I had such fun people watching, so to wrap up the visit, over the next ten days I'm running a series of candid B&W portraits of the faces of rural Australia (every one with a hat), starting with the Show Girl winner for 2010 getting ready for her tour of the show ring in a classic car. Yep out in the country, show girls still exist along with debutante balls.
Two beaut sheilas
ReplyDeletethat truck is MINE!
ReplyDeleteyou can have the showgirl.
I wonder how they judge the Show Girl contest. Do the girls have to prance around in bikinis, or do they get points just for their great hats?
ReplyDeleteClassic cars are something I miss. We don't have many in Lebanon.
ReplyDeleteAB, no bikinis. It's more about poise, grooming and brains than beauty, though I'm sure that helps.
ReplyDeleteHere's the official line, "personality, confidence, ambition and life goals, general knowledge, rural knowledge, presentation and speech. Finalists are also asked to demonstrate knowledge of their local community and current affairs and apart from their potential ambassadorial qualities, contestants are also judged on their involvement in and experience of rural affairs."
This truck appears to be greatly loved.
ReplyDeleteYou'll have your 100 strangers in no time!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to the rest of 'em.
But my strangers didn't give me permission so they don't count. Given that however, I'm surprised at the quality of the portraits just grabbed on the run, but they also have a candidness that permission would never deliver.
ReplyDeleteEasy enough to do in a show crowd. I'd love to be able to do the same in a country town but the camera just plain sticks out there.
Joan Elizabeth: They have a similar tradition over in the wine growing villages with their wine princesses and wine queens. Knowledge of grape varieties counts for something, a winning smile and feminine curves certainly helps.
ReplyDelete