Peruvian German Chica in Devil Dance With Bolivia - Phew!

Ok, so this was supposed to go up last week after I saw it on the Livinginperu web site, but I never got around to it.

Karen Schwartz, a Peruvian candidate for Miss Universe announced she is going to dance the Diablada dance (see picture). The Bolivians claim it as theirs, the Peruvians responded by saying ""The Highlands cultures are one. If Miss Schwarz is Peruvian, she has the right to wear the 'Diablada' dress.”

So, let me get this straight, we have a euro-Peruvian in a pseudo-dominatrix Bolivian "folk" outfit representing the unity of the Andean highland culture AND the international euro-beauty monopoly at the same time. Sweet. I suppose that beats Mexico's narco-beauty queen.

I love globalization. In fact, for your bubble-gum moment of the day (empty calories and wasted time) see a slide show of many of the national "folk" costumes at the Beauty Pageants blog. The blogger appears to be partial to Miss Japan.

I know that a few years from now there is absolutely going to be a dissertation on this from an Anthropologist. And for good measure, see Rick Lopez's article on the India Bonita contest in Mexico in 1921 as a good academic chaser. (HAHR, 2002).