Beauty Queens

I know I'm incredibly late in posting these, but I ran out of time while I was still in Ecuador. So, here goes.


Fanny's daughter, Karo, sang at the election/coronation of Ibarra's festival queen, so I once again found myself contemplating a future small project on Ecuadorian pageants. This pageant was bigger and a little flashier than Otavalo's. There were 9 candidates, and in addition to the opening choreographed number (done in jeans, t-shirts that read "White City" [Ibarra's nickname, but it was weird because it was in English], and sky-high heels), "traditional" costume, and evening gown portions, there was also a bathing suit demonstration, which was rather unnecessary in my opinion. 


This time, I took my phone so I could record a little snippet of the craziness that is each "band"/group of supporters cheering on their candidates.
Sorry for the low video & sound quality, but my Ecuadorian cell phone is pretty junky. Still, you can see Karo performing here.



The costume portion was pretty impressive, as it included props and background dancers. The Ibarra candidates definitely went all out!

The winner celebrating. Everyone I spoke to was disappointed because she had the ugliest dress (apparently, that's how you choose your queen, right?). It's tough to see here, but the top was lacy and made her look nude, while the bottom looked like a dead Muppet. It's quite possibly the ugliest dress I've ever seen. Here's to hoping she makes better future fashion choices and is a good queen.


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