Miss Kansas shows tattoos at Miss America pageant

[TexasTowelie]

In this Tuesday Sept. 10, 2013 photo, Theresa Vail, Miss Kansas, takes part in the swimsuit competition during the first night of the Miss America Pageant at Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, N.J. Vail isn't looking to shock the nation at the 2014 pageant, but she is trying to empower women to overcome stereotypes and break barriers, she wrote on her blog. Vail, who is competing as Miss Kansas in the 93rd edition of the pageant, announced in the blog post that she will have her two tattoos visibly exposed during the competition. She is believed to be the first contestant in the history of the pageant to do so.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Miss Kansas Theresa Vail says she wants to break the stereotype that women with visible tattoos don't compete in pageants.

So during the swimsuit portion of the Miss America competition on Tuesday, Vail revealed two tattoos — the Serenity Prayer on her right side and the insignia of the U.S. Army Dental Corps on her left shoulder.

Vail is a 22-year-old senior at Kansas State University. She's also a member of the Army National Guard who wants to become a military dentist.

Her platform is helping women overcome stereotypes and break barriers.

More at http://www.chron.com/entertainment/television/article/Miss-Kansas-shows-tattoos-at-Miss-America-pageant-4806333.php?cmpid=hpts .

[Ron Green]

1. Umm, it's a Scholarship pageant.

[An_enlightened_soul]

58. Indeed

And there is nothing wrong with women choosing to display their bodies. Women are beautiful.

[FreeJoe]

68. Um....yeah...so are men.

[Deep13]

76. True. Just doesn't seem relevant to a scholarship. nt

[Ron Green]

79. That was my point. It's tits and ass, and really not much more.

Otherwise, why in the world those shoes?

[MADem]

2. I don't understand what bathing suits have to do with scholarships...

I have seen all sorts of bathing costumes (and lack of same) but I've never seen anyone wear those frankenstein shoes that young lady has on at the beach...or the pool!

[busterbrown]

3. MADem unfortunately its gonna take a long time until the male species on this planet is able to

answer your first question...Bathing suits on woman with sexy attractive bodies will impact every area of our lives where men are in control....We basically can not control ourselves and with all this new social media inundating every aspect of our lives.. It is gonna take many many years perhaps hundreds until we get ourselves right...I will say that when one step backs and looks at this issue. It becomes truly embarrassing to be a part of the male species.. But I just can’t change the way I feel when I react to a nice pair of legs in a bathing suit..

[jmowreader]

4. It's supposedly so the judges can check the contestants' level of physical fitness

As you can see, the young lady in that picture has a high level of physical fitness.

Checking the level of physical fitness of the contestants is pretty standard at high-level pageants, but they do it in different ways - the Distinguished Young Woman pageant has the contestants perform an aerobics routine, for instance. Miss America probably still uses the swimsuit thing because people tune in specifically to watch that and ratings mean $$$$ - it's all about the benjamins, ya know?

[MADem]

5. Why not have them run two miles, do fifty sit ups, and a few dozen push ups?

Anyone who watches Dancing With The Stars knows that "muscle tone" can be painted on ANYONE with an airbrush!!

[jmowreader]

21. I didn't decide the rules

The fitness thing is what they claim. I still say it's for ratings...how the hell else you gonna get men to watch this shit?

I've a question for you: why is it exploitation when women voluntarily parade on television in skimpy swimwear, and not exploitaation when they voluntarily parade on City Beach in even skimpier swimwear?

[MADem]

38. I think that you are correct about the ratings angle.

I don't think the women "voluntarily" do it--I think they are socialized to believe that the behavior is appropriate and that engaging in that kind of thing is uplifting and not degrading or devaluing. I think they believe they don't have as many choices and they "use what they've got" in order to get ahead.

This isn't just a thing with women, young men do it, too, but it's more institutionalized with women.

I find it kind of meat-market-ish and embarrassing. Not just for the participants, but for the viewers.

I don't think there's much of a market for grape smuggler pageants, but I think, in the "All's Fair" game, they should try putting them on concurrently with one another--something a bit more professionally produced than this: http://hollywoodlife.com/2013/06/17/bachelorette-mr-america-pageant-desiree-hartsock/

I think it might mix up the viewership if they pick both the Mister and the Miss at the same time, and point out some of the incongruities associated with those "Lowest Common Denominator" shows.

