14 DAY TRIAL // This Saturday, November 9, 2013, the Miss Universe 2013 pageant will air and, when that happens, the entire world will see the costume that people are already talking and blowing a fuse about, worn by Miss USA Erin Brady: a Transformer costume for the National Costume round.
The other day, all the beauty queens at the pageant took part in a catwalk show in Moscow to introduce their choice of National Costume: Miss USA, for some reason, opted for a Transformer / Optimus Prime-type of getup that looked as if it’d been ripped straight out of a Michael Bay-directed video for Victoria’s Secret.
The similarity was probably more than a coincidence: Bay did direct all the “Transformers” movies and he also helmed some of the most popular VS commercials, but the costume was also created by the guy who’s responsible for the amazing and sometimes ridiculous-looking outfits showcased at the annual VS show, Martin Izquierdo.
Perhaps anticipating the backlash, the 26-year-old beauty queen, who was crowned Miss USA in June, as Miss Connecticut, tried to explain the reasoning behind her choice on Instagram.
“Nothing screams national costume like the first Miss USA transformer. Embracing powerful women in a transforming country that’s made up of so much. That’s what Miss USA means to me,” Erin wrote.
Later, in a post accompanying the pic also attached to this article, she wrote, “A close up of my national costume. :) Thank you to Martin for all of his time and hardwork. He is a mastermind. #missuniverse #usa #transformer.” She was obviously proud of and happy with her choice.
Many of her fellow Americans back home didn’t see it that way, with angry voices saying a Transformer is anything but symbolic of their culture. Sure, America is known for Hollywood movies, but these can also represent the worst about our consumerist culture in general, so perhaps equaling the two isn’t a good idea.
Angry voices also called Brady’s costume “tasteless” and “uninspired” or even “offensive” but, for the sake of argument, she’s not lacking supporters either, because there are those who believe she showed originality, imagination, and a sense of humor when she picked it: and these apply to the American culture as well.