July 31, 2009: Beauty Pageant

[xoxoxoBruce]

Isn't she lovely
Isn't she wonderfull
Isn't she precious
.......



Yes, a beauty pageant for camels.

For nine days the animals paraded before a grandstand—camels of all sorts, the most prestigious being groupings of 35 females—and imperious judges waved away the homelier groups with their dejected owners. As the days passed, the judges rewarded certain standards with dispatch, winnowing a field of some 24,000 contestants.

I wonder if 35 camels is the ideal sized caravan?
But how do you tell a "pretty" camel from an ugly one?

But the judges in Abu Dhabi view camels with different eyes, scrutinizing them from nose to tail and back again, evaluating each according to strict criteria. Her ears must be firm. Her back high, her hump large and symmetrical. A rump that's not too big, with just enough room for a saddle. The hair, of course, must shine. A good head is massive. Her nose should have a strong arch in the bridge, sloping toward a bottom lip that hangs down like a bauble. A long neck appeals. As do long legs. And the judges examine the two toes of the feet, looking for what their guidelines call "toe-parting length."

Because so many beauty pageants, in the end, do come down to cleavage.

This is serious business, more for the prestige, bragging rights, than the prizes, which are "luxury sport-utility vehicles—more than 140 Range Rovers, Nissans, Toyotas, all prizes for various winners".

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