[jmowreader]

40. Oh, I have to tell you this one...

The high school boys in one of the towns I print papers for did a parody of the "Distinguished Young Woman" (used to be called "America's Junior Miss&quot pageant as a DYW fundraiser. They had all the same events - talent, fitness, interview, the whole schmear. The kid who won the title - I wish I could remember what they called this thing - had as his talent "making a sandwich and eating it." The sick part is, they sold ten times the tickets to the making-a-sandwich pageant as they did the real one, and even the DYW girls went.

[nomorenomore08]

46. That's not sick, that's fucking awesome!

[MADem]

61. Hilarious! People get it, that's grand! nt

[snooper2]

53. You can't airbrush this

[MADem]

60. Is that Aaaaaah-nuld in the Numbah One spot?

I really think, if we're to be fair, let's do the same thing for young men of the same age, in the same pageant, and pick a Mister and a Miss at the end of the night.

The gents could play the piano, sing, or juggle, talk about world peace and the environment in response to a "Let's see if you can think on your feet" question, and they can parade up and down the runway in a tiny little Jantzen or Speedo Grape Smuggler to display their form to good advantage.

No weight lifting or body-building poses (after all, they have those contests for women, too) --just a "Vaseline on the Teeth" smile and a strut. Goose.....gander!

And a scholarship, a sash and a crown, and a public appearance schedule at the end of it all!

[kestrel91316]

51. Those shoes make me cringe and think of footbinding.

[MADem]

62. I thought they had more of a Frankenstein vibe....

Amazing how fashions change. I can't keep up with what people think is "cool" anymore. Those things look like Frankenstein feet to me!

Someone even did a "Pinterest" on the topic...does anyone really think this shit looks good?


http://www.pinterest.com/drtxdr/weird-ugly-shoes-frankenstein-heels/

[kestrel91316]

64. My feet scream just when I look at them. I know a young woman who

took a spill from shoes like that and broke her ankle and every other leg/foot bone within half a mile.

Multiple surgeries, and she will NEVER be the same.

[MADem]

67. All that for wearing a shoe that makes one's foot look deformed! nt

[Owl]

75. Those shoes look ridiculous.

[Gravitycollapse]

6. Want to help break female stereotypes? Stop participating in these stupid fucking pageants.

[Skittles]

9. THANK YOU

[jberryhill]

11. ..and do as you are told!

[nomorenomore08]

47. Pageants *are* pretty stupid though. I don't think anyone can deny that.

[MADem]

77. I don't know if people will really see it until they have concurrent ones for men....

Exact same rules, exact same requirements.

Tux modeling instead of evening gown, foolish little talent contests, answering a "peace, love and kittens" question, and "swimsuit" portion of the competition--and maybe a big musical number at the end....

I say run them on the same night, and switch back and forth -- men's talent, women's talent; men's swimsuit, women's swimsuit, etc. I think even the pageant boosting diehards will have to acknowledge the indignity, if nothing else. That old shoe always hurts more on the other foot!

[nomorenomore08]

81. Maybe once they have to see enough dudes prancing around in Speedos, they'll get the message...

[MADem]

82. Sometimes, people cannot relate to oppressive or humiliating circumstances until they are presented

with a situation where they can place themselves in the shoes of the person being humiliated, exactly!

I think there would be some discomfort at seeing Speedo clad fellers eagerly falling over themselves to please the audience and judges--it might make some folks wake up.

[nomorenomore08]

83. If nothing else, it would demonstrate the sheer silliness of the whole thing. n/t

[treestar]

70. +1

The irony of her saying that!

[Monster_Mash]

7. Good for her...

[B Calm]

8. She looks like a thug.

[snooper2]

55. ROFL

Thanks for my first Saturday morning LOL

[pinboy3niner]

10. GO ARMY!

Just kidding. She's a sweetheart with or without ink, and she deserves her chance at the title.

[Logical]

15. Not a tattoo fan myself. nt

[phylny]

48. I'm not, either.

I don't find them attractive on everyone, and think the older you get, the sillier you look. I especially cringe when I see a woman in an evening gown or bridal gown with tattoos. The two just don't complement each other, to my eye. But, to each his or her own.

[Kolesar]

12. the insignia of the U.S. Army Dental Corps on her left shoulder--thats sexy!

I must be too old to appreciate this.

