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 OMG! Since when did the Miss USA competition turn into a Hooters face-off or a convention for Tiger’s “girls?” 
 
 Has the Miss USA Pageant turned from a beauty contest into a raunchy contest? The new Miss USA promo photos reveal a side to the girls — and the competition — that we, and we bet you, never expected ! When did risqué poses and sexual innuendo become a prerequisite for our nation’s beauty standards? Are the 51 contestants being judged on their ability to score a Playboy center spread? Listen, we’re not prudes here at Hollywoodlife.com but it’s one thing to dress sexy for a calendar but another to present barely covered, scantily-clad babes as role models for little girls, tweens and teens, who love to watch the annual Miss USA competition, held this year on May 16 on NBC. Nevertheless, the photos have the full support of the pageant’s owner Donald Trump and his officials! 
 
 Officials say that the new photos of these year’s contestants are “tasteful and sexy” (TMZ) and that the contest is adhering to the belief that “you can have brains and be smart and still be sexy.” 
 
 Yesterday, May 10, Donald went on Ryan Seacrest‘s KIIS radio show to add: “I think they’ve gone maybe a little over the top this year. These pictures are pretty wild, but the girls are INCREDIBLE! The bathing suits got smaller and the heels got higher!” Wow — thanks Donald. So the creme de la creme of America’s beauties should be in scantier bathing suits AND higher heels? 
 
 It kind of makes you wonder why Miss California 2009, Carrie Prejean, was fired when photos of her partially nude in lingerie surfaced. Uhh … aren’t these new contestants partially nude too? 
 
 So much for the hallowed tradition of Miss USA being a competition for a college scholarship based on the values of hard work and selfless beauty. Are these girls really fit to compete on behalf of America for the title of Miss Universe? 
 
 It looks like we have said goodbye to ANOTHER institution that was American as apple pie! 
 
 - Lindsey DiMattina and Bonnie Fuller 

 Only a year ago, controversial Miss USA runner-up Carrie Prejean drew fire when topless photos of her surfaced on the Internet. What a difference a year makes. 
 
 Video: Racy lingerie photos cause stir at Miss USA This year, all 51 Miss USA contestants have posed for their official photos wearing seductive expressions on their faces and not a whole lot else on their bodies. Taken by fashion photographer Fadil Berisha in dramatic black-and-white, the shots feature racy lingerie, smoldering looks and plenty of bare skin. 
 
 In fairness, the pageant is being held in Las Vegas this week, and the theme of the official publicity photos is “Waking Up in Vegas.” But judging by the photos, women in that celebrated city sleep in bustiers, high heels, fishnet stockings and garters instead of flannel jammies. 
 
 ‘Pushing the envelope’ 
 
 The photos seemed designed to generate controversy and buzz about the pageant, TODAY’s Matt Lauer suggested to pageant president Paula Shugart. 
 
 “Yes, to some degree it’s marketing,” Shugart admitted from Las Vegas. “But we’ve always been the cutting-edge pageant. We are owned by Donald Trump.” 
 
 Responding to reported angry phone calls to pageant officials over the steamy shots, Trump himself came to their defense. “They are a little bit sexy, but I’ll tell you what — everybody’s watching, so I have no problems with it,” he told the New York Daily News. “If you look at Miss America, it’s now off network television.” 
 
 As for the contestants themselves, 
 
 Miss Vermont (left) and Miss Kentucky (right) pose for their official Miss USA contestant photos. 
 
 “It pushed their envelope, but they all enjoyed doing this,” Shugart told Lauer. Besides, she added, the women in the pageant are not looking to bring peace to the world; they are all aspiring actresses and models. 
 
 “Their dream is to be in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show,” Shugart said, and the “Waking Up in Vegas” shots are good practice. 
 
 Too sexy? 
 
 But some are saying the pictures of the 51 contestants, available for your viewing pleasure at the pageant’s website, are too racy for Miss USA. After all, wasn’t it just last year that Carrie Prejean lost her job as Miss California USA after photos surfaced of her dressed in little beyond her own skin? 
 
