The crescendo of the 2013 beauty pageant season will be reached next month at the Miss Universe contest. As this year’s contestants touch down in the former Soviet Union to prepare for the November 7th pageant, fan voting opened yesterday. Surveyors of evening gowns and unusual talents have many entries to look at. Let's look at them together.
To the 70 ladies that America will be deprived from seeing in the swimsuit competition, you're all winners in my book.
Miss Austria and Miss Myanmar may be more your bat speed, but since beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, here are my three standouts.
Yaritza Reyes comes from Santo Domingo.
When she was 17, she helped deliver a baby during a hospital internship.
Reyes caught my heart because she recovered from this spill to win her ticket to Moscow.
Olivia Wells describes herself as an "Aussie beach bum who loves sunshine, snorkeling, camping, and a laid back lifestyle." Who wants to go down under?
She's also into medicine. She's working on becoming a surgeon.
Erin Brady said during her Miss USA Q&A session that she believes in DNA testing of criminal suspects. Science.
She is also training for her first marathon.
Hopefully my vote for Miss Australia won't get me deported. But open and fair competition is what this country is all about.