NEW YORK, NY – The Miss Universe pageant might be showing a little too much skin for some people’s liking!The Miss Universe pageant is slated to take place on August 23. The most beautiful women in the world will represent their respective countries and will have the attention of millions – specially men. In an effort to promote the event, organizers are using sultry photos of contestant, including Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih, in nothing but body paint. Not a good move according to some people.
Angie Meyer, described as a “former pageant-organization worker,” expressed her dismay with the photos to Fox News. “It’s alarming that this has been turned into a Playboy-esque masquerade,” she said. “By implementing topless photos as part of the pageant process, they’re putting applicants in an extremely compromising position.”
According to the Miss Universe organization, which is co-run by the Trump Organization and NBC, the Las Vegas photo shoot was done in an effort to celebrate the diversity of this year’s contestants. In a statement to Yahoo!, Lark-Marie Anton, vice-president of marketing and public relations for the pageant, defended the promotion: “The contestants who compete at Miss Universe are diverse, as they represent more than 82 countries around the globe. Many of their cultures embrace nudity,” she said.
She also pointed out that each contestant chose how much skin to show and she called the photos “a form of artistic expression.” The final word from the organization was: “We feel the images captured are fashionable and cutting edge!”
There is a reason why Anton is vice-president of marketing and probably moving on up. Because she knows that – wait for it – sex or sexiness sells. It’s an unfortunate or fortunate – depending on which way you look at it – aspect of our society. What is so tragic or “Playboy” about these pictures? What moral boundaries are being crossed? Last time we checked there is a swimsuit part of the competition. The pictures are great and the women look great. And in the long run, some controversy is good because it will definitely draw more attention to the competition. Bravo Miss Universe!
