here she is...

'miss america is more than just a beauty pageant,' they say. 'it's about talent, and scholarship, which is why we attract the kind of women who wouldn't enter the Miss USA pageant.' (and yes, miss usa is separate from miss america)

talent and scholarship.

which is why the talent competition now counts for twenty percent of contestants' final scores, instead of the forty it was last year. and why evening wear, swimwear and casual wear competitions are now all separate categories on the scorecards, accounting for twenty percent apiece, as opposed to two categories accounting for forty percent total.

talent and scholarship. no, really. it's not about rewarding the 'prettiest.'

fucking hell. no wonder the viewing numbers for the miss america telecast are declining rapidly--at least the miss usa pageant doesn't pretend that it is something other than what it is: essentially, a showcase for meat on the hoof. we may all be slaves to the cult of beauty, but we're not stupid, and we don't like being lied to.