Online Portfolio + Latest News!
Thursday, February 19, 2015
MISS OHIO UNITED STATES Program Book Ad Design Portfolio
We are proud to be in charge of designing the MISS OHIO UNITED STATES PAGEANT 2015 official Program Book! Check out some of the ad pages we have created so far! #PageantDesign Graphic design solutions for all your pageantry needs! Pageant Ads • Pageant Program Books • Websites • Flyers & Promo Items + more! | For samples, check out: http://www.pageantdesignsolutions.com/ and like us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pageantdesign | ALL STATES, ALL AGES, ALL PAGEANTS SYSTEMS WELCOME! #PageantAds
MISS INDIANA UNITED STATES Program Book Ad Design Portfolio
We are proud to be in charge of designing the MISS INDIANA UNITED STATES PAGEANT 2015 official Program Book! Check out some of the ad pages we have created so far! #PageantDesign Graphic design solutions for all your pageantry needs! Pageant Ads • Pageant Program Books • Websites • Flyers & Promo Items + more! | For samples, check out: http://www.pageantdesignsolutions.com/ and like us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pageantdesign | ALL STATES, ALL AGES, ALL PAGEANTS SYSTEMS WELCOME! #PageantAds
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
MISS BBQ Festival Pageant Program Book Ad Design Portfolio
We are proud to be in charge of designing the MISS BBQ FESTIVAL PAGEANT 2015 official Program Book! Check out some of the ad pages we have created so far! #PageantDesign Graphic design solutions for all your pageantry needs! Pageant Ads • Pageant Program Books • Websites • Flyers & Promo Items + more! | For samples, check out: http://www.pageantdesignsolutions.com/ and like us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pageantdesign | ALL STATES, ALL AGES, ALL PAGEANTS SYSTEMS WELCOME! #PageantAds
Thursday, January 29, 2015
#AWESOMEpageantADS
Head over to our website and read all about what we do to make YOUR Program Book Ad Page look AWESOME! Check out some "before & after" comparisons, find out what makes an ad page look its best and what NOT to do from our "Pageant Ad No No's" tips section, and view lots of examples from numerous Pageant systems from all over the world!
Visit:http://www.pageantdesignsolutions.com/#!pageant-ads/c173r
#PageantDesign Graphic design solutions for all your pageantry needs! Pageant Ads • Pageant Program Books • Websites • Flyers & Promo Items + more! | For samples, check out:http://www.pageantdesignsolutions.com/ and like us on facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pageantdesign
ALL STATES, ALL AGES, ALL PAGEANTS SYSTEMS WELCOME!
#PageantAds#PageantProgramBooks #AWESOMEpageantADS
Monday, January 26, 2015
Miss Universe Top 10 Moments
The universe has declared its new queen: On Sunday night, hosts Thomas Roberts and Natalie Morales crowned Paulina Vega of Colombia as the newest Miss Universe winner. Her powers include smiling for over three hours, not glaring at Rob Dyrdek when he asks her a terrible question, and turning dresses completely sheer when they’re hit with spotlight (but that translucent silver gown was a beauty!). Miss Colombia beat out 87 other professional dancers, students, and fourth-degree Tae Kwan Do black-belts to rightfully claim her crown and keys to a Trump Tower apartment in the 63rd Annual Miss Universe Pageant. And after a year of philanthropic work and glamorous trips, she’ll come right back here to casually promote Sherri Hill dresses and Chi hair care products before commercial breaks.
The Miss Universe Pageant makes no qualms about it: This is a chance to watch 88 of the most beautiful women in the world strut their stuff, and strut beautifully they did in what was a pretty seamless show, give or take an awkward transition. Choosing 10 Top Moments from the night’s broadcast on NBC was tough, but I tried to evaluate each moment on its smile, personality, and matching fuchsia sateen bikini, and these came out on top:
1. The Weight of Your Country on Your Shoulders
I firmly believe that if the Miss Universe contestants could light their National Costumes on fire for their introductions like Katniss and Peeta in The Hunger Games, they would. These outfits get crazier and crazier every year, often defying physics (150 pounds of clothing on 120 pounds of body), and sometimes, logic (I didn’t know that country was known for its genie lamps!). Tonight the costumes could mostly be summed up in three categories: 1. Armed—Bolivia and her sword, Myanmar and her bow and arrow; 2. With Props—I think we all remember Canada and her electric scoreboard and hockey stick cape; and 3. Tortuously Heavy—Indonesia truly earned her fan-voted “Best National Costume” Award for the outstanding 20 kilo Buddhist Temple representation she sported on her shoulders.
