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TagsBY GINA G. SCALA
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
COMMENTARY
Miss Ohio’s bizarre choice of “Pretty Women” prostitute Vivian Ward as a positive portrayal of a woman shouldn’t be so surprising considering the limited choice of role models.
Audrey Bolte, the 23-year-old runner up in this year’s Miss Universe contest, was barely a teenager when a sex tape launched Paris Hilton as an American celebrity. Years of bad behavior from Hilton and friends followed; played out on television and in the tabloids. Just as that was ending, enter “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” The reality show covered the family as they dealt with the release of Kim’s sex tape.
While none of that endorses Bolte’s poor choice, it does explain some of her answer: "We had a wonderful, beautiful woman, Julia Roberts, and she was having a rough time. But you know what? She came out on top, and she didn't let anyone stay in her path."
Hollywood Gossip probably says it best: “Yeah. We sort of see Audrey's point about the character's perseverance and strength, but still ... saying a hooker is a positive depiction of women on screen? Ouch. Roberts' Vivian Ward was a likable woman, but she come out on top when a rich man hired her for sex for a week and then rescued her from a life of prostitution.”
If Bolte is such a fan of Roberts, then the actress' portrayal of Erin Brockovich would definitely have been a better choice.
As the Daily Mail noted, Bolte’s response wasn’t the first time the 2012 contestants displayed poor general knowledge. On the Bravo show "Watch What Happens Live," Andy Cohen – who also hosted Sunday's competition - asked a selection of the women to answer questions about the United States.
11 contestants representing East Coast states were asked to name the vice president; only five could correctly name Joe Biden, according to the Daily Mail. The women from Vermont, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Maine fell short, as they giggled at the camera or clutched their hair. Miss Rhode Island, the competition's winner, answered correctly.
Turning to contestants from the West Coast, Cohen asked, “'In America the Beautiful, what color are the waves of grain?'" Three out of seven correctly guessed "amber" - with suggestions ranging from "tan" to "gray."
In a lot of ways, that lack of knowledge should be more shocking than Bolte’s response to judge Marilu Henner’s question. This is a society where sex, lies and videotapes sell.
