageants all over the place. That’s just how it is.
Most national Mrs. Pageants aren’t held until late summer or early fall, and so there really isn’t another “preview” as to what will be hot before. Wearing a dress in a Mrs. Pageant that placed in Miss USA or Miss America rarely works, because you can only get away with a certain degree of sexiness as a married woman before you look like a total slizut. But, because Mrs. Colorado is so big, and so early in the season, it’s a great glimpse at upcoming fashion trends in the Mrs. Pageant circuit. So yeah, I wanted to go.
I also wanted to go cheer on a very good friend who competed last night. And while I am so proud of her for placing in the top ten at such a crazy pageant, and while I give my congrats to our new winner, I can’t help but think my bud got robbed. Call me biased, but she’s awesome and I hope she gives it another go!
Anyway, onward and upward! Miss USA is on TONIGHT!
In my last post, I mentioned that Miss USA is always a dramatic cluster! In 2006, we had to deal with Tara Conner’s drug problem, and her second chance despite being a “alcoholic addict” (which, to date, I still think is a load of crap by the way). In 2007 poor Catie (I’m sorry, her new name is Lauren Caitlyn) Upton got screwed when she attested to the fact that people in the United States do not have maps. And last year, Carrie Prejean tried to position herself as a strong Christian who was for “opposite marriage” weeks before it became known that she had really done a great job of “positioning herself” on video. It is always a roller coaster with this pageant, and this year has been no exception.
By now you have probably heard about the provocative photos of the girls taken in lingerie. I’m convinced this was done to get a rise out of people, and to get ratings, and to be honest, I’m kind of sickened by the whole ordeal. I can’t say I’m shocked, but I am certainly offended that these girls have been exploited. There’s a difference between being sexy and being skanky, and some of these photos are completely and utterly skanky. I have had several discussions with my fellow pageant enthusiasts about this over the past few weeks, so I will not continue to beat a dead horse, but I did want to comment on the inappropriateness of the whole situation.
Regardless of the skanky pics, I am excited about tonight’s competition, and as promised, I have selected my picks for the top 15 finalists for Miss USA 2010. Let me clarify that this isn’t a betting game, and there is probably a difference between who I want to place, and who WILL place, but nevertheless, here are my favorites for the 2010 crown:
1. Alabama
2. Arizona
3. California
4. Florida
5. Idaho
6. Kansas
7. Maine
8. Missouri
9. Minnesota
10. Nebraska
11. Nevada
12. Oklahoma
13. South Carolina
14. Texas
15. Virginia
Alternates: Wyoming, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Michigan and Tennessee.
There you have it, my thoughts. Who are you rooting for?
Sincerely,
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