 Video: Could Miss California lose her crown? Not so, say pageant organizers. Prejean first stirred controversy for criticizing gay marriage during the pageant. She was fired briefly when partially nude photos of her surfaced after she said she’d never posed for such pictures. But she was saved by the intervention of Donald Trump, who co-owns the pageant with NBC — only to get fired for good because officials said she was not carrying out her official duties, a charge she denied. 
 
 “Carrie is not anything we need to bring up again,” Shugart told Lauer. 
 
 Lark-Marie Anton, a pageant spokeswoman, also weighed in via e-mail, telling NBC News: “We are in the business of beauty and the contestants who compete for the title of Miss USA are not afraid to be sexy. These ladies are the full package — smart, accomplished, relevant and sexy. That said, I think these photos definitely break the stereotype of what a ‘pageant girl’ looks like.” 
 
 Slideshow: Miss USA 2009 These “pageant girls” — who include Claire Schreiner, Miss Wyoming USA, who is dating Cody Gifford, son of TODAY’s own Kathie Lee Gifford — definitely don’t look like the template created for the rival Miss America pageant, which bills its competition as a scholarship pageant and not a beauty contest. But, Miss USA pageant officials say, their competition makes no apologies for emphasizing beauty. 
 
 “We're seeing beautiful, smart, intelligent, classy women who just so happen to be sexy,” Tamiko Nash, a pageant consultant and former Miss California, told NBC News. 
 
 Not everyone agrees. Penny Nance, the CEO of Concerned Women for America, felt the pictures convey the wrong image for young girls who may be looking for role models. Miss America: Where are they now? 
 
 “As a mom of a 13-year-old daughter, I worry about the fact that these young women are held up in front of our young girls as symbols to be emulated, and it’s certainly a concern for American moms,” Nance told NBC News. 
 
 If the pageant is pushing the envelope, it’s only in keeping with the history of such events. Way back in 1984, before any of the current Miss USA contestants were born, Vanessa Williams lost her Miss America crown and sash after nude photos of her surfaced. Two years ago, Katie Rees lost her job as Miss Nevada because of racy photos. And last year, Miss USA had the controversy over Prejean. 
 
 Slideshow: Beauty queen scandals The bottom line for pageant officials is what the controversy does for the ratings. The pageant broadcasts live on NBC from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas Sunday night (9 p.m. ET) with TODAY’s Natalie Morales and celebrity chef Curtis Stone handling the hosting duties. Trace Adkins and Boys Like Girls are the special musical guests. 
 
 The winner of the Miss USA pageant gets to live in one of Donald Trump’s condos in New York City for a year while she represents the pageant. She also represents the United States in the Miss Universe pageant. 
 
 To see all of the official Miss USA contestant photos, visit the official Miss USA website by clicking here. 

 Donald Trump Defends Scantily Clad Miss USA Contestants 
 
 Email This The Miss USA pageant grabbed headlines late last week when the official contestant photos were revealed-featuring the contestants posing seductively in lingerie, fishnets and stilettos. 
 
 
 
 Since the promotional photos were unveiled, the competition, its organizers, and owner Donald Trump have come under fire. The biggest question: Are the photos appropriate? 
 
 
 
 Trump wasted no time getting his own thoughts about the situation out there. He stopped by Ryan Seacrest's KIIS The Miss USA pageant grabbed headlines late last week when the official contestant photos were revealed-featuring the contestants posing seductively in lingerie, fishnets and stilettos.Since the promotional photos were unveiled, the competition, its organizers, and owner Donald Trump have come under fire. The biggest question: Are the photos appropriate?Trump wasted no time getting his own thoughts about the situation out there. He stopped by Ryan Seacrest's KIIS radio show this morning to set the record straight. "I think they've gone maybe a little over the top this year. These pictures are pretty wild," he said. "But the girls are incredible." 
 