As the 88 contestants were narrowed down to 15, a video package played for each selected finalist that allowed us to marvel at her beauty and accomplishments while we (me) ate Nutella on our couches at home. All 15 were given a catchy subtitle that either previewed what was to come in the video or made absolutely no sense at all. Some contestants, like Miss Netherlands, “The Urban Explorer,” or Miss USA, “Tae Kwan Do Kid,” are probably updating their Twitter bios to include their cool new monikers right now. Others are probably wondering how their whole life boiled down to “Beach Family.” But as that title belonged to the future crown winner, Miss Colombia, she’s probably updating her Twitter with something else right now, anyway.
3. Swimsuits with, like, Jeannie Mai
Special correspondent Jeannie Mai has a tough gig, there’s no doubt about it. Grabbing—seriously, grabbing—women as they come off stage and getting them to answer questions when they want to be getting ready for the next competition is prime for some awkward moments. But Mai’s silliest showing was certainly when she decided to ditch the script and announce the Swimsuit Competition as though all of the contestant facts had been presented to her in casual conversation. Of Miss France’s Business Management studies, Mai summarized: “She was like, Jeannie, eventually I’d like to promote and export French lace—well, she didn’t say it like that, she said it in French, but I understood her.”
4. Welcome to Doral, Where All of Your Dreams Come True, and Maybe You AreDreaming Because Is Any of This Actually Real at All?
Truly the most bizarre part of the show had to be all the promotion of the city where the pageant was being held, Doral, Florida. Now if we had just been focusing on Doral’s parent county, Miami, that might have been a little more standard—Culture! Beaches! Golf! But Doral is a new city; in fact, it’s a city that’s still being built, so its video package featured computer-generated landscapes, luxury eight-story buildings that aren’t real yet, and a lot of Donald Trump and men in suits standing in undeveloped fields telling us what a great city it is. I’m sure Doral will be a lovely city, but right now it kind of looks like it’s in The Sims.
5. Dynamic Performances (Someone Give Gavin DeGraw a Call, Already)
Hopeful crossover Latin superstar Prince Royce and newly-sexy Nick Jonas were mostly background music to the 88 women swarming around them while they performed, but Gavin DeGraw certainly made his presence known during the Top Five contestants’s final walk around stage, escorting them down the stairs, shimmying in their general direction, and signaling for Miss Jamaica to give him a call sometime.
6. Miss Universe: Sponsored by Awkward Transitions
With language barriers and cue cards and Jeannie Mai snatching bikinis backstage, there are plenty of opportunities for awkward moments, but I was not prepared for poor Miss Universe 2013, the lovely Gabriela Isler, having to pimp every single Miss Universe sponsor so aggressively. Any woman who can say, “When I went to New York City, it was so cold… luckily, I got these Chinese Laundry boots,” deserves every dollar, apartment, and pair of Chinese Laundry boots she got with this gig.
Okay, one more: “It’s been a busy year, but now it’s time for Gabby. It’s time to go back home… and thanks to SBA airlines, I can go back to Venezuela and move forward with my life.” Move on to your sponsorless freedom, Gabby! Run like the wind!
7. Questions Lost in Translation (But Still, the Answer is World Peace)
The judges’ questions weren’t all terrible, but they almost uniformly sounded as if they were being voiced through a microphone made out of a potato. Just about every Top Five contestant had to call for a repeat, causing Miss USA to answer Manny Pacquiao’s question about what message she would deliver to terrorists if given 30 seconds with this classic ditty: “I know as Miss USA I can always spread a message of love and hope and peace and I would do my very best to spread that message to them and everyone else in the world.” World peace, indeed.
