I find it amusing that with the Miss Universe pageant still a good ten weeks away, certain websites, blogs and forums (fora?) are hard at work compiling "favourite" lists. And that with at least another 20 contestants yet to be crowned.
Since most of the lists are compiled based on the outcome of online polls, it stands to reason that the usual suspects, the Philippines and Puerto Rico, will feature very high up on any list. In addition, there are the mandatory "I'm tired of the Latinas", "it's the year for Europe", "bi-racial girls rock", "Africa is overlooked again", "what about Asia" etc comments that follow the release of the aforementioned lists.
Whilst I personally appreciate and strive for diversity, I don't think we should be diverse just for the sake of diversity. Isn't it about crowning the most universally beautiful woman at the pageant? If the Top 15 contestants happen to come from the same continent or region, why should anyone take offense and cry foul?
There is a reason why the girls from Latin America and the Caribbean are the leaders in the pageant world: With a few exceptions, most of these contestants are the product of centuries of ethnic "mixing". The "Latina" look embraces the best features of all the races and ethnicity's that go into the genetic make-up of this group.
I have never visited the region, but from what I have seen on television, and read in magazines, the people from South and Central America have spirit, passion and joie de vivre unequalled in any other part of the world. Their smiles light up any room, and they are not as sombre and serious as their counterparts from Europe, Asia and Africa.
Although the general perception is that Latin American girls unfairly dominate the Top 15 positions at the pageant, a closer look at the lower ranked contestants will reveal that they would outscore their intercontinental counterparts in a Top 20, Top 30, Top 40 or Top 50 for that matter. As I have said before, whilst I appreciate diversity, I am still a stickler for the "Latina" look.
Oh! In case you were wondering why I have the "traditional" Miss Universe crown at the head of this post, it's because I am also a stickler for tradition.