CBS, NBC and other news outlets are reporting that the official Miss USA promotional photos, which show the contestants pouting in lingerie, may have "gone too far." On NBC's The Today Show this morning, host Matt Lauer channeled his inner Kramer by telling the pageant's president that the photos "seemed designed to generate controversy and buzz about the pageant." NBC, incidentally, will be broadcasting the pagaent from Las Vegas Sunday night "with Today’s Natalie Morales and celebrity chef Curtis Stone handling the hosting duties."
The lingerie photos of each of the 51 contestants were taken in Las Vegas by fashion photographer Fadil Berisha. In a short video (below) taken during the shoots, Berisha explains that it's not just about T&A, it's about moving the pageant into 2010. And it's draining. "I'm inside their soul when I'm pulling things out of them, and I get emotionally exhausted," says Berisha. But Tim Winter at the Parents Television Council just sees flesh, not soul, telling CBS, "There has been a growing debate over the line between a beauty pageant and soft-core pornography, and I think this year's pageant not only erases that line, it obliterates it."
On the other side of the aisle, Miss USA 2006 and party girl Tara Conner insists, "It's really not pushing the envelope. Basically, a swimsuit is lingerie, just different material. So, I really don't know why everyone has their panties in a wad, because it's the same concept. You're seeing the same amount of skin, but all of the goods are covered, so there's really no issue." Which is exactly what you should tell your boss if you get caught examining these photos and video too ardently.
