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Jennifer Hawkins, Miss Universe Down Under
Another wardrobe malfunction - this time at a fashion show in Sydney, Australia (picture-less link):

Australian rugby league cheerleader Jennifer Hawkins, who was crowned Miss Universe earlier this year, was at a Sydney fashion show Thursday when a skirt she was wearing unraveled from around her waist and slipped to the floor.

As spectators gasped, 20-year-old Hawkins giggled and rushed backstage.

"I was walking along in a Bora dress and the bottom just came off," she said later in a television interview. "It was just a pity I wasn't wearing better panties."

The Daily Record has the best (or worst) headline - "MISS UNIVERSE'S OUTFIT GOES HORRIBLY THONG."

(Also see AFP's report, which includes other details, such as...uh...the weight of Jennifer Hawkins' dress...)

Upon reflection, and ignoring the wardrobe malfunction - remember how we've been told that these contests are not just beauty pageants, that they're looking for talent, etc.? So where does this happen? At a danged FASHION SHOW.

Now visit the Miss Universe website itself, which includes a link to send flowers to the delegates. I can see this now:

Dear Mr. Smith,

Thank you for the flowers, but I regret to inform you that my name is not Britney. My name's Mira - Miss Salo if you're nasty.

(And no, she's not a terrorist....)

You can also purchase delegates' photos or follow the delegates backstage.

And what's with this "delegates" stuff? Did they debate global warming during their display in Quito?

Anyway, there's more about Jennifer Hawkins:

Statuesque Hawkins is the youngest of four siblings, and was raised by her parents Gail, a homemaker, and Robert, a manager for a train company, in Newcastle, Australia....

A dancer since the age of 5, in 2001 she was chosen the winner of a national dance competition by a panel of judges the audience and her peers. In the years that followed, Jennifer has turned her ‘agility’ on the stage into ‘ability’ on a surfboard! She says she loves all water sports, especially surfing and wakeboarding, and heads to the beaches of the Gold Coast whenever she can.

Working as a model for the past two years, Jennifer now hopes to utilize her contacts and experience from the industry to leverage a position in television as a broadcaster.

Continuing the crusade of her predecessors, as MISS UNIVERSE 2004, Hawkins will use her title to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS and the research needed to find a cure for the deadly disease. Her year-long reign will take her around the globe as an ambassador for organizations like YouthAIDS, the Global Health Council, amfAR, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and God’s Love We Deliver.

Well, she's certainly increased her name awareness, so if there's an announcement that Jennifer Hawkins is speaking about AIDS, people will take notice...