8. Facebook User, Maria Nevarro Fernandez, is a Star
Luckily, the contestants were given one more chance to show their mental prowess and cultural pride during the new Fan Question, and Facebook user Maria Nevarro Fernandez saved the day with this broad but insightful question: “What is the greatest contribution of your country to the entire world?” Miss Ukraine spoke of the difficult situation facing her country, Miss Netherlands focused on her home city of Amsterdam’s tolerance, and Miss Colombia, in what might have cinched her the title, glowed with pride when talking about the perseverance of her country’s people.
9. A Bit of a Tearjerker
Whether it was the former Miss Universe winners talking about how much the crown had shaped their lives and allowed them to become journalists and philanthropists (and start fragrance lines); or Miss Philippines talking about the uncle who took her in as a child that just passed away from cancer; or all of the women speaking so passionately about the philanthropic endeavors they support, these three hours packed an occasional emotional punch.
10. Finally, A New Ruler Is Crowned
4th runner-up: Miss Jamaica and her edgy short haircut
3rd runner-up: Miss Netherlands and her stunning yellow dress
2nd runner-up: Miss Ukraine and her gown’s Angelina Jolie thigh-high slit
1st runner-up: Miss USA and her sparkling smile
WINNER: A shocked and emotional Miss Colombia… congratulations, Paulina!
Miss Colombia crowned Miss Universe in Miami
By KELLI KENNEDY (AP)
MIAMI (AP) — Miss Colombia Paulina Vega, a relative pageant newcomer, has been crowned Miss Universe, beating out first runner-up Miss USA Nia Sanchez and contestants from more than 80 other countries at Sunday's pageant in Miami. Although she was far from home, Vega said she still felt the support from local Latinos.Vega, a 22-year-old student of business administration from Barranquilla, Colombia, said she would wear the crown with "pride and excitement" as she heard the news that fans in Colombia had taken to the streets to celebrate. "It felt like home. I felt like I was in Colombia with my people. I felt that support in every moment of the pageant," she said, wearing a sparkling silver gown with vertical stripes at a press conference after the competition.
Real estate mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump, who owns the pageant, said many predicted Vega would take the crown a few weeks ago when contestants first arrived in Miami for the festivities. "From the minute she walked in the building, people said, 'She's a star,'" Trump said. Vega's win keeps the title in the hands of another Latina — reigning Miss Universe Gabriela Isler is from Venezuela. Beauty pageants are big business in Latin America, where girls are groomed for the contests from a young age and where Vega said women find "a lot of pride" in representing their country.Trump said Colombia was in the running to host next year's pageant but noted China was also a strong candidate. Crowd favorite Miss Venezuela Migbelis Lynette Castellanos was cut after the top ten. She had tremendous support and pressure locally and back home. The Miami suburb of Doral, which was host to the women during their stay, is also known as "Doralzuela" for its many Venezuelan residents.
Pageants and performance run in Vega's family. Her grandmother, Elvira Castillo, was Miss Atlántico 1953 (Colombia) and her grandfather is legendary tenor Gastón Vega. But the contests leading up to Miss Universe were a first for Vega, who is one of eight children. She also said they would be her last, as she is eager to return to her business studies, saying: "It gives me independence. I want to have my own company."
Fennell stood out with her short, spiky haircut and feisty personality. After Sanchez, the 24-year-old Miss USA from Las Vegas, Nevada, the second runner-up was Miss Ukraine Diana Harkusha. Miss Jamaica Kaci Fennell and Miss Netherlands Yasmin Verheijen were also among the top five, emerging from the field of 88 contestants. "I don't have long tresses like everyone else. I'm just representing myself, and that's what beauty pageants are all about," said Fennell, who wore a long, red beaded evening gown. "You don't have to look a certain way ... and I feel like I represent that."
