From BBC News, England

Alyona, 164 cm tall and weighing 60 kg, was hailed as a "real-life girl".  I am uncomfortable with this as 60 kg is pretty slender and she is too young!  Still, make up your own mind.  Me? I think if we must have beauty pageants then they should only feature non-surgically enhanced, healthy weight range, over 25 year old men and women.  All proceeds going to charity.

An unglamorous schoolgirl has become a feminist icon in Russia after she was entered for an online beauty pageant by a friend as a prank.  Alyona Pisklova - not her real surname - got at least 40,000 votes, making her the runaway favourite to represent Russia in June's Miss Universe contest.  But Alyona, 15, was disqualified ahead of the finals because of her age.  In a blow to convention, her supporters hit back with a website called "Say No To Barbie Dolls".  She collected at least twice the votes of her nearest competitor.  An English-language statement on the website says Alyona "represents a catalyst to reveal problems of our society".  "The appearance of a common, real-life girl caused an enormous wave of support" it says.  "(She) submitted for the competition usual photos, made by unprofessional photographers, without make-up, with a natural smile and expression of the eyes.  "The statement says the vote for Alyona was "against unnatural beauties who cannot be distinguished from each other, fake emotions, smiles and gazes reflected in the lenses of professional photographers, products of the same type and trademark, popular music, cigarettes without nicotine and coffee without caffeine".