yea I realize you don't have to be born in the country you are representing I was just noting how it was ironic. It reminded me of some national sports teams where half the players are foreign. Then again I'm in Spain so everything will always revert back to football (soccer for everyone back in the States lol).

ponytail+tiara=not right

I feel totally dorky for bringing this up, because it shows that I actually watched parts of both the Miss USA and the Miss Universe pageant, but did anyone else notice that Miss USA was wearing hair extensions? When she competed in the Miss USA pageant 4-6 weeks ago, her hair was a little longer than shoulder-length, but during the pageant a few days ago her hair was down to the middle of her back. There is NO WAY that her hair grew that much in just a few weeks! I personally don't think that hair extensions should be allowed. Glue your swimsuit to your butt cheeks all you want, but your body (and everything permanently attached) should be all "yours"! Any thoughts?

Amanda Dyer
Delta Gamma

That's actually one of the major differences between the Miss America pageant and the Miss USA pageant. For a long time (and maybe even now, I'm not sure), Miss America contestants weren't allowed to pad their swimsuits, have plastic surgery, etc. I'm sure they wouldn't have approved of hair extentions either. Miss USA, on the other hand, is a lot more laid back in terms of "modifications" to the body.

I've seen titleholders wear ponytails with their tiaras/crowns many times. Miss USA 2001, Kandace Krueger, wore a ponytail when she was crowned.

I personally like the "peacock feather" crown. By the way, that's a metal band rather than a plastic strap around it.

I'm partial to the Miss America millennium crown, though. Now THAT was classy.

Our Miss Louisiana in 2003 had hair extensions when she went to Miss America. Come to think of it, she also had breast augmentation...as far as padding swimsuits go, the swimsuits have become so brief nowadays (thank you, Speedo) that there's nothing much to pad.

But padding and duct tape are the way to go to get into that evening gown.

From a Miss America volunteer...

I remember hearing about a country where the Miss ____ fanaticism has gone to the point that young girls all over there pay to get all sorts of surgery done to up their chances...I want to say it's Venezuela but I'm not positive-it's a country where a lot of winners have come from though...

I can't imagine that kind of pressure being put on a person, not to mention the possible dangerous consequences.