Thursday, April 19, 2007

Department of WTF Were They Thinking?


BBC News reports that Miss Mexico is wearing a violent gown to the Miss Universe pageant taking place next month in Mexico City. Not violet, violent. I need to quote, because it is way too bizarre to paraphrase:

Miss Mexico, Rosa Maria Ojeda, wore the dress in public, showing off the billowing, hoop skirt adorned by scenes from the 1926-1929 Cristero War. Among the images were Roman Catholic rebels hanging from posts, and a man facing a firing squad. The outfit was completed by rosaries and scapularies hanging from a bullet-studded belt, topped off with a crucifix necklace and a wide-brimmed sombrero.

Designer Maria del Rayo Macias told La Jornada newspaper: "We are descendants of Cristeros. Whether we like it or not, it's a part of who we are."

Oye, speak for yourself María del Rayo (indeed), and please do abstain from using the royal we. Most Mexicans thank God every day for living in a secular country with separation of church and state. Viva Juarez!

Let me see if I can wrap my ever amazed mind around this one:

1. Miss Universe is taking place in Mexico City.
I didn't even think that Miss Universe was still taking place in this day and age, but what do I know.
I stopped following this contest around the age of nine, a century ago.

2. Miss Mexico has decided to show up with a gown that illustrates a part of Mexican history.
This should be actually required of all countries: just imagine the German gown!
The possibilities are endless: Miss Russia's outfit shows emaciated prisoners eating porridge in Siberia, Miss North Korea's gray gown shows a giant face of their sunglassed leader, etc. If this were to be the case, I'd start watching the event again.

3. The part of Mexican history that Miss Mexico and her intrepid designer are showing is the very bloody Cristero rebellion, a mini civil war between Catholic extremists and the secular government in the 1920's. Can't wait to see the bathing suit!

4. Some journalist moron from lefty paper La Jornada, compares this with miss USA wearing a gown depicting the lynchings by the KKK. All I can say is, huh? I need this comparison explained to me, pronto. If his point is to make clear that wearing a history lesson in your gown for a freaking beauty pageant is irrelevant, absurd and in terrible taste, okay. But if he is comparing the Cristeros to the Klan, I'm lost. Who are the blacks? Who is the KKK? WTF?

5. I'm not Catholic, but if I were, I wouldn't be too happy with the Virgin of Guadalupe showing up between someone's legs in a moronic beauty contest.

6. I just love the earnest bad taste of it all. Tres chic.







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