The economics of beauty? Well, that sort of economics definitely interests me more than stories about unemployment rates and tax cuts. (Yes, yes, I know they are important [though often depressing] topics.) Since I’m married to an economist I feel I can say that sometimes economics can be a bit boring… In any case, it’s [...]
Last night Miss Angola, 25-year-old Leila Lopes, was crowned the 60th Miss Universe—the first ever winner from Angola. She beat out 89 other hopefuls in Sao Paulo, Brazil to take the crown. The hosts declared this to be the “most coveted title in the world,” a statement I’m sure many would disagree with, even if [...]
This past Saturday evening I had the pleasure of attending the Miss Massachusetts Pageant, held in Worcester, MA. Molly Whalen, Miss Taunton, took the title– the only blonde title holder from New England competing for Miss America 2012. Misses Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island were in attendance, actually sitting in the row in [...]
After reading this you might be forgiven for thinking that I watch a lot of TV (somewhat true) and that I only watch TLC (definitely not true). Still, I can’t help but write about TLC’s latest foray into a different/almost-deviant subculture, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. This show offers an “inside look” at life among [...]
Many of my blog posts fall into one of the following categories: beauty pageants, child beauty pageants, and competitive children. Today’s post features updates on some of my most popular stories in each of these areas. 1) Botox Mom (aka Kerry Campbell/Sheena Upton)- It’s been reported that Botox Mom (who never actually used Botox it [...]
As I read The Boston Globe this morning I came across this story at the back of the Metro Section: “Missing Out, Happily.” The story is about Emily Johnson, Miss Maine USA 2011 (not to be confused with Miss Maine, who represents the state in the Miss America system). Johnson was crowned Miss Maine USA [...]
Please note: This appeared on The Huffington Post on March 15, 2011 as “There She Goes: A Trailblazing, Feminist Beauty Queen.” This week women around the world observed the 100th celebration of International Women’s Day. We honored female trailblazers and leaders. One woman not discussed was Jean Bartel, Miss America 1943, who passed away on [...]
This past weekend Miss Boston 2011 was crowned. MIT senior Dianna Leilani Cowern competed, though she lost out to Sara Carlisle. The coveted crown was placed on Ms. Carlisle’s head by the reigning Miss Massachusetts 2010, Loren Galler Rabinowitz, who also graduated from Harvard in 2010. Ms. Galler Rabinowitz was second runner-up in last year’s [...]
