Miss Teen USA victim of sextortion case

(CNN) -- A college student was arrested Thursday for allegedly hijacking the webcams of young women -- among them reigning Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf -- taking nude images, then blackmailing his victims to send him more explicit material or else be exposed.

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Miss Tourism Queen International 2013 Kicks Off in China

After one year hiatus, Miss Tourism Queen International is back! 37 beauties from all corners of the world have gathered in Xianning, China for the Miss Tourism Queen International 2013 beauty pageant. The finale will be held on October 5th, 2013. The reigning Miss Tourism Queen International Kantapat Peeradachainarin from Thailand will crown her successor at the end of the event.

About the pageant:

Miss Tourism Queen International was founded by Mr. Charlie See. Since 1949, there have been more than 80 countries occasionally holding this competition for their Miss Tourism National Queen. In 1993, the Miss Tourism Queen International Organization held the first world final competition in Sri Lanka, and later in USA, Russia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and many other countries as well. Miss Tourism Queen International contests has been held in China for six years from 2004 to 2009.

In 2004, we had 55 delegates participating with India’s Zabina Khan winning the crown. In 2005, there were 72 delegates with Greece’s Nikoletta Ralli’s winning the crown. In the 2006, we had 86 delegates participating and the contest was won by Justine Giabonza from the Philippines. In 2007, we passed the 100 countries mark, a 108 countries participated and Olga Zarubina and from Russia won the crown. In 2008, we had a recording breaking year with a 113 delegates participating and Silvia Cornejo of Peru won the contest. With each country’s tourism ambassadors gathering together, the Miss Tourism Queen International Contest aims at enhancing the tourism development, the friendship among different countries, and international culture exchange.

Could child beauty pageants be banned in the USA?

Michelle Healy, USA TODAY

The world of beauty queens and pageants was in the hot seat last week, and not just because of the racist online comments hurled at Nina Davuluri after she became the first woman of Indian descent to be named Miss America.

In France, legislators moved to ban child beauty pageants on the grounds that they promote the "hyper-sexualization" of minors. A measure even proposes jail time and a fine for violators — including parents and organizers — who sponsor or encourage "access to these competitions" for anyone under age 16, the Associated Press reported. The French Senate approved the bill on Tuesday, but it must be passed by a lower house of parliament before becoming law.

According to The Guardian, the attention to the "Mini-Miss" beauty pageants was prompted by debates over a 2010 photo spread inFrench Vogue featuring a 10-year-old girl in heavy makeup, high-heeled shoes and tight clothes and pouting provocatively. Such a ban wouldn't fly in the USA, says sociologist Hilary Levey Friedman, a research associate at the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and author of the new book Playing to Win: Raising Children in a Competitive Culture.

"Historically and legally, our system defers to parents to make the right decision for their child," she says. "We see the family as more of a private entity." Karen Kataline, a mental health professional near Denver who participated in child beauty pageants in the 1960s, says she understands the motivation to ban the competitions, but doesn't think that's the answer. The problem "is not just the pageants, it's the parents" who support and encourage the sexualization of their children, Kataline says.

"I'm not against children singing and dancing on stage, but you want them to sing and dance and perform in age-appropriate ways," she says. "Today, we've pushed the envelope to ridiculous degrees."

"People need to be educated as to why exposing and displaying a child in sexual ways beyond their years is wrong," says Kataline, author of the memoir FATLASH! Food Police & the Fear of Thin – A Cautionary Tale. The proposed penalties of up to two years in prison and $40,000 in fines "seem a bit extreme" but the concerns are certainly legitimate, says Martina Cartwright, an adjunct faculty member at the University of Arizona. Her research on child pageants was published last year in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

A task force of the American Psychological Association noted that "girls who are sexualized early will tend to gather their self-worth as an adult based on their appearance," says Cartwright. And there's also the issue of certain adults who "make the assumption that the girls have the ability to make adult decisions just based on the way they look rather than their actual age."

She doubts, however, that a ban will adequately address the issue of girls and women "being judged solely on appearance, and the idea that self-worth is only based on how they look."

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Content Pages designed for the Miss North West Florida 2014 official Program Book | MISS NW FL Pageant

Content pages designed for the Miss North West Florida 2014 official Program Book • We offer graphic design solutions for all your pageantry needs! ALL STATES, ALL AGES, ALL PAGEANT SYSTEMS WELCOME!

Lexi Hill Crowned Miss Wyoming USA 2014

Source: http://beautypageantnews.com

Lexi Hill was crowned Miss Wyoming USA 2014 by the out-going queen Miss Wyoming USA 2013 Courtney Gifford at the conclusion of the pageant held on September 22, 2013 at the Natrona County High School Auditorium in Casper. She will represent the state of Wyoming in the Miss USA 2014 pageant, scheduled for next summer at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Doral, Florida.

Her court includes:

- The first runner-up Danielle Soulier Kelley- The second runner-up Jessie Allen- The third runner-up Emily Stevens- The fourth runner-up Lexi Revelli

Lexi Hill was the first runner-up of Miss Wyoming Teen USA 2013 whileLexi Revelli was the second runner-up of Miss Wyoming Teen USA 2013. The first and second runners-up remain the same as last year –Danielle Soulier Kelley and Jessie Allen. Last year’s third runner-up Natasha Dirck only made it to the semi-final.

At the same event, Karlie Sanders was crowned Miss Wyoming Teen USA 2014 and will compete in the Miss Teen USA 2014 pageant. Her court includes the first runner-up Kaylynn Keller, the second runner-up Samantha Taylor, the third runner-up Jacelyn Phipps and the fourth runner-up Korinn Gubbles.