Caressa Cameron, a 22-year-old college student was named Miss America last night (Jan. 31), but now the real contest will begin. Can she stand tabloid scrutiny?
The next 48 hours will be critical for Cameron and the pageant.
Tabloid reporters are undoubtedly fanning out, cash in hand, looking for nude photos, lesbian relationships, sex tapes, extreme viewpoints and anything else that reveals the real Caressa Cameron.
Beauty pageants have fallen out of favor of late, which has reduced the Miss America pageant from prime-time television extravaganza to minor cable television event. But public interest remains strong in the winner.
(Ed’s Note: Click Photo to Enlarge)
The image of pageants hasn’t been helped by repeated scandals, usually after tabloids unearth embarrassing background information on contestants – from secret boob jobs to racy photographs.
Vanessa Williams, the first African American Miss America, was forced to resign after some erotic nude photos of her and another woman surfaced.
Williams, however, went on to a solid career as an entertainer, and actress, earning Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award nominations.
Donald Trump’s Miss USA contest has been rocked by repeated scandals, the most recent involving Miss USA California Carrie Prejean.
During the Miss Virginia pageant last year, Cameron dodged one pitfall. She was asked about gay marriage, the issue that sent Prejean into a downward spiral of revelations, including a pageant financed boob job, racy photos and a sex tape. She ultimately resigned.
Cameron apparently learned from Prejean’s mistakes, and came down on both sides of the issue.
She said she believed marriage should be between a man and woman because of her religious beliefs, but opposed laws against gay marriage.
So she’s also quite a politician. Still the answer was gutsy for conservative Virginia.
So far, then, Cameron appears to be the real deal, although it took her four tries (gasp!) to win the Virginia pageant title.
A broadcast journalism student at Virginia Commonwealth University, Cameron is the first black Miss America since Ericka Dunlap in 2005. She comes from a solid middle-class background. She’s the daughter of a background researcher for the government and a contractor.
So, sex tapes, anyone?
