A raven-haired Miss Japan, Riyo Mori, was crowned Miss Universe 2007 on
Monday in a contest marked by protests, a banned dress and the
withdrawal of one beauty queen on the ground the pageant degrades women.

Mori, 20, the 56th winner of the title, was given her $250,000
diamond-and-pearl crown by last year's winner, Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto
Rico, watched by a live audience of 10,000 and some 600 million
television viewers worldwide.

A lifelong ballet dancer from a village near Mount Fuji, Mori wore a
striking black gown with colored lapels for the final. Winning surpassed
the ambition of her grandmother, who told her as a child she wanted her
to be Miss Japan one day.

"My mind went blank," she said of the winning moment.

During the evening gown parade, Miss USA, Rachel Smith, slipped on the
runway and landed on her bottom, although the slip didn't stop her
earning fifth place.

This year's contest was marked by controversy, with a handful of
Mexicans booing Smith in the run-up to the finals because of what they
saw as U.S. unfriendliness toward illegal immigrants.

Miss Sweden, Isabel Lestapier Winqvist, unexpectedly pulled out of the
event because of complaints in her country that it degrades women.
Sweden has won the Miss Universe crown three times in the past.

In another hitch, Miss Mexico was made to change her outfit for the
regional dress contest after her original dress, decorated with brutal
images of rebels in a 1920s religious uprising being hanged or shot,
drew accusations of poor taste.

DREADLOCKS

The annual Miss Universe pageant -- which tries to present itself as
something more meaningful than a swimwear parade -- was first held in
Long Beach, California, in 1952. The event was taken over in 1996 by
U.S. real estate mogul Donald Trump.

This year, it attracted protesters wearing white dresses splashed with
fake blood and sashes proclaiming "Miss Juarez," "Miss Atenco" and "Miss
Michoacan" in reference to places in Mexico made infamous by killings or
sexual abuse of women.

In another quirk for 2007, the long, twisted dreadlocks of Miss Jamaica,
the contest's first ever Rastafarian participant, and the close-shaved
head of Miss Tanzania stood out from the lacquered manes of the other
contestants.

Last year's Miss Universe event in Los Angeles also made its mark when
winner Rivera caused gasps by slumping to the ground in a faint during a
post-pageant news conference.

As well as strutting in ****tail dresses and bikinis, the 77 contestants
from nations ranging from Albania to Zambia traveled in Mexico in the
lead-up to the event, visiting Mayan ruins and learning about endangered
animals.

They also had to answer questions to put their personalities and public
speaking ability to the test.

This was the fourth time the pageant was held in Mexico, which in 1991
won the crown with beauty queen Lupita Jones.

Mori -- the second Japanese woman to win the Miss Universe title -- will
spend her year-long reign traveling the world to speak out on
humanitarian issues like poverty and disease.

miss Tanzania got my vote completely....who ever picked the contestants
was very attracted to a certain type of woman many of them look very
much alike and the stylist??????????


someone fire the stylist!!!!!!!!!!!! their hair and costumes were
WHORENDOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh oh oh!!!


and all had the same hair dye job ....and ugh...a meat market.... wanna
really have some fun? listen to their videos!!! a few were great....but

if this is what we have become...if this is the standard we set for
beauty on a universal level????


i'm bailin!!!

I didn't get to watch it but was intrigued by the article. Are you
implying universal conformity instead of universal appeal? I would say
that the one who withdrew had second thoughts at the last minute. I was
wondering when I read it if Mori didn't win it on honorable terms since
I know honor in Japan is very important. But like I said I didn't get to
see it. Fascinating to me is some of the stuff mentioned in the article
is so of the stuff that has been discussed in the forums.

i didn't see it either , but because of your post i checked her
out...and


so.... it was actually embarrassing but certainly a huge effort, huge
creative gaps and as a production, in my opinion ,scary and really the
stylists were awful.

i always wonder how much money...ok people have their jobs and on and
on...but to invent these pagents and the whole competitive curcuit of
this lifestyle.... and all that goes into it...and on all levels...is it
really SO IMPORTANT? couldn't something better be done with all this
talent and drive and ambition and energy??

somethings just baffle me

I have mixed emotions about the beauty pageants. First, is there is the
typical male attitude that I have of seeing the females scantily
dressed. I would be a liar if I didn't address that first. Second, there
is having gone to the little ones with my daughter and listening to the
mothers whose daughters have lost mentioned that they must be rigged.
Third, there is my niece that has won so many trophies at them. Fourth,
there is message that is being sent to the female population of if you
win that makes you more desirable. In your words a meat market. I guess
if you are winner that somehow gives you some kind of godlike power. I
can't help but think what an ego trip. I guess if you got it then flaunt
it but business endorses this like the drivers of race cars. Lots of
money goes into promoting these events. But in the final analyses I
can't help but wishing the best for Mori. Maybe she will address things
that should be address like what the protesters addressed during the
event. I can't help but think they were all winners.