Pageant News Bureau

P a g e a n t N e w s B u r e a u

Bend it, shape it, show it!

By Paul Fong / PNB
A beauty does the "queen lean" at the Miss Florida USA Pageant. Just a hint of support.

Sometimes beauty queens are vertical. Sometimes they're horizontal. And sometimes they're something in between.

But isn't that true of everybody? Yes and no.

Courtesy of Michael Nadasi.
Muriel Cruz Claros, Miss Bolivia Earth 2004, assumes the classic bikini stance.

By Joe Whiteko / PNB
Newcomer Kimberly Gittings does the "at ease" posture.

The fact is, beauty queens -- real beauty queens -- are different from the crowd. And a big part of the difference is in the way they hold themselves, the way they carry themselves. They have a grace, a sensuality, a coiled energy that makes them unforgettable.

By Joe Whiteko / PNB
Wansi Sheng, a competitor in Miss Atlanta Chinatown, goes where few beauties dare.

Courtesy of Cesar Montece Ochoa
Valentina Cervera, the World Queen of the Sea for 2004, does a horizontal cheesecake shot.

Courtesy of Sarah Boothe,
Mrs. Maltese Islands United Nation, Brenda El-Kazmi, practices complete relaxation in Hollywood.

Pageant people used to call it "poise," a mysterious quality that included just enough confidence, just enough modesty, just enough dignity, just enough playfulness. Nowadays, people call it star quality.

A beauty queen can stand in heels, holding a trophy in each hand, and remain as balanced as a statue. She can put her weight on one elbow and look elegant. She can bend low like bamboo in the wind, or lie on her back and look like an angel in repose.

This is how they stood in 2004. This is how they lay. This is how they stooped to conquer. And 2005 is young.

Courtesy of Jorge Comejo
Luisa Fernanda Monteverde Manrique of Peru takes a firm stance.

P a g e a n t N e w s B u r e a u