BEFORE we get to the racy pictures of the 51 Miss USA hopefuls, recall the image and name of Carrie Prejean. She was the airy-headed Miss USA contestant who was threatened with violence and death for voicing her views on gay marriage (she agreed with Barack Obama  she was against). She then appeared in a sexy tape and mucky pictures. Miss USA paid for her chests to be engorged with silicon gel. It was good, clean wholesome stuff. And, all things considered, Carrie Prejean had to go and was stripped of her title.

Now time to look at this year’s agonists, who massed in Las Vegas for a spell with photographer Fadil Berisha. The images show the ladies feeding the poor, petting stray dogs and meditating. Those pictures are great. But while they are being developed, get a load of these shots of the girls in their bra and knickers (Miss Virginia and Miss Kansas in only their knickers). Carrie Prejean was not wrong – she was just ahead of her time.