Miss Atom 2008: A Glowing Review

Just when I think beauty pageants in Russia can't get more absurd and we should just drop the topic altogether (even after the greatest hits of Miss Gulag, Miss Red Army, and Miss Finance- I wonder what sweet "Miss Pension Fund" is doing these days after the collapse of the ruble?), along comes something even more random: Miss Atom.

Once again, I am not kidding, check it out for yourself at http://miss2008.nuclear.ru/

It's the beauty pageant for the women of the Russian nuclear industry, and all spheres of the sector are able to participate- mining, processing, waste storage, reactor technicians- you name it. As far as I can see- If she's exposed to radiation, she's eligible to enter (although I don't think this includes people who drink Moscow tap water).

In a burst of good news for those nuclear technicians in far-flung corners of Siberia and Tajikistan, the contest is also open to "girls working at nuclear entities of former USSR states" from 18-35 years of age.

Apparently the pageant is then opened to voters from across the Internet, and a tally is kept of the number of votes for each girl (apparently you can give one vote per distinct head, an advantage to those who got a little too close to the reactor). The resulting tally in my opinion, does somewhat eerily tie to high rad counts from radiation exposure, but let's not spoil the joy of the contestant's day with mundane health issues or observations on the state of the Russian nuclear industry.

In a stroke of environmental genius and a credit to how the nuclear industry is working to burnish its green credentials, apparently the awards ceremony was a carbon-neutral event, given no electricity was required to light or heat the venue, thanks to the warm glow of the contestants.

Credit to Ariel B and englishrussia.com, a source of inspirational anecdotes of Russian life.