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05/30/2007: "Admit It ... You Thought It Was Funny, Too ..."
There was a time when a beauty contest like Miss Universe was a big deal. You take the winners from all the country's national contests, place them in some exotic locale, and let them slug it out for beauty supremecy. Times have changed, though, and it's pretty tough to attract a following. Even with the master self-promoter Donald Trump at the helm of both the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, it's tough to draw a crowd. Sure, it helps if your winner parties like a trucker and samples cocaine the way the last Miss USA, Tara Conner did - her problems, and the Donald's self-serving benevolence got a lot of ink. But it's a new year, and there's a new Miss USA, Rachel Smith. How's she gonna compete with that kind of attention?
Simple - in the biggest moment of her young life, fall on her ass ...
Pageant proponents say that beauty contests are much more than swimsuits, and that the pageant process develops the confidence of the young women. I don't know if that's true, but give credit where due - Rachel never batted an eyelash when she fell. She popped up, finished her walk, and never lost her smile. Talk about grace under pressure.
Unfortunately, Rachel Smith placed fifth in the Miss Universe contest. We'll never know how the fall affected her placement, but you can guarantee this - she's getting a lot more "exposure" that the winner is!
