Miss USA 2010: Lingerie Photo Spread Another Example of "Sex Sells"?

By coupiedoll (view all posts by coupiedoll)
at 3:14PM Wednesday May 19, 2010
under Newsworthy

This week history was made when the first Arab American woman was crowned Miss USA. You may have missed that headline, but you may not have missed last week's trending topic, and highly "controversial" commentary on the new lingerie spread that replaced the typical ball gowns worn by Miss USA contestants.

Resident billionaire and pageant owner Donald Trump seemed to revel in the controversy the pictures created. Before the pageant aired he told the The Insider, "We are in a different age. They are a little bit sexy but I'll tell you what--everybody's watching, so I have no problems with it."

But the big question was, would everybody be watching a sixty-year-old pageant with many outdated traditions that has steadily been decreasing in the ratings since its heyday in the 70s and 80s?

According to the Nielsen ratings system, the pageant hit its all-time high in the ratings in 1979 with 38 million viewers. It turns out the 2010 pageant viewership was up from 5 million viewers last year to 5.3 million viewers this year, still its second-lowest showing since the program hit the airwaves.

So maybe the nearly nude photo spread helped score a few extra eyeballs despite the fact some Miss USA contestants have lost or nearly lost their crowns for similar racy leaked photos not officially sanctioned by the pageant or blessed by the Trumpmeister.

That said, commercial spot costs during the television event have dwindled right along with viewers eyeballs. According to Daily Finance, the all time high price for a thirty-second spot was in 2005 at a price tag of $215,000. Last year, the same spots sold for $70,000.

But for the pageant itself, maybe the controversy worked. In March, NBC renewed its agreement with the pageant and Donald Trump to carry the program for three more years.

What do think about the sex sells philosophy? Think about those Go Daddy ads during the Super Bowl, or those famously nude famous women posing for PETA. And does sex have a place in a 60 year-old Miss USA pageant that was originally created so women would not have to pose in a swimsuit?

Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments. And get your fill on fashion deals by following me @CoupieSavings on Twitter.