Furore as Miss Universe beauties pose nude

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Tuesday August 17, 2010 00:00

However, the pageant organisers claim   the photos are a form of artistic expression for each contestant, adding: 'We feel the images captured are fashionable and cutting edge.'

The organisers of Miss Universe pageant are no strangers to controversy as they drew similar criticism earlier this year yet again for racy official photos of Miss USA, which featured the 51 hopefuls with smudged eyeliner, lingerie and come-hither expressions. The same company that owns the Miss Universe also runs the Miss USA pageant.

In fact Fox news.com has accused the Miss Universe organisers of turning the pageant into a more salacious means of obtaining viewers, as the public continues to shun beauty pageants. 

Over the years the Miss Universe pageant had branded itself as all about beauty with brains as critics dismissed beauty pageant as representing women as sex objects.

Critics say the decision to shoot nude photos of the contestants also divided the aspirants into those who like to pose nude and the conservatives.

Botswana's representative, Tirelo Ramasedi is one of the contestants there although it was not immediately clear if she was among the raunchy girls chosen to sex up the pageant. Some contestants did not pose nude.

In a press release however a representative from the Miss Universe Organisation told Pop Tarts that the women were in no way forced to pose topless and could opt for a more conservative shoot if they preferred. The representative also argued that nudity was not an issue for many of the countries represented by the pageant.

'The contestants who compete at Miss Universe are diverse as they represent more than 82 countries around the globe. Many of their cultures embrace nudity,' the rep said in a statement.

'It's alarming that this has been turned into a playboy-esque masquerade,' said Angie Meyer, who has worked closely with the Miss USA contestants and the organisation in past years. 'When you bring nudity into the equation, the pageant no longer becomes about the entire package of brains and beauty'.

'Rather, the focus shifts to body image. The notion that 'beauty' embodies absolute physical perfection is a frightening slippery slope, and quite dangerous for young women around the world to adhere to,' he told Fox.news.comBy asking these women to pose topless in their photos, Meyer argues, the Trump organisation (which, along with NBC, co-owns the Miss Universe Organisation) is segregating their candidates into two categories - the women willing to pose topless, and the ones who won't.

'By implementing topless photos as part of the pageant process, they're putting applicants in an extremely compromising position,' she was quoted as saying.

LaToya Woods, a Miss Universe contestant from Trinidad and Tobago, said she felt particularly 'liberated' during the shoot with Berisha in which she wore 'pasties' to cover her nipples.

'They exaggerated the curves of my body; it was in no way derogatory. It was an artistic expression. It expressed liberty, freedom, sexuality. That is what Miss Universe is all about,' she told Pop Tarts.

On the other hand, Sarodj Bertin, a lawyer from Haiti, did not feel comfortable taking her top off even for the sake of 'art.'

'Most of the girls are fashion models and some were topless, everyone posed as they felt comfortable. I wouldn't go topless - but I had flowers painted on my legs. I love nature so that made me feel part of it all,' she said.

Miss USA, Muslim-American Rima Fakih, told Access Hollywood that while she did indeed pose topless, the shots were only of her nude back.

'For me, I like to do the back,' she said. 'I didn't want to do the front for many reasons, and one of them being in respect, I'm Arab, I'm Muslim, and I didn't want to disappoint many people.'

However, pageant officials said the broadcast will be family-friendly and, therefore, is unlikely to be banned in more conservative countries where nudity might be in conflict with cultural values. (Additional reports: huffingtonpost.com, (UK.today.com)