Fascination with Pulchritude

[Swammerdami]

Beauity/pulchritude is a fetish.

Yes. This is my main point in the thread. Through a combination of Darwinian evolution and cultural influence some of us human males become (almost irrationally) infatuated with female voice, female form etc. I suggested this in OP:

Beyond morning make-up etc., millions of women achieve extreme beauty almost inadvertantly, with male attention often not even welcome. Out of politeness I generally avert my gaze from the dozens of beautiful women who come into my view every day.

I've been to the Grand Canyon. It looked much like it does in the movies and we drove away after a short while. I've been to the Louvre so I suppose I saw the Mona Lisa. No memory of it though. I don't think I'm alone in saying that women please my eyes above all else.

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Off topic, but related to beauty contests: Miss Universe is held in Thailand this year and operated by the Miss Grand International organization. Did any of you hear of the scandal (related to Miss Mexico) at the Miss Universe pageant? It showed up in my feed because I'm in Thailand (and Google probably knew I'd been watching Miss Grand videos) -- I'm curious if it made headlines for you.

Contestants agreed to make complimentary posts about Thailand on social media. Apparently Miss Mexico didn't meet the quota.

Thai executive (Nawat) insults Miss Mexico; other contestants walk out in protest.

Nawat apologizes. I can't recall seeing so much crying from an adult.

 

[southernhybrid]

Women enjoy looking at eye candy as well, but we usually have different standards. I have to enjoy celebrities because where I live, there's not much to look at that is pleasurable to the eyes, and that includes both men and women.

 

[thebeave]

Beauity/pulchritude is a fetish.

Yes. This is my main point in the thread. Through a combination of Darwinian evolution and cultural influence some of us human males become (almost irrationally) infatuated with female voice, female form etc. I suggested this in OP:

Beyond morning make-up etc., millions of women achieve extreme beauty almost inadvertantly, with male attention often not even welcome. Out of politeness I generally avert my gaze from the dozens of beautiful women who come into my view every day.

I've been to the Grand Canyon. It looked much like it does in the movies and we drove away after a short while. I've been to the Louvre so I suppose I saw the Mona Lisa. No memory of it though. I don't think I'm alone in saying that women please my eyes above all else.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Off topic, but related to beauty contests: Miss Universe is held in Thailand this year and operated by the Miss Grand International organization. Did any of you hear of the scandal (related to Miss Mexico) at the Miss Universe pageant? It showed up in my feed because I'm in Thailand (and Google probably knew I'd been watching Miss Grand videos) -- I'm curious if it made headlines for you.

Contestants agreed to make complimentary posts about Thailand on social media. Apparently Miss Mexico didn't meet the quota.

Thai executive (Nawat) insults Miss Mexico; other contestants walk out in protest.

Nawat apologizes. I can't recall seeing so much crying from an adult.

It made the news here. I haven't been able to hear the exact words he said to Miss Mexico though. The source I saw here provided English captions, but used asterisks to bleep out the bad words. I think he called her a "dumb bitch" though?! The link you provided gives the full audio, but the captioning is in Spanish and the speaker's accent is pretty strong, such that I can't make out the words. So, still not 100% sure what he said. But if it was "dumb bitch", then I'm with the other contestants on the walkout. Not cool.

The only other time I can recall hearing a man blubbering as much as Nawat was when Jimmy Swaggart came clean to his congregation about his hooker. That was priceless!

And what's the deal with the Miss Universe pageant continuing to exclude all the wonderful female forms found elsewhere in the universe? Its still very Earth-centric, despite the endless rhetoric about diversity and inclusion these days.

 

[unapologetic]

Beauity/pulchritude is a fetish.

I'm not sure what you mean by this.

Because 'beauity' is so varied and personal for the viewer, and tied to body parts, face, or hair. Like a fetish.
I place no negitive connotations on the term 'fetish'. I have fetishes. The only one I'll admit to here, is my distaste for makeup.

Hmm...
I forgot 'fetish' is sometimes used as the term for a voodoo doll. Not my meaning. Not in my vocabulary.

 

[thebeave]

Beauity/pulchritude is a fetish.

Yes. This is my main point in the thread. Through a combination of Darwinian evolution and cultural influence some of us human males become (almost irrationally) infatuated with female voice, female form etc. I suggested this in OP:

Beyond morning make-up etc., millions of women achieve extreme beauty almost inadvertantly, with male attention often not even welcome. Out of politeness I generally avert my gaze from the dozens of beautiful women who come into my view every day.

I've been to the Grand Canyon. It looked much like it does in the movies and we drove away after a short while. I've been to the Louvre so I suppose I saw the Mona Lisa. No memory of it though. I don't think I'm alone in saying that women please my eyes above all else.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Off topic, but related to beauty contests: Miss Universe is held in Thailand this year and operated by the Miss Grand International organization. Did any of you hear of the scandal (related to Miss Mexico) at the Miss Universe pageant? It showed up in my feed because I'm in Thailand (and Google probably knew I'd been watching Miss Grand videos) -- I'm curious if it made headlines for you.

Contestants agreed to make complimentary posts about Thailand on social media. Apparently Miss Mexico didn't meet the quota.

Thai executive (Nawat) insults Miss Mexico; other contestants walk out in protest.

Nawat apologizes. I can't recall seeing so much crying from an adult.

It made the news here. I haven't been able to hear the exact words he said to Miss Mexico though. The source I saw here provided English captions, but used asterisks to bleep out the bad words. I think he called her a "dumb bitch" though?! The link you provided gives the full audio, but the captioning is in Spanish and the speaker's accent is pretty strong, such that I can't make out the words. So, still not 100% sure what he said. But if it was "dumb bitch", then I'm with the other contestants on the walkout. Not cool.

The only other time I can recall hearing a man blubbering as much as Nawat was when Jimmy Swaggart came clean to his congregation about his hooker. That was priceless!

And what's the deal with the Miss Universe pageant continuing to exclude all the wonderful female forms found elsewhere in the universe? Its still very Earth-centric, despite the endless rhetoric about diversity and inclusion these days.

Gee, look who won the Miss Universe contest! I'm shocked I tell you...shocked!

But, Holy Crap that contest was a clusterfuck:

Mexico’s Fatima Bosch crowned Miss Universe winner in glittering finale of scandal-hit pageant

Fatima Bosch of Mexico has been named Miss Universe 2025 in a scandal-hit competition where she emerged as a fan favorite after she was berated by a Thai pageant director during a pre-pageant meeting, triggering a walk out by contestants.

The contestant from Jamaica, Gabrielle Henry, took a scary tumble during the evening gown round at Wednesday’s preliminaries and was carried away in a stretcher, according to social media videos which circulated of her fall. Miss Universe President Raul Rocha said in an update to Instagram that Henry was “under good care” in hospital and that she had not broken any bones.

Then, Miss Universe 1996, Alicia Machado, was criticized for making racist comments in an Instagram live video discussing the incident.

Machado referred to Nawat as “that despicable Chinese,” and when a commentor pointed out he is Thai, Machado said “Chinese, Thai, Korean. To me all these people with slanted eyes like this are all Chinese,” while pulling up the corners of her eyes.

Two judges abruptly stepped down from the competition days before the winner was crowned, with one accusing the pageant of being rigged.

Composer Omar Harfouch said on Instagram he had resigned from the eight-member judging panel, and claimed there was a secret, “impromptu” panel of judges who had pre-selected the top 30 contestants in advance of the final.

“I could not stand before the public and television cameras, pretending to legitimize a vote I never took part in,” Harfouch said in a statement.
Machado’s representative did not respond to a request for comment from CNN.