As Miss Universe, Vega will receive an undisclosed salary, a luxury apartment in New York, a wardrobe and oodles of beauty products, and a one-year scholarship from the New York Film Academy.
"It will be a dream come true to represent the woman of today," Vega said earlier in the week. "A woman that not only cares about being beautiful and being glamorous, but also cares about being a professional, intelligent, hard-working person."
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Miss Universe: the political turmoil beneath the spray tan
Miss Lebanon
http://www.theguardian.com/
Pageants, despite the contestants’ rhetoric about world peace, are actually fraught with international conflict – as the latest Miss Universe controversy shows. Being a political scientist and a former international beauty queen, I know that in pageantry, as in politics, nothing is what it seems. Beneath the layers of deftly applied make-up and spray tan, international pageants are as wrought with political turmoil as any high-profile diplomatic event.
Take, for instance, the latest conflict in the Middle East. A selfie taken by the Israeli contestant at the Miss Universe pageant in Miami has divided observers: those who believe that Miss Israel photobombed Miss Lebanon, and those who are convinced that Miss Lebanon appeared willingly in the selfie. This recent controversy barely scratches the surface of the depth of global politics at work in such international competitions.
Believe it or not, these are political events. Akin to an annual summit of world leaders, beauty queens cum diplomats represent their countries on the world stage. They must embody their culture through the national costume competition, answer questions from an international press corps, and all the while look fabulous in a bikini. The political significance of pageants isn’t trivial. They have served as flashpoints for devastating political violence. A boycott of the 2002 Miss World pageant was launched by contestants in response to human rights violations, including a death sentence for a single mother, in the host country Nigeria. In the end, the pageant was disrupted by riots and relocated to London. More than 100 Nigerians died.
Pageants have also been used to bring attention to important issues ranging from women’s education to domestic violence and injuries from landmines. They have been lauded for elevating women from ethnic minorities to national prominence.Miss Earth, the pageant that I won, is dedicated to bringing attention to environmental degradation and fighting climate change.
As the selfie incident makes clear, pageants take place in a broader international context. I criticised last year’s Miss Universe competition in Russia for excluding countries that Russia doesn’t recognise, and for failing to include African contestants in official press events. An American host also pulled out of the event in protest against Russia’s anti-gay legislation. While these issues were specific to Russia, the pageant served to bring them to the world stage.
Contestants also serve as the public face for many small countries. For countries that don’t hold a meaningful place at international bargaining tables, events such as Miss Universe allow them to project an image to the global public. Typically, this is about attracting tourism – but it can have greater salience. For countries such as Israel or Kosovo, fielding a Miss in an international pageant serves to reinforce a contested statehood. For example, controversy erupted in Serbia in 2011 after Miss Serbia posed for a photo with Miss Kosovo.
Miss Universe is no stranger to the tension that pervades daily life in the Middle East. The 2006 Miss Universe competition aired in the middle of the July war – the second Lebanon war – during which the Israeli attempt to eradicate Hezbollah led to 34 days of air strikes on Lebanese territory and resulted in at least 1,109 Lebanese and 160 Israeli deaths. The latter included 43 Israeli civilians and 12 soldiers killed in Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israel.
The stress of the 2006 conflict was visible in both Miss Lebanon and Miss Israel. International media reports suggested that they bonded over a shared concern for their loved ones. However, subsequent interviews suggested that this was largely media speculation. After all, in 1993 attempts at individual-level reconciliation led to a Miss Lebanon being stripped of her title for fraternising with a Miss Israel. Events such as Miss Universe, and the international controversies that surround them, give a human face to the complex nature of global politics. If pageants are about world peace, then that peace is rooted in how two women, from countries often at war, relate to one another.
In the case of Lebanon, the idea that a single person could represent the diversity of the country is a way of publicly projecting the best aspirations of Lebanon’s democracy. The country remains deeply divided along ethnic lines. Symbols such as Miss Lebanon help sustain the fragile ethno-political balance of the country. Pageants may not directly affect diplomatic relations, but they do show just how hard it can be for individuals to escape the constraints of their political context.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)