Siddity in the City

Over at Busblog and Sepia Mutiny, there have been posts about the upcoming Miss Universe pageant. Well, posts at SM. Busblog just has a bunch of pictures, for the most part.

I finally got around to actually visiting the Miss Universe site, and had a peek at all the contestants. Delegates. Whatever you call ‘em.

These are the things that occurred to me as I clicked around:

1. Some of these girls are still in high school. That is crazy. No 18-year-old girl in a bikini should serve as the model for womanhood around the world! I’m sorry, I forgot. This is a glorified fashion show. All bets of reason are off. Carry on.

2. Often, the browner the country (or at least, the browner the common perception/stereotype of residents of the country), the whiter the delegate. And vice versa. Examples:

Brown with pale delegates:
India
Namibia (okay, she actually is white)
Dominican Republic
Panama (who looks like Marcia Gay Harden, to me)

Pale with brown(ish) delegates:
Denmark
Netherlands
France
Germany
Norway (debatable, but check out the swimsuit and evening gown photos)
Italy (debatable, but check out her swimsuit photo)

I think this mix-up is pretty cool. Don’t you?

3. Props to Miss Trinidad & Tobago, Miss US Virgin Islands and Miss Zambia for being the only delegates from the African diaspora, if you will, without serious weaves or bone-straight relaxers. That is courage.

4. Miss Turkey looks like LaToya Jackson.

5. I actually think Miss Denmark might win it. She’s very attractive, and, uh, can spell. Some of the answers these girls gave…hello, editing!

6. So that’s where Daisy Fuentes has gone!

7. This is just her porn star name. Her real name is Tinyhead McBroadshoulders. I’m kidding, she’s beautiful!