[PCIntern]

13. When I was a clinical professor at the University of Pennsylvania

we had a student who was a Cosmo cover lady (How PC of me). In no way shape or form did she resemble the photograph which was on every newsstand in America. The makeup, retouching and camera angle changed every aspect of her face and her bosom. It was fascinating...

We also had two professional football players simultaneously and had a special curriculum for them due to the timing of football season. They both had GREAT stories...all of which are unpostable here at DU. The Penthouse/Hustler websites would be more appropriate, however.

[woolldog]

43. Lets hear those great stories.

[PCIntern]

49. One involved Bubba Smith, a lady, and a rotating wicker basket suspended from the ceiling...

That was among the tamer ones...

[baldguy]

14. Are all the words in the prayer spelled correctly?

[PADemD]

16. Will the words even be readable in 50 years?

[TheCowsCameHome]

17. Yep. Just below her hemline.

[PADemD]

19. I once took a bus trip to Atlantic City with tatooed seniors.

What looks good at 20 doesn't look so good at 70.

[TheCowsCameHome]

20. There is going to be a lot of buyers remorse with the current generation.

Mabye not tomorrow, but surely in the coming years.

[duffyduff]

26. I have always hated them.

They don't look good, they are tacky, and they make the wearer look like he or she hasn't bathed in years.

It's true they don't age well.

[TheCowsCameHome]

36. Someone will develop a tattoo that replicates natural colored skin.

That person will become an instant billionaire.

This tattoo fad is going to make a lot of people wish they stayed home and read a book instead.

[IdaBriggs]

18. Who cares? She can't read it herself.

It is on a place in her body where she would have to use a mirror to see it.

It is apparently for the benefit of *other* people (who won't see it because she usually wears clothes, and who would be considered rude for staring).

Some tattoos make no logical sense.

And emotions, as we all know, NEVER change.

[malaise]

73. Not sure but I'm sure glad

I have the serenity to accept that my mid-section will never be that flat again in life

[Warren DeMontague]

22. Jesus, I'm not an expert on tattoos, but that spot's gotta hurt.

[LuvNewcastle]

23. I generally don't like tattoos with writing.

It's okay if it's just one or a few letters, preferably in a calligraphic style, but standard cursive doesn't lend itself well to tattoos. That whole prayer on her side is just a tacky, jailhouse blur. She might as well have a spider web on her elbow or a tear beneath the corner of her eye; that would look just about as classy. I don't see how she won a state pageant with that big scrawl on her.

[TeamPooka]

63. Kansas. You just have to be meth free to win there.

[LuvNewcastle]

80. LOL!

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

24. Military dentst

Drill, baby, drill

[duffyduff]

25. Disgusting

I hate tattoos on both men and women.

[Logical]

27. I agree

[earthside]

31. The sociology of the current tattoo fad.

I've thought about this and I think it has a lot to do with a sense of alienation from the mainstream culture, a sense of being just a cog in the great machine of the corporate economy.

So, tattoos have been a sort of way for some folks to say "I'm an individual" ... a permanent mark of some particular belief.

To tell the world that you are a Christian it isn't enough to convey this through actions or behavior, it can be permanently displayed on a person's arm of neck ... a cross, a prayer, a bible verse. Or, to show my commitment to being a football fan, have little footballs marked indelibly on upper arms.

The problem, of course, is that it is permanent and very superficial (indeed, isn't a tattoo almost definitional of 'superficial'?). The tattooed Christian at 25 years old maybe a Muslim at 40 years old. Young people especially have always had a tough time understanding how much they can change as the years go by.

I personally think this tattoo phenomena is a rather sad manifestation of the state of our culture -- thankfully, it does look like it is finally slackening.

[duffyduff]

32. What kills me is I know of people who are in my age bracket (late fifties)

who are now getting tattoos. I just don't understand the appeal at all.

[earthside]

33. Our 60s influence.

I too am in my late 50s and I grew up in a time when 'natural' was what young folks aspired to convey and extol.

So, I have always found this tattoo fad to be against my tastes. But it just goes to show that even older people, especially in these days of heavy advertising, commercialism and materialism have a tough time resisting participating in what is 'popular'. Of course, all the tattoo 'reality' shows on cable demonstrates just how corporate this fad is at its heart.