 http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=691977&pid=691976&uts=1273167996 http://www.popeater.com/mm_track/popeater/music/?s_channel=us.musicpop&s_account=aolpopeater,aolsvc&omni=1&ke=1 http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf PopScene: Week's Hottest Pics Gabourey Sidibe attends The American Cancer Society's Choose You luncheon on May 5th in New York City. Amy Sussman, Getty Images Amy Sussman, Getty Images PopScene: Weeks Hottest Pics 
 
 While Trump admitted they've received a fair amount of complaints, the positive feedback has been strong as well. His bottom line? Since taking over the Miss USA competition in 2002, the show's success keeps growing and growing. And when asked why, Trump said, "The bathing suits got smaller and the heels got higher." At least he's honest!The photos are definitely more risqué than years past when contestants wore bathing suits or ball gowns. But The Donald isn't apologizing for being a little racy. When asked what the women will wear this Sunday night when the competition airs live on TV, Trump replied, "They'll go as far as they can go on network television... which is pretty far!" 

 “Their dream is to be in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show,” says Miss USA pageant president Paula Shugart this morning of the 51 contenders competing for this year’s crown (preliminary competition starts tomorrow). So when photos were just released of the contestants in various states of undress in “morning after” lingerie and men’s shirts, the public was quick to judge. But should we? 
 
 These women are supposed to dream of world peace! Of nuclear disarmament! Of saving puppies, at the very least! They are supposed to be role models! 
 
 Or not. Shugart stressed to Matt Lauer on The Today Show that the contestants are not, in fact, driven by hopes of world peace. Instead, they are all aspiring actresses and models. Hardly a news flash. We thank you for your honesty, Ms. Shugart. 
 
 The Miss America Pageant has long protested (we think she doth protest too much) that it is not a beauty pageant, but rather a scholarship competition. Miss USA, however, which is co-owned by billionaire Donald Trump, has never held such lofty standards. 
 
 A quick history lesson: The Miss USA Pageant was created in the ’50s after a Miss America winner, Yolande Betbeze, refused to pose in publicity shots in just her swimsuit. The sponsor, Catalina swimwear, pulled its funding and went about setting up a new pageant where swimsuit shots were de rigueur. 
 
 Skin has always been used to sell Miss USA. Pageant spokeswoman Lark-Marie Anton, who also weighed in on Today, put it bluntly: “We are in the business of beauty.” She went on to say that the racy photos, which can be seen here, definitely pushed the envelope on the stereotype of pageant girls, but the competition and Trump make no apologies for putting “booty” first. “We are in a different age, The Donald told The Daily News. “They are a little bit sexy but I’ll tell you what–everybody’s watching, so I have no problems with it.” 
 
 Far from a scandal, we think it’s about time pageant girls showed their true colors and stop playing wolves in sheep-next-door’s gowns and bathing suits. Beauty pageant contestants are not role models. They’re fame seekers. And as fallen 2009 winner Carrie Prejean, who’s become a regular in the B-list celebrity news cycle, and Vanessa Williams can attest, a racy photo never hurt anyone. 

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– Last year, Miss USA organizers fretted about too-sexy photos; this year, they're pushing them. Should we be scandalized? Some opinions: It's what the girls want, explains pageant president Paula Shugart on the Today Show. "A lot of these women aspire to be models, the dream job for them would be to be in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show." "It’s about time pageant girls showed their true colors and stop playing wolves in sheep-next-door's gowns," writes Meghan Casserly for Forbes. "Beauty pageant contestants are not role models. They’re fame seekers. And as Carrie Prejean and Vanessa Williams can attest, a racy photo never hurt anyone." Lindsey DiMattina and Bonnie Fuller still want to believe: "So much for the hallowed tradition of Miss USA being a competition for a college scholarship based on the values of hard work and selfless beauty," they write on Hollywood Life. "It looks like we have said goodbye to ANOTHER institution that was American as apple pie!" Chill out, says Tara Conner, Miss USA 2006. "Basically, a swimsuit is lingerie, just different material," she tells the CBS Early Show. "So, I really don't know why everyone has their panties in a wad. You're seeing the same amount of skin, but all of the goods are covered, so there's really no issue." Click here to read what pageant co-owner Donald Trump thinks about the pics.