Alright. I am about to commit anathema, and thus I have to state that I do not mean what I am about to say in any bad way. It is just a question/comment. Also, I believe this lady is a hero and a true representative of what this country stands for, and that she is truly a woman of substance. And may God bless her and hers for the great service that she has done for the nation.
With that said, let me ask/comment:
Is it me, or do most (all?) 'beauty contests' today really 'talent shows' instead of 'beauty contests?' The reason I ask is that every person I see (particularly in the US) winning such contests is not necessarily the most beautiful but rather the most talented (in many cases the most well rounded, but with talent having the largest slice of the pie). Once, during a contest in Oklahoma (not last year, since I believe she went on ahead to win Miss USA or something along those lines, but rather around the year 2000) one lady who won was actually quite well on the obese side. Now, I have nothing against big-boned people (and I already know that i have basically made myself into flame-bait), but I really wondered whether it was a beauty contest, or if it was a talent show (her piano/singing talent was star level).
Now, I know that these 'contests' have (as they should have) evolved beyond the meat-displays of yore, but come on! If it is no longer a beauty contest then it should be called a talent show.
There are certain nations in South America (including one nation that has won Miss Universe or World, don't remember which, more than twice), and of course there is India, that got into some controversy some time back over accusations that their winning strategy is to get the most beautiful lady they can get their hands on, and the COACH them so that they can answer the questions, give moving speeches, and perform. It has worked quite well, particularly since they have someone who has (or seems to have) 'talent,' but at the same time is darn-gollywolly-good looking to the nth degree. Many of the people I have seen in the US, apart from a few cases, have a lot of talent, and they look REALLY good, but I could go to any Community College in greater USA and find a number of students who look far better than that.
Anyways, let me rush and wear my asbetos wear. Hopefully the flames are not too hot (and once again, I am not knocking this lady. She is a hero. I am just commenting/asking about the way 'beauty competitions' seem to have become purely 'talent shows.').
Personally, I prefer the old "meat displays" you mentioned, and without the swimsuit competition, they have lost their appeal.
That said, political-correctness and the Feminazi takeover of accepted speech in public has relegated the old "American Beauty" concept to hushed talk for fear of attack as "sexism".
We can still look.....just don't let a feminist catch you looking!
If you think any of your community college girls could look as good as this girl without makeup, i.e. picture of her with little girl, your sadly mistaken. As far as talent, I'm sure she could break down an M-16 and reassemble it faster than anyone in the audience of the Miss American contest. If she needs to put on a little shooting demonstration to top that off, fantastic!
“The reason I ask is that every person I see (particularly in the US) winning such contests is not necessarily the most beautiful but rather the most talented”
Example: http://tinyurl.com/2vbl8d