I know a guy just a year young than me that had Joe Montana's face tattooed on his chest to show how fanatical a 49ers fan he is.

It all reminds me of being in fourth grade, being bored during arithmetic, and writing 'The Beatles' on the back of your hand with a magic marker ... then everyone knew you liked The Beatles (till you got home and your mom made you scrub it off).

I know it is my prejudice, but I think 90 percent of this tattoo craze is rather juvenile ... how more adult it it to get a tattoo of "I love my wife" than is scribbling "I -heart- Sally" on my arm in seventh grade with a ballpoint pen?

[duffyduff]

41. I think you may be right. n/t

[KharmaTrain]

50. Tattoos In The 60s...

...were mostly on World War II vets (especially USN). It was something Popeye wore and, I agree, ran against the "natural" looks of my peers. I find tats more amusing than offensive...I'd never get one but if this is how someone feels they're making a "statement", then so be it...your body and life. As far as Miss Kansas...more power to her...I've always found the concept of prancing around in a bathing suit to be banal and if that's the make or break in this contest, it's not much of one. Overall the Miss America concept is a vestige of the past that I predict will fade away in the not to distant future...

[MattBaggins]

69. Ignore the nay sayers about the saggy nonsense

When you are 80 or 90 your body is going to sag and no one will give a crap about those old faded tats anyway.

Actually the nose in the air crowd will probably hem and haw and stare in disbelief when you tell them that you don't regret the decision.

[Link Speed]

35. I love those rugged individualists

Like the ones with tattoos on their calves.

I come from an era when tats were the domain of ex-cons, veterans and bikers.

[Coyotl]

28. Is she trying to break the 8" pump barrier?

I wouldn't want to walk in her shoes

[RedCappedBandit]

29. Those paragraph tattoos crack me up.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

30. i have never seen a tattoo that added anything to anyone

they don't necessarily detract, but they never add in my eyes. and as predicted, the discussion is more about her tattoos than about HER.

also, she should have been DQ'ed just for the hideous shoes. i would think swimsuit competition (to judge fitness, ya know) would be carried out in bare feet.

sP

[Monster_Mash]

45. Same reason most women wear them...

Perception that it raises the heel and improves the look of the calves and butt...

[gopiscrap]

34. That'll pop some conservative heads!

[TheCowsCameHome]

37. Braille wasn't an option?

Damn..........

[LisaL]

39. I am not sure why it's being sold as some sort of positive thing.

I don't find it attractive at the least.

[SwampG8r]

42. wow she is solid

I don't get the whole pageant thing but
that is a well piled pile of farmgirl!

[Monster_Mash]

44. Short of an actual bad tattoo...

... as in poorly drawn, then who cares?

She's hot.. Tattoo is of decent quality and she can still show what she's got (which is the point of the pageant)

More power to her....

[MintyWriter]

52. Mmmm

Not bad.

[HappyMe]

56. Pageants are plain stupid.

Those shoes are a crime against fashion. Right color, but they are too clunky looking for a bathing suit.

At least her tattoos mean something to her. Good for her.

[Silent3]

57. If a pageant is, at least in part if not completely, about aesthetics...

...then all that should matter with regards to the tattoo is whether the judges find it aesthetically pleasing or not.

I personally don't find that tattoo aesthetically pleasing, nor do I feel any obligation to try to re-align my sense of aesthetics or pretend I like the tattoo because I'd be "empowering" someone by doing so.

And that's all apart from the fact that a pageant isn't a great platform from which to launch a battle against stereotypes.

[LittleBlue]

59. She's got two really nice

tattoos

[liberal_at_heart]

65. "Her platform is helping women overcome stereotypes and break barriers." You mean as long as

you're a beautiful blonde Christian member of the military? If those tattoos had been of anything else they would not have voted her Miss Kansas.

[Iggo]

66. Ay-yup.

[liberal_at_heart]

71. You know what really creeps me out? the fact that so many Christians are sexual purists and yet many

aspire to marry women who look just like this and many of the wives dress sexy. They don't want other people to dress slutty but if their wife dresses sexy it is some unconscious validation of their manhood that they could land such a sexy woman. They get to flaunt their prize to the rest of the world.

[Ilsa]

72. Can't she remember the prayer without

Having it printed on her?

[llmart]

74. My first thought upon reading this was......

the "Serenity Prayer" - why? Is she a recovered